Hillary Clinton Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators to Introduce Inspector General Reform Act of 2007

Bill Aims to Increase Government Accountability and Strengthen Inspector General System

November 15, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton joined Senator Claire McCaskill and a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce the Inspector General Reform Act of 2007. The legislation includes provisions to guarantee that qualified individuals are appointed as Inspectors General (IGs), that they remain independent of pressure and influence from the government agencies they investigate, and that all IG reports and audits are easily accessible to the public.

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“For thirty years, Inspectors General have served as invaluable government watchdogs, protecting against fraud, waste and abuse and increasing government accountability. This legislation will provide greater resources and autonomy for IGs to perform this important work, which is a crucial safeguard for the American people,” said Senator Clinton.

The Senators introduced this bill following reports of intimidation of IGs by top agency officials. The legislation aims to strengthen IG offices by protecting the independence of IGs as they review government agencies, as well as establish a committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing against Inspectors General and their staff.

Specifically, the legislation will require that:

– Congress be given 30 days written notice of any proposed removal of an IG, along with the reasons for the removal.

– All IGs must have their own legal counsel or access to the services of legal counsel of another Inspector General. This will allow them to avoid using agency counsels.

– A Council on Integrity and Efficiency for Inspectors General must be established. Within the Council, an Integrity Committee must be created to receive, review, and refer for investigation allegations of wrongdoing that are made against Inspectors General or certain other staff members.

– All IG websites are directly accessible from the home page of agency websites. Any IG report must be posted on agency websites within 3 working days of its release.

– In the event of a vacancy, the Council for Integrity and Efficiency will recommend to the appointing authority three possible replacements.

– The President’s budget submission must state how much money he or she is requesting for each IG office, as well as the funding level the IG requested for his or her office. This will allow Congress to identify whether agencies are trying to interfere with the work of an IG office by cutting funding.

– No IG may accept a bonus.

– Presidentially appointed IGs must be paid at Level III of the Executive Schedule, plus three percent, and other IGs must receive compensation comparable to other senior level executives in the department. This is aimed at preventing agencies from discouraging qualified candidates by lowering pay.

Similar legislation in the House of Representatives received overwhelming bipartisan approval with a vote of 404-11.

Source: Senator Hillary Clinton