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[115th Congress Public Law 3]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

[[Page 131 STAT. 7]]

Public Law 115-3
115th Congress

                                 An Act

 
 To ensure the Government Accountability Office has adequate access to 
           information. <<NOTE: Jan. 31, 2017 -  [H.R. 72]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: GAO Access and 
Oversight Act of 2017. 31 USC 701 note.>> 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``GAO Access and Oversight Act of 
2017''.
SEC. 2. ACCESS TO CERTAIN INFORMATION.

    (a) Access to Certain Information.--Subchapter II of chapter 7 of 
title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
``Sec. 721. <<NOTE: 31 USC 721.>>  Access to certain information

    ``(a) No provision of the Social Security Act, including section 
453(l) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 653(l)), shall be construed to limit, 
amend, or supersede the authority of the Comptroller General to obtain 
any information or to inspect any record under section 716 of this 
title.
    ``(b) The specific reference to a statute in subsection (a) shall 
not be construed to affect access by the Government Accountability 
Office to information under statutes that are not so referenced.''.
    (b) Agency Reports.--Section 720(b) of title 31, United States Code, 
is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ``or 
        planned'' after ``action taken''; and
            (2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs of the Senate, the Committee on Oversight and Government 
        Reform of the House of Representatives, the congressional 
        committees with jurisdiction over the agency program or activity 
        that is the subject of the recommendation, and the Government 
        Accountability Office before the 61st day after the date of the 
        report; and''.

    (c) Authority To Obtain Records.--Section 716 of title 31, United 
States Code, is amended in subsection (a)--
            (1) by striking ``(a)'' and inserting ``(2)''; and
            (2) by inserting after the section heading the following:

    ``(a)(1) The Comptroller General is authorized to obtain such agency 
records as the Comptroller General requires to discharge the duties of 
the Comptroller General (including audit, evaluation, and investigative 
duties), including through the bringing of civil actions under this 
section. <<NOTE: Courts.>>  In reviewing a civil action under this 
section, the court shall recognize the continuing force and effect

[[Page 131 STAT. 8]]

of the authorization in the preceding sentence until such time as the 
authorization is repealed pursuant to law.''.

    (d) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for 
chapter 7 of title 31, <<NOTE: 31 USC prec. 701.>>  United States Code, 
is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 720 the 
following:

``721. Access to certain information.''.

    Approved January 31, 2017.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 72:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 163 (2017):
            Jan. 4, considered and passed House.
            Jan. 17, considered and passed Senate.

                                  <all>
```