[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 23007-23008]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      INSPECTOR GENERAL REFORM ACT

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Madam President, I am proud to note that Congress, 
Saturday, voted to pass and send to the President the Inspector General 
Reform Act of 2008. This bipartisan bill reflects the broad 
congressional support for the outstanding work of our inspectors 
general and our desire to ensure that these important and unique 
Government officials are given the tools and the accountability to 
perform at their very best. I want to commend my colleagues, Senator 
McCaskill and Senator Collins, with whom I cosponsored this bill in the 
Senate, for their leadership and hard work on this issue. I also want 
to recognize the efforts of Congressman Cooper of Tennessee in the 
House, who has worked diligently on this legislation or some version of 
it through several Congresses.

[[Page 23008]]

  It has been 30 years since Congress, as part of its post-Watergate 
reforms, passed the Inspectors General Act of 1978 that created an 
Office of Inspector General in 12 major departments and agencies to 
hold those agencies accountable and report back both to the agency 
heads and Congress on their findings. The law was amended in 1988 to 
add an inspector general to almost all executive agencies and 
departments.
  The experiment has been a great success, hailed as a sort of consumer 
protector for the taxpayer deep within each agency. IG audits generate 
billions of dollars in potential savings each year. They also safeguard 
something even more valuable public trust in our Government by exposing 
shortcomings in Government practices and official conduct. Some of 
these efforts generate front page headlines, but most of it unfolds 
quietly but critically behind the scenes as the IGs help their 
respective agencies establish effective and efficient programs and 
practices that make the most of the taxpayers' hard-earned dollars.
  It is not an easy job to undertake and, over the years, we have 
become aware of several instances where the independence of inspectors 
general appears to be under siege. It is vital that Congress reiterate 
its strong support for the internal oversight IGs can provide and 
ensure they have the independence they need to carry out this vital, 
but often unpopular work.
  Unfortunately, we are also aware of instances in which the watchdog 
needs watching--that is, situations where the inspector general has 
behaved improperly or failed to provide vigorous oversight.
  This legislation attempts to address both problems.
  It includes an array of measures designed to strengthen the 
independence of the inspectors general, such as requiring the 
administration to notify Congress 30 days before attempting to remove 
or transfer an IG. This would give us time to consider whether the 
administration was improperly seeking to displace an inspector general 
for political reasons because the IG was, in effect, doing his or her 
job too well. It requires that all IGs be chosen on the basis of 
qualifications, without regard to political affiliation.
  The legislation would codify and strengthen the existing IG councils, 
creating a unitary council that can provide greater support for IGs 
throughout the Government.
  The bill would provide greater transparency of IG budget needs, 
including funds for training and council activities, to help ensure the 
IG offices have the resources they need for their investigations.
  The legislation also adjusts IG pay. It prohibits bonuses for IGs to 
remove a potential avenue for improper influence by the agency head. To 
compensate for this ban and to reflect the importance of the work they 
do, most IGs would receive an increase in their regular pay. Currently, 
some IGs earn less than other senior officials in their agency and 
sometimes even less than some of their subordinates.
  Our bill also enhances IG accountability by strengthening the 
Integrity Committee that handles allegations against inspectors general 
and their senior staff, and facilitating greater oversight of the 
Integrity Committee by Congress.
  Both the House and Senate versions of this bill received overwhelming 
bipartisan support, and since Senate passage last spring we have worked 
with the House to craft the consensus language that has now won 
congressional approval. We have also worked with the administration to 
address many of their initial concerns, and it is my great hope that 
the President will promptly sign this bill into law.

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