Semiannual Report to Congress

April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

November 2016

Federal Election Commission - Office of Inspector General

999 E Street, N.W. Suite 940, Washington, D.C. 20463
 FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20463

OFFICE OF THE CHAIRMAN

November 21, 2016

The Honorable Paul D. Ryan

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Speaker:

Pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the Federal Election 

Commission submits the Office of Inspector General’s Semiannual Report to Congress. The 

report summarizes the activity of the FEC Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) from 

April 1, 2016 through September 30, 2016. 

During this reporting period, the FEC’s OIG Audit of the FEC’s Telework Programs was 

released in June 2016. In July 2016, a report from OIG consultants entitled Root Causes of Low 

Employee Morale Study was released. Finally, the OIG released its Review of Outstanding 

Recommendations as of August 2016 in September 2016. The response of FEC management to 

the issues raised in the OIG reports appear in those reports. 

The Commission appreciates and shares the Inspector General’s commitment to sound 

financial and management practices, and looks forward to continuing its cooperative working 

relationship as management takes appropriate measures to improve operations of the 

Commission. Copies of the Semiannual Report to Congress are being provided to the Chairmen 

and Ranking Members of the FEC’s oversight committees.

On behalf of the Commission,

Matthew S. Petersen

Chairman
MANAGEMENT REPORT ON 

INSPECTOR GENERAL ISSUED REPORTS

WITH QUESTIONED COSTS

FOR THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

Number of Questioned Unsupported

 Reports Costs Costs

A. Reports for which no management decision

 has been made by commencement of the

 reporting period 0 0 [0]

B. Reports issued during the reporting period 0 0 [0]

Subtotals (A + B) 0 0 [0]

C. Reports for which a management decision 

 was made during the reporting period 0 0 [0]

 (i) Dollar value of disallowed costs 0 0 [0]

 (ii) Dollar value of costs not disallowed 0 0 [0]

D. Reports for which no management decision has

 been made by the end of the reporting period 0 0 [0]

E. Reports for which no management decision

 was made within six months of issuance 0 0 [0]
MANAGEMENT REPORT ON 

INSPECTOR GENERAL ISSUED REPORTS WITH

RECOMMENDATIONS TO PUT FUNDS TO BETTER USE

FOR THE SIX-MONTH PERIOD ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2016

Number of Funds to be Put

 Reports To Better Use

A. Reports for which no management decision

 has been made by the commencement

 of the reporting period 0 0

B. Reports issued during the reporting period 0 0

C. Reports for which a management decision

 was made during the reporting period 0 0

 (i) Dollar value of recommendations that were

 agreed to by management 0 0

 - Based on proposed management action 0 0

 - Based on proposed legislative action 0 0

 (ii) Dollar value of recommendations that were

 not agreed to by management 0 0

D. Reports for which no management decision

 has been made by the end of the reporting period 0 0

E. Reports for which no management decision

 was made within six months of issuance 0 0
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

Executive Summary 1

OIG Audit Activity 3

OIG Audit Follow-up Activity 5

OIG Special Projects 6

OIG Hotline Information 8

OIG Investigative Information 9

Additional OIG Activity 10

Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) Activity 11

OIG Contacts 12

List of Training, Meetings and Conferences Attended by OIG Staff 13

Reporting Requirements 15

Table I – Questioned Cost 16

Table II – Funds Put To Better Use 17

Table III – Summary Of Audit And Inspection Reports With 18

Corrective Actions Outstanding For More Than Six Months

Appendix

The Federal Election Commission 19

Office of Inspector General 19

Table of Contents
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Executive Summary

concerning the approval of telework, especially episodic telework, in a less than equitable manner across 

the agency. 

The report included eleven recommendations to improve the FEC telework programs. Management generally agreed with all recommendations (see Audit 

Activity section, page 3). 

The OIG’s Review of Outstanding 

Recommendations as of August 2016 (OIG-16-

05) was completed during this reporting period. The

OIG semiannually provides the Commission with the

status of outstanding recommendations. For this reporting period, we reviewed six audit and inspection

reports that contained a combined total of 75 outstanding recommendations. The OIG was able to

close three recommendations that were included in

the Audit of the FEC’s Office of Human Resources

(OIG-12-05). We also expressed our concern that

there continues to be minimal, if any, progress made

in the 28 outstanding recommendations from the

2010 Follow-up Audit of Privacy and Data Protection.

(see Audit Follow-up Activity section, page 5).

The Root Causes of Low Employee Morale Study 

(OIG-15-06) was also completed and released during this reporting period. The OIG undertook this 

project to discover the root causes of low employee 

morale at the FEC, which has been reflected in past 

annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) 

conducted by the OPM. Job Performance Systems, 

Inc. (JPS) was contracted to perform the study. A report issued in July 2016 identified five major categories of causes of low employee morale at the FEC: 

Commissioners, Senior Management (below the level of Commissioner), Communication, Accountability, 

and Other Causes. Results of the interviews, focus 

groups, and agency-wide survey revealed that FEC 

employees felt: there was poor tone and attitude at 

the top of the agency set by the Commissioners, 

their work was not valued, senior managers were not 

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended (IG 

Act), states that the Inspector General (IG) is responsible for: conducting audits and investigations; recommending policies and procedures that promote 

economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of agency resources and programs; and preventing fraud, waste, 

abuse, and mismanagement. The IG Act also requires 

the IG to keep the Federal Election Commission 

(Commission or FEC) and Congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies in 

the Commission’s operations and the need for corrective action.

This semiannual report includes the major accomplishments of the FEC Office of Inspector General 

(OIG), as well as relevant information regarding additional OIG activities. The executive summary highlights the most significant completed activities of the 

OIG. Additional details pertaining to each activity 

(e.g., audits, hotline, and investigations) can be found 

in subsequent sections of this report. The honesty, 

integrity, and diligent work of our entire IG staff make 

the accomplishments of the OIG possible.

The Audit of the FEC’s Telework Programs (OIG-15-

03) was completed and released during this reporting period. The primary objectives of the audit were

to 1) determine whether the agency’s telework related programs are being administered by the agency

in accordance with Federal law, regulations, Office of

Personnel Management (OPM) guidance, and FEC

policies and procedures; and 2) assess whether the

telework program has been implemented equitably

and within the spirit of Federal guidance.

The OIG published the final audit report in June 2016. 

Based on results of the work performed, the OIG 

concluded the FEC’s telework programs and written 

policies have been designed to incorporate many of 

the “Key Telework Practices for Implementation of 

Successful Federal Telework Programs.” However, 

among the findings, there was one significant finding 
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trustworthy or effective, favoritism and retaliation was 

a problem, there was a pervasive lack of communication throughout the agency, and poor performing 

managers and employees were not held accountable. (see Special Projects section, page 6). 
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• Ensure required telework documentation was

properly completed and approved prior to employee starting telework;

• Determine if employees' actual telework time

and attendance records are consistent and in

line with telework agreements, as well as in

compliance with applicable telework policies;

• Follow-up on employees that were identified as

potentially having been approved for telework

in excess of that allowed by the policies in

place at the time. Then, based on information

obtained, assess for reasonableness and/or

appearance of preferential treatment.

The report included eleven recommendations to improve the FEC telework programs. Management generally agreed with all recommendations. The OIG 

concluded the FEC’s telework programs and written 

policies have been designed to incorporate many of 

the “Key Telework Practices for Implementation of 

Successful Federal Telework Programs.” However, 

there was one significant finding concerning the approval of telework, especially episodic telework, in a 

less than equitable manner. For example, some employees were allowed to telework using a combination of regular scheduled and episodic telework so 

frequently that it circumvented the telework policies 

regarding the maximum number of days employees 

were allowed for scheduled telework.

Other findings and process improvement opportunities to ensure the effective operation of telework programs included:

• Oversight and monitoring controls were not

adequate;

• Existing WebTA telework reporting capabilities

were not utilized to monitor and assess compliance with telework policies and procedures;

• There was no designated Telework Managing

Officer (TMO) at the time of the audit; and

• Telework pay categories and hours were not

accurately recorded in the time and attendance

payroll system.

OIG Audit Activity

Audit of the Federal Election Commission’s 

(FEC) Telework Programs 

Assignment Number: OIG-15-03

Status: Released June 2016

http://www.fec.gov/fecig/documents/

AuditoftheFECsTelework Programs-June2016-OIG15-03-Final.pdf

The Audit of the Federal Election Commission’s 

Telework Programs was completed and released 

during this reporting period. The primary objectives 

of the audit were to 1) determine whether the agency’s telework related programs are being administered by the agency in accordance with Federal law, 

regulations, Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 

guidance, and FEC policies and procedures; and 2) 

assess whether the telework program has been implemented equitably and within the spirit of Federal 

guidance. 

The scope of the audit included detailed testing of 

actual telework by a sample of FEC employees during twelve months from March 2014 to March 2015. 

The detailed testing included the following:
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Audit of the FEC’s FY 2016 Financial Statements

Assignment Number: OIG-16-01 

Status: In Progress

On March 14, 2016, Leon Snead & Company, 

Independent Public Accountants, provided an engagement letter to the Inspector General, the 

FEC’s Acting Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and the 

Commissioners detailing its roles and responsibilities 

as an IPA and those of agency management regarding the audit process for the FY 2016 financial statements. The entrance conference was subsequently 

held on April 20, 2016.

As in prior years, LSC started the audit by conducting the IT Internal Control, Audit Planning, Risk 

Assessment, and Compliance Testing Phase, which 

is required by the FEC OIG’s contract to conduct additional testing on information technology (IT) controls, 

as the FEC is exempt from the Federal Information 

Systems Management Act (FISMA) and is not required to perform the annual FISMA audit. This phase 

of the audit began on May 10, 2016, and consisted of 

LSC conducting follow-up on all outstanding recommendations from prior years’ audits. 

Interim audit testing of financial reporting controls began on July 25, 2016. During this phase of the audit, 

LSC held meetings with the Chair and Vice Chair as 

required by the Statements on Auditing Standards 

114: The Auditor’s Communication with Those 

Charged with Governance. The meetings were conducted to communicate the status of the audit process with governance, the approach and scope of 

the annual audit, the status of prior year findings, and 

to notify governance of any new issues identified for 

the current year’s audit. 

LSC will start final testing in October, and the 

audi-tor is on track to have the report issued by 

November 15, 2016. 

Audit of Contract Management and Oversight

Assignment Number: OIG-16-02

Status: In Progress

The Audit of Contract Management and Oversight 

(OIG-16-02) is in progress. The audit was part of the 

OIG’s FY 2016 work plan. Preliminary planning tasks 

have been conducted and the planning phase is in 

progress. During the preliminary planning phase, we 

interviewed the former Contracting Officer (CO), who 

was scheduled to separate from the agency prior 

to the start of the audit. We also reviewed the current policy and procedure documents from the FEC’s 

Procurement Office related to monitoring agency 

contracts. 

In addition, several Contracting Officer 

Representatives (COR), two of the agency’s procurement staff, and the temporary Contracting Officer, 

hired to fill the CO vacancy, were interviewed. Based 

on the results from the interviews, the OIG is in the 

process of conducting a contract management specific risk assessment to analyze the potential risk factors faced by the agency in this audit area.
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OIG Audit Follow-up Activity

OIG Review of Outstanding Recommendations 

as of August 2016

Assignment Number: OIG-16-05

Status: Released September 2016

http://www.fec.gov/fecig/documents/FinalOIGReviewofOutstandingRecommendationsasof

Aug.2016.pdf

The OIG semiannually provides the Commission 

with the status of outstanding recommendations detailing the follow-up work conducted by the OIG and 

the status of the outstanding OIG audit and inspection recommendations. For this reporting period, we 

reviewed the following six audits and inspection reports that contained a combined total of 75 outstanding recommendations: 

• Audit of the Commission’s Property

Management Controls;

• 2010 Follow-up Audit of Privacy and Data

Protection;

• 2010 Follow-up Audit of Procurement and

Contract Management;

• Inspection of the FEC’s Disaster Recovery

Plan and Continuity of Operations Plans;

• Audit of the FEC’s Office of Human Resources;

and

• Inspection of the FEC’s Compliance with

FMFIA/OMB A-123.

The OIG was only able to close only three recommendations that were included in the Audit of the FEC’s 

Office of Human Resources (OIG-12-05). However, 

a noteworthy accomplishment identified during the 

most recent audit follow-up review of the Inspection 

of the FEC’s Compliance with FMFIA/OMB-A123

was that the FEC’s A-123 Task Force finalized the 

new internal control review process, along with the 

assessment template and instructions, in time for 

program offices to complete the FY 2016 annual internal control review to comply with OMB’s new A-123 

guidance.
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Root Causes of Low Employee Morale Study

Assignment Number: OIG-15-06

Status: Released July 2016

Report Location: http://www.fec.

gov/fecig/documents/RootCausesof 

LowEmployeeMoraleStudy-FinalReport-OIG-15-06.

pdf 

The Root Causes of Low Employee Morale Study – 

OIG-15-06 was also completed and released during 

this reporting period. The OIG undertook this project 

to discover the root causes of low employee morale 

at the FEC, which had been consistently reflected 

in past annual Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey 

conducted by the OPM. Job Performance Systems, 

Inc. (JPS) was selected to perform the study. JPS 

conducted individual interviews with senior management, Commissioners, and specific office heads. 

They also maintained office hours to enable FEC employees to meet privately with the JPS consultants to 

express their opinions and concerns about the morale at the FEC. The OIG was pleased with the overwhelming participation by FEC staff and their willingness to share their views. Focus groups were also 

convened, and an agency wide electronic survey was 

developed to enable all FEC staff to provide input into 

the study.

A report issued in July 2016 identified five major categories of causes of low employee morale at the FEC: 

Commissioners, Senior Management (below the level of Commissioner), Communication, Accountability, 

and Other Causes. For example, the report found that 

many employees felt that the tone and attitude set at 

the top of the agency by Commissioners was poor, 

and that Commissioners did not value their work. 

Similarly, many employees reported they did not trust 

senior managers, saw them as ineffective, and had 

concerns about favoritism and retaliation. Employees 

reported a lack of communication throughout the 

agency that created information vacuums often 

filled by rumors, and that poor performing managers and employees were not held accountable. Other 

causes of low morale cited by employees included a perceived lack of diversity and lack of career 

development.

FEC/OIG CyberSecurity Act of 2015 Reporting 

Requirements under Section 406 – Federal 

Computer Security Report

Status: Released August 2016

With the assistance of Leon Snead & Company, 

the OIG completed the FEC/OIG CyberSecurity 

Act of 2015 Reporting Requirements under Section 

406 – Federal Computer Security report. The 

CyberSecurity report was completed in accordance 

with the CyberSecurity Act of 2015, title IV, section 406 – Federal Computer Security – Inspector 

General Reports on Covered Systems. Work included inquiries to management regarding the processes 

followed as related to each section, and information 

provided by the Office of Chief Information Officer 

was compared for consistency. The final report was 

distributed to the Chairman and Ranking Member of 

the House Committee on Oversight and Government 

Reform.

OIG Special Projects
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FY 2017 Annual Work Plan

Status: Released October 2016

Report Location: http://www.fec.gov/fecig/

documents/OIGFY2017WorkPlan-FINAL.pdf

The OIG released it FY 2017 Annual Work Plan. 

The work plan was derived from the OIG risk assessment of agency programs. A two day brainstorming session was held earlier in the year, in 

which the OIG staff, reviewed the risk assessment, 

made necessary adjustments and reviewed any information provided by agency management and 

other FEC staff members. Based on the results 

of the sessions, the OIG’s work plan was created. 
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The OIG Hotline exists to enable FEC employees, 

FEC contractors, and the public to have direct and 

confidential contact with the OIG. All allegations and 

referrals of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, 

and misconduct involving FEC employees, contractors, programs, operations, property, or funds received through any means are termed “hotline complaints” per OIG policy. Once a hotline complaint has 

been received, a preliminary inquiry is conducted to 

determine whether the hotline complaint will have an 

investigation initiated, referred to management or another agency, or closed with no further action taken.

The OIG considers many factors when evaluating 

whether to open an investigation based on a hotline complaint, and acknowledges that every hotline 

complaint received by the OIG will not be investigated, and in many cases a complaint does not merit an investigation. OIG policy requires that hotline 

complaints be evaluated on certain criteria, including the merits of an allegation, the availability of 

evidence, and the existing priorities, commitments, 

and resources of the OIG. Under this policy, hotline 

complaints are classified as either high or low priority complaints. High priority complaints are investigated and low priority complaints are either closed 

with no action or referred to the appropriate FEC 

official for possible further review. Often, a hotline 

complaint will be closed because a preliminary inquiry found the allegations to be unsubstantiated, 

there is a lack of information to proceed, or the issue giving rise to the allegation has been otherwise 

resolved. Hotline evaluation decisions are made by 

the Chief Investigator, with concurrence from the IG.

The OIG frequently receives reports and allegations which are misdirected complaints that should 

have been routed to the Office of Complaints 

and Legal Administration within the Office 

of General Counsel (OGC), are outside the jurisdiction of the OIG or the FEC, or are facially unsubstantiated, meritless or invalid. In cases of misdirected 

complaints, a response is sent to the individual referring him or her to the proper office or other agency. In some limited instances where a misdirected 

communication does not concern a campaign finance violation but falls under the purview of another FEC component or government agency the 

inquiry may be redirected and sent to the appropriate office or agency directly from the OIG. Reviewing 

and, where appropriate, responding to these reports 

and allegations when aggregated can entail a significant amount of staff time and effort, despite the 

fact that they are not valid hotline complaints. In order to capture and document these hotline contacts, 

the OIG created a category for “hotline inquiries” 

that do not meet the criteria for hotline complaints. 

During this reporting period, thirteen hotline complaints 

were received, six hotline complaints were closed, 

and thirteen hotline complaints currently remain open. 

OIG Hotline Information
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

OIG investigations seek out facts related to allegations of wrongdoing. OIG investigations may address 

administrative, civil, and criminal violations of laws 

and regulations. The subject of an OIG investigation 

can be any agency employee, an FEC contractor, 

consultant, or a person or entity involved in alleged 

wrongdoing affecting FEC programs and operations. 

As discussed in the OIG Hotline Information section, 

all hotline complaints are evaluated to determine if 

they warrant an investigation. If an investigation is 

opened, the hotline complaint is closed and merged 

into the investigative file. OIG investigations involve 

a detailed examination or inquiry into issues brought 

to our attention by various sources, and may include 

interviews of relevant witnesses and subjects, document reviews, and computer forensic examinations. 

At the conclusion of an OIG investigation, the OIG either prepares a report that sets forth the allegations 

and an objective description of the facts developed 

during the investigation, or depending on the circumstances, a closing memorandum to the file. 

Three investigations were opened during this reporting period, none were closed, and ten remain open.

OIG Investigative Information
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

Not only did the office continue to move forward 

conducting various work products - the OIG performs an array of additional projects and activities. 

The IG also reviews and provides comments, when 

appropriate, on legislation provided by the Council 

of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency’s 

(CIGIE) Legislative Committee. 

Listed below are examples of the OIG’s additional activities during this reporting period: 

• An OIG senior auditor continues to serve

as planning coordinator for the Digital

Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014

(DATA Act) working sub-group. The work group,

composed of various CIGIE and GAO members, continues to meet on a bi-weekly and/or

monthly basis to discuss issues pertaining to

the A-123 Task Force.

• During the previous reporting period, the OIG

created and posted the vacancy announcement for the newly created position of Inspector

General Specialist. During this reporting period, the OIG welcomed Shayla Walker to the

OIG as the new IG Specialist. Shayla has many

duties, but her main function is to assist the

OIG investigative and audit staff with projects

and assignments.

Additional OIG Activity
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

The IG is an active member of the Executive Council, 

which is composed of the Chair, Vice Chair, the 

immediate past Chair and Vice Chair, an at-large 

member, and all CIGIE Committee Chairs. The 

Executive Council provides guidance on CIGIE initiated projects, the operating plans for each fiscal 

year, and the general business of CIGIE. As a member of the Executive Council, the IG reviewed and 

rated nominees proposed to receive specific CIGIE 

awards. The IG is also a member of the Professional 

Development Committee and Vice Chair of the 

Budget Committee.

As part of the CIGIE Training Institute’s New Leaders 

program, the IG participates in “Lunch with the IG” 

sessions. The IG covers various subjects pertaining 

to leadership, CIGIE and issues that may impact the 

IG community.

Council of the Inspectors General on 

Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE)
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OIG contacts run the gamut, from citizens expressing their views or trying to reach the right FEC component to 

graduate students doing research. Contacts requesting information concerning where to submit a complaint or 

concern are directed to the appropriate FEC component or other agency. Other citizen contacts are handled and 

responded to as appropriate for the circumstances

The table below is a reflection of the total contacts received by the OIG for the past six months – April 1, 2016 

through September 30, 2016. These contacts were made through various sources such as telephone calls, 

emails, faxes, U.S. mail, and personal visits to the OIG. Those forwarded for action were referred to another FEC 

component and/or appropriate outside source. 

Total

Contacts

OIG

Action

No Action

Necessary

Forwarded 

for Action

1,961 41 1,905 15

OIG Contacts
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

The chart listed below depicts training, meetings, programs, seminars, and/or conferences attended by the 

Inspector General and/or the OIG staff for the period April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016:

MEETINGS:

List of Training, Meetings

and Conferences

Host / Sponsor Topic / Subject

Council of Inspectors General on 

Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) 

Monthly Meetings

Executive Council Meetings

Budget Committee Meetings

Professional Development

 Committee Meetings

Quarterly Unique IG Meetings

Council of Counsels to the Inspectors General Monthly Meetings

Small OIG Working Group Meeting

Government Accountability Office Data Act Working Group Joint Meetings

Federal Election Commission

Bi-weekly Directors’ Meetings with IG,

 Acting GC, SD & Acting CFO

Finance Committee Meetings

New Employee Orientations
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

Host / Sponsor

Council of the Inspectors General

on Integrity and Efficiency

Topic / Subject

2016 Annual Inspector General Conference

New Leaders Training

Understanding Audit, Inspection, and Evaluation

 Standards

FAEC Procurement Audit Conference

GAO Financial Statement Audit Conference

DATA Act Readiness Review Workshop

Association of Government Accountants Professional Development Conference

Association of Certified Fraud Examiners 27th Annual ACFE Global Fraud Conference

Department of Treasury JFMIP Federal Financial Management Conference

George Washington University Federal CyberSecurity Update 2016

Executive Women in Government Executive Women in Government 13th Annual 

 Leadership Forum

Potomac Forum, LTD

Advanced Internal Controls in Government 

 Training Workshop V

Institute of Internal Auditors

Increasing Effectiveness of Audits: 

 Mitigating Risk Surrounding a Lack of 

 Communication in Audits

2016 Leadership Training District Workshop 

 Mid-Atlantic District #3

Federal Election Commission

IT Security Awareness Training

Hatch Act Training

Building Better Team Communications (EEO 

 Webinar)

Foreign National Fund (open agenda)

TRAINING/CONFERENCES:
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

Reporting Requirements

Reporting requirements required by the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended by the Inspector 

General Act Amendments of 1988 are listed below:

IG ACT DESCRIPTION PAGE

Section 4(a)(2) Review of Legislation 10

Section 5(a)(1) Significant Problems, Abuses, and Deficiencies None

Section 5(a)(2) Recommendations with Respect to Significant Problems, Abuses,

and Deficiencies None

Section 5(a)(3) Recommendations Included in Previous Reports on Which 

Corrective Action Has Not Been Completed (Table III) 18

Section 5(a)(4) Matters Referred to Prosecuting Authorities None

Section 5(a)(5) Summary of Instances Where Information was Refused None

Section 5(a)(7) Summary of Significant Reports 3

Section 5(a)(8) Questioned and Unsupported Costs (Table I) 16

Section 5(a)(9) Recommendations that Funds be put to Better Use (Table II) 17

Section 5(a)(10) Summary of Audit Reports issued before the start of the Reporting 

Period for which no Management Decision has been made N/A

Section 5(a)(11) Significant revised Management Decisions N/A

Section 5(a)(12) Management Decisions with which the Inspector General is 

in Disagreement

None
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NUMBER

QUESTIONED 

COSTS

UNSUPPORTED 

COSTS

A. For which no management decision has been made

by commencement of the reporting period

0 0 0

B. Which were issued during the reporting period 0 0 0

Sub-Totals (A&B) 0 0 0

C. For which a management decision was made during

the reporting period

0 0 0

(i) Dollar value of disallowed costs 0 0 0

(ii) Dollar value of costs not disallowed 0 0 0

D. For which no management decision has been made

by the end of the reporting period

0 0 0

E. Reports for which no management decision was

made within six months of issuance

0 0 0

Table I

INSPECTOR GENERAL ISSUED REPORTS WITH QUESTIONED COSTS 

(dollar value in thousands)
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Number Dollar Value

(In Thousands)

A. For which no management decision has been made by the

commencement of the reporting period

0 0

B. Which were issued during the reporting period 0 0

C. For which a management decision was made during the

reporting period

0 0

(i) dollar value of recommendations were agreed to by

management

0 0

based on proposed management action 0 0

based on proposed legislative action 0 0

(ii) dollar value of recommendations that were not agreed to

by management

0 0

D. For which no management decision has been made by the

end of the reporting period

0 0

E. Reports for which no management decision was made within

six months of issuance

0 0

Table II

INSPECTOR GENERAL ISSUED REPORTS WITH RECOMMENDATIONS THAT FUNDS 

BE PUT TO BETTER USE
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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress

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Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

Recommendations

Report Title Report 

Number

Issue 

Date

Number Closed Open

Audit of the Commission’s Property 

Management Controls 

OIG-09-02 03/10 36 35 1

2010 Follow-up Audit of Procurement and 

Contract Management

OIG-10-02 06/11 29 28 1

2010 Follow-up Audit of Privacy and 

Data Protection

OIG-10-03 03/11 45 17 28

Inspection of the Federal Election 

Commission’s Disaster Recovery Plan and 

Continuity of Operations Plans

OIG-12-06 01/13 30 11 29

Audit of the Federal Election Commission’s 

Office of Human Resources

OIG-12-05 07/13 26 18 8

Inspection of FEC’s Compliance with FMFIA/ 

OMB Circular A-123

OIG-14-01 06/14 8 0 8

Table III

SUMMARY OF AUDIT AND INSPECTION REPORTS WITH CORRECTIVE ACTIONS OUTSTANDING 

FOR MORE THAN SIX MONTHS

Cumulative Total Of Outstanding Recommendations 75

1 Recommendation was closed based on a duplicate recommendation in the FEC’s annual financial statement audit that was reviewed and 

closed.
19

Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress

19

Office of Inspector General Semiannual Report to Congress April 1, 2016 – September 30, 2016

Appendix a

The Federal Election 

Commission

In 1975, Congress created the Federal Election 

Commission to administer and enforce the Federal 

Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended. The 

duties of the FEC, an independent regulatory agency, 

are to disclose campaign finance information, enforce 

the provisions of the law, and oversee the public funding of Presidential elections.

The Commission consists of six members who are 

appointed by the President and confirmed by the 

Senate. Each member serves a six-year term, and 

two seats are subject to appointment every two years. 

By law, no more than three Commissioners can be 

members of the same political party, and at least four 

votes are required for any official Commission action. 

The Chairmanship of the Commission rotates among 

the members each year, with no member serving as 

Chairman more than once during his or her term. 

Currently the FEC has a full complement of 

Commissioners – Matthew S. Petersen, Chair; 

Steven T. Walther, Vice Chair; Commissioners Lee 

E. Goodman; Carolyn C. Hunter; Ann M. Ravel; and

Ellen L. Weintraub. 

Office of Inspector General

The Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, states that the Inspector General is responsible for: 1) conducting and supervising audits 

and investigations relating to the FEC’s programs 

and operations; 2) detecting and preventing fraud, 

waste, and abuse of agency programs and operations while providing leadership and coordination; 

3) recommending policies designed to promote

economy, efficiency, and effectiveness of the establishment; and 4) keeping the Commission and

Congress fully and currently informed about problems and deficiencies in FEC agency programs

and operations, and the need for corrective action.
or toll free at 1-800-424-9530 (press 0; then dial 1015) 

Fax us at 202-501-8134 or e-mail us at oig@fec.gov 

Visit or write to us at 999 E Street, N.W., Suite 940, Washington DC 20463 

Federal Election Commission 

Office of Inspector General 

Individuals including FEC and FEC contractor employees are encouraged to alert the OIG to 

fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of agency programs and operations. Individuals 

who contact the OIG can remain anonymous. However, persons who report allegations are encouraged 

to provide their contact information in the event additional questions arise as the OIG evaluates the 

allegations. Allegations with limited details or merit may be held in abeyance until further specific details 

are reported or obtained. Pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the Inspector 

General will not disclose the identity of an individual who provides information without the consent of that 

individual, unless the Inspector General determines that such disclosure is unavoidable during the course 

of an investigation. To learn more about the OIG, visit our Website at: http://www.fec.gov/fecig/fecig.shtml 

Together we can make a difference. 

Fraud Hotline 

202-694-1015