HR 4676 Re-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click.
Office of Inspector General Oversight Council Act of 1998
To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to establish an Office of Inspector General Oversight Council.
Summary
This Act establishes an independent Office of Inspector General Oversight Council to oversee and review the actions of federal Inspectors General offices. The seven-member Council includes one member appointed by each of the House Speaker, House minority leader, Senate majority leader, and Senate minority leader, plus three members selected jointly by existing Inspectors General, with members serving three-year terms limited to two consecutive terms. The Council's duties are to hear and investigate complaints about Inspector General decisions and actions regarding fraud, abuse, and violations of law or regulations in federal programs, and to issue recommendations on such complaints while protecting complainants from retaliation. Council members serve without pay but receive travel expenses, and the Council may hire staff and consultants. The Council must notify relevant congressional committees of its activities and recommendations.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor
Actions (4)
- Oct 16, 1998 Referred to the Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology. · house
- Oct 1, 1998 Referred to the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. · house
- Oct 1, 1998 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1853)
- Oct 1, 1998 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 1, 1998
Mr. Towns introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight
A BILL
To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to establish an Office of Inspector General Oversight Council.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Office of Inspector General Oversight Council Act of 1998”.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OVERSIGHT COUNCIL.
The Inspector General Act of 1978 (Public Law 95-452; 5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
“SEC. 13. OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL OVERSIGHT COUNCIL.
“(a) Establishment.—There is hereby established as an independent establishment in the executive branch a council to be known as the ‘Office of Inspector General Oversight Council’ (in this section referred to as the ‘Council’), the purpose of which shall be to oversee and review the actions and activities of the Offices of Inspector General of establishments and designated Federal entities.
“(b) Composition; Qualifications.—(1) The Council shall be composed of seven members (in this section referred to as the ‘Members’), who shall be appointed as follows:
“(A) One member shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
“(B) One member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives.
“(C) One member shall be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate.
“(D) One member shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate.
“(E) Three members shall be selected jointly by the Inspectors General of establishments and designated Federal entities.
“(2) Members shall be appointed from among—
“(A) Inspectors General of establishments and designated Federal entities; and
“(B) private United States citizens.
“(c) Appointment; Staggering of Terms.—(1) Except as provided in paragraph (4), Members shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. Any vacancy in the Council shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
“(2) Members shall be limited to service of 2 terms on the Council.
“(3) All appointments to the Council shall be made not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of the Office of Inspector General Oversight Council Act of 1998.
“(4) Members initially appointed to the Council under subparagraphs (A) through (D) of subsection (b)(1) shall be so appointed for a term of two years.
“(d) Duties.—The duties of the Council shall be as follows:
“(1) To hear and investigate complaints with respect to decisions and actions of Offices of Inspector General regarding fraud and abuse in programs and operations of establishments and other designated Federal entities and other activities prohibited by law, rule, or regulation.
“(2) To issue recommendations and advice regarding such complaints.
“(3) In hearing and investigating such complaints, to provide a means by which information regarding fraud and abuse, violations of law, rules, or regulations, mismanagement, waste of funds, abuse of authority, or danger to public health or safety may be disclosed without fear of retaliation or disclosure of the identity of the person bringing the complaint.
“(e) Pay of Members.—Members of the Council shall not be paid by reason of their work on the Council.
“(f) Travel Expenses.—The members of the Council shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Council.
“(g) Information.—The Council may secure directly from any department or agency of the United States information that the Council considers necessary to enable the Council to carry out its responsibilities under this Act.
“(h) Cooperation From Government Officials.—In carrying out its duties, any United States Government official responsible for providing the Council with information necessary for the fulfillment of its responsibilities shall cooperate fully with the Council.
“(i) Staff.—The Council may appoint a staff director and such additional personnel as may be necessary to enable the Council to perform its duties. The Council may fix the pay of the staff director and other personnel, except that the rate of pay fixed under this paragraph for the staff director may not exceed the rate payable for level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code, and the rate of pay for other personnel may not exceed the maximum rate payable for grade GS-15 of the General Schedule.
“(j) Procurement of Temporary and Intermittent Services.—The Council may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of pay payable for level V of the Executive Schedule under section 5316 of such title.
“(k) Postal and Printing Services.—The Council may use the United States mails and obtain printing and binding services in the same manner and under the same conditions as other departments and agencies of the United States.
“(l) Experts and Consultants.—The Council may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, United States Code.
“(m) Notification to Congress.—The Council shall—
“(1) notify the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate regarding activities and recommendations of the Council; and
“(2) notify the Committee on National Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate regarding activities and recommendations of the Council with respect to the Department of Defense.”. <all>
Comments