II 

Calendar No. 431 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4036 

[Report No. 118–186] 

To establish a Government Spending Oversight Committee within the Council 

of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 21, 2024 

Mr. PETERS (for himself, Mr. ROMNEY, Mr. LANKFORD, and Ms. ROSEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

JULY 8, 2024 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To establish a Government Spending Oversight Committee 

within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity 

and Efficiency, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Government Spending 

5 Oversight Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GOVERNMENT SPENDING OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 424 of title 5, United 

3 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(f) GOVERNMENT SPENDING OVERSIGHT COM6 MITTEE.— 

7 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

8 ‘‘(A) AGENCY.—The term ‘agency’ has the 

9 meaning given the term in section 551 of this 

10 title. 

11 ‘‘(B) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COM12 MITTEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional 

13 committees’ means— 

14 ‘‘(i) the Committees on Appropria15 tions of the Senate and the House of Rep16 resentatives; 

17 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Homeland Se18 curity and Governmental Affairs of the 

19 Senate; 

20 ‘‘(iii) the Committee on Oversight and 

21 Accountability of the House of Representa22 tives; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) any other relevant congressional 

24 committee of jurisdiction. 


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1 ‘‘(C) CHAIRPERSON.—The term ‘Chair2 person’ means the Chairperson of the Com3 mittee. 

4 ‘‘(D) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘Committee’ 

5 means the Government Spending Oversight 

6 Committee established under paragraph (2). 

7 ‘‘(E) COVERED FUNDS.—The term ‘cov8 ered funds’ means any funds, including loans, 

9 that are made available in any form to any non10 Federal entity or individual, under— 

11 ‘‘(i) division A or B of the CARES 

12 Act (Public Law 116–136); 

13 ‘‘(ii) the Coronavirus Preparedness 

14 and Response Supplemental Appropria15 tions Act, 2020 (Public Law 116–123); 

16 ‘‘(iii) the Families First Coronavirus 

17 Response Act (Public Law 116–127); 

18 ‘‘(iv) the Paycheck Protection Pro19 gram and Health Care Enhancement Act 

20 (Public Law 116–139); 

21 ‘‘(v) division M or N of the Consoli22 dated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public 

23 Law 116–260); 

24 ‘‘(vi) the American Rescue Plan Act 

25 of 2021 (Public Law 117–2); 


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1 ‘‘(vii) any loan guaranteed or made by 

2 the Small Business Administration, includ3 ing any direct loan or guarantee of a trust 

4 certificate, under the Small Business Act 

5 (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.), the Small Busi6 ness Investment Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 

7 661 et seq.), or any other provision of law; 

8 ‘‘(viii) unemployment compensation, 

9 as defined in section 85 of the Internal 

10 Revenue Code of 1986; 

11 ‘‘(ix) the Infrastructure Investment 

12 and Jobs Act (Public Law 117–58); 

13 ‘‘(x) the Inflation Reduction Act 

14 (Public Law 117–169); 

15 ‘‘(xi) the Honoring our PACT Act of 

16 2022 (Public Law 117–168); or 

17 ‘‘(xii) the CHIPS Act of 2022 (divi18 sion A of Public Law 117–167) (commonly 

19 known as the ‘CHIPS and Science Act of 

20 2022’). 

21 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

22 within the Council the Government Spending Over23 sight Committee to promote transparency and con24 duct and support oversight of covered funds to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) prevent and detect fraud, waste, 

2 abuse, and mismanagement; and 

3 ‘‘(B) mitigate major risks that cut across 

4 program and agency boundaries. 

5 ‘‘(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the 

6 Committee— 

7 ‘‘(A) shall be selected by the Chairperson 

8 of the Council from among Inspectors General 

9 appointed by the President and confirmed by 

10 the Senate; and 

11 ‘‘(B) should have with experience man12 aging oversight of large organizations and ex13 penditures. 

14 ‘‘(4) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of the Com15 mittee shall include— 

16 ‘‘(A) the Chairperson; 

17 ‘‘(B) the Inspector General of the Depart18 ment of the Labor; 

19 ‘‘(C) the Inspector General of the Depart20 ment of Health and Human Services; 

21 ‘‘(D) the Inspector General of the Small 

22 Business Administration; 

23 ‘‘(E) the Inspector General of the Depart24 ment of the Treasury; 


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1 ‘‘(F) the Inspector General of the Depart2 ment of Transportation; 

3 ‘‘(G) the Treasury Inspector General for 

4 Tax Administration; 

5 ‘‘(H) the Inspector General of the Depart6 ment of Veterans Affairs; 

7 ‘‘(I) the Inspector General of the Depart8 ment of Commerce; 

9 ‘‘(J) the Inspector General of the Depart10 ment of Justice; 

11 ‘‘(K) the Inspector General of the Depart12 ment of Defense; 

13 ‘‘(L) the Inspector General of the Depart14 ment of Education; 

15 ‘‘(M) the Inspector General of the Depart16 ment of Homeland Security; and 

17 ‘‘(N) any other Inspector General, as des18 ignated by the Chairperson, from any agency 

19 that expends or obligates covered funds. 

20 ‘‘(5) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—There shall be an Ex22 ecutive Director of the Committee. 

23 ‘‘(B) APPOINTMENT; QUALIFICATIONS.— 

24 The Executive Director of the Committee 

25 shall— 


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1 ‘‘(i) be appointed by the Chairperson 

2 of the Committee, in consultation with the 

3 majority leader of the Senate, the Speaker 

4 of the House of Representatives, the mi5 nority leader of the Senate, and the minor6 ity leader of the House of Representatives; 

7 ‘‘(ii) have demonstrated ability in ac8 counting, auditing, financial analysis, law, 

9 management analysis, public administra10 tion, or investigations; 

11 ‘‘(iii) have experience managing over12 sight of large organizations and expendi13 tures; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) be full-time employees of the 

15 Committee. 

16 ‘‘(C) DUTIES.—The Executive Director of 

17 the Committee shall— 

18 ‘‘(i) report directly to the Chair19 person; 

20 ‘‘(ii) appoint staff of the Committee, 

21 subject to the approval of the Chairperson, 

22 consistent with this subsection; 

23 ‘‘(iii) supervise and coordinate Com24 mittee functions and staff; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) perform any other duties as2 signed to the Executive Director by the 

3 Committee. 

4 ‘‘(6) PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL COMPENSA5 TION.—Members of the Committee may not receive 

6 additional compensation for services performed. 

7 ‘‘(7) DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall 

9 conduct oversight of covered funds and support 

10 Inspectors General in the oversight of covered 

11 funds in order to— 

12 ‘‘(i) detect and prevent fraud, waste, 

13 abuse, and mismanagement; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) identify major risks that cut 

15 across programs and agency boundaries. 

16 ‘‘(B) GENERAL FUNCTIONS.—The Com17 mittee, in coordination with relevant Inspectors 

18 General, may— 

19 ‘‘(i) provide support to, and collabo20 rate with, relevant Inspectors General in 

21 conducting investigations, audits, and re22 views relating to covered funds, including 

23 through— 

24 ‘‘(I) data analytics; 


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1 ‘‘(II) the sharing of data, tools, 

2 and services; 

3 ‘‘(III) the development and en4 hancement of data practices, analysis, 

5 and visualization; and 

6 ‘‘(IV) any other appropriate 

7 means as determined by the Com8 mittee; 

9 ‘‘(ii) provide analytical products to 

10 agencies, in coordination with Inspectors 

11 General, to promote program integrity, 

12 prevent improper payments, and facilitate 

13 verification efforts to ensure proper ex14 penditure and utilization of covered funds; 

15 ‘‘(iii) review the economy, efficiency, 

16 and effectiveness in the administration of, 

17 and the detection of fraud, waste, abuse, 

18 and mismanagement in, programs and op19 erations using covered funds; 

20 ‘‘(iv) review whether there are appro21 priate mechanisms for interagency collabo22 ration relating to the oversight of covered 

23 funds, including coordinating and collabo24 rating to the extent practicable with State 

25 and local government entities; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) expeditiously report to the Attor2 ney General any instance in which the 

3 Committee has reasonable grounds to be4 lieve there has been a violation of Federal 

5 criminal law. 

6 ‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS.—The Com7 mittee may provide investigative support to 

8 prosecutive and enforcement authorities to pro9 tect program integrity and prevent, detect, and 

10 prosecute fraud of covered funds. 

11 ‘‘(D) REPORTING.— 

12 ‘‘(i) ALERTS.—The Committee shall 

13 submit to the President and Congress, in14 cluding the appropriate congressional com15 mittees, management alerts on potential 

16 management, risk, and funding problems 

17 that require immediate attention. 

18 ‘‘(ii) REPORTS AND UPDATES.—The 

19 Committee shall submit to Congress such 

20 other reports or provide such periodic up21 dates on the work of the Committee as the 

22 Committee considers appropriate on the 

23 use of covered funds. 

24 ‘‘(iii) BIANNUAL REPORTS.—The 

25 Committee shall submit biannual reports 


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1 to the President and Congress, including 

2 the appropriate congressional committees, 

3 and may submit additional reports as ap4 propriate summarizing the findings of the 

5 Committee and any recommended changes 

6 to the scope of covered funds. 

7 ‘‘(iv) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—All re8 ports submitted under this subparagraph 

9 shall be made publicly available and posted 

10 on the website established under paragraph 

11 (16). 

12 ‘‘(v) REDACTIONS.—Any portion of a 

13 report submitted under this paragraph 

14 may be redacted when made publicly avail15 able, if that portion would disclose infor16 mation that is not subject to disclosure 

17 under sections 552 and 552a of this title, 

18 or is otherwise prohibited from disclosure 

19 by law. 

20 ‘‘(E) RECOMMENDATIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Committee 

22 shall make recommendations to agencies 

23 on measures to prevent or address fraud, 

24 waste, abuse and mismanagement, and to 

25 mitigate risks that cut across programs 


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1 and agency boundaries, relating to covered 

2 funds. 

3 ‘‘(ii) REPORT.—Not later than 30 

4 days after receipt of a recommendation 

5 under clause (i), an agency shall submit a 

6 report to the President and the appro7 priate congressional committees on— 

8 ‘‘(I) whether the agency agrees 

9 or disagrees with the recommenda10 tions; and 

11 ‘‘(II) any actions the agency will 

12 take to implement the recommenda13 tions, which shall also be included in 

14 the report required under section 2(b) 

15 of the GAO–IG Act (31 U.S.C. 1105 

16 note; Public Law 115–414). 

17 ‘‘(8) AUTHORITIES.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 

19 duties and functions under this subsection with 

20 respect to the oversight of covered funds, the 

21 Committee shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) carry out those duties and func23 tions in accordance with section 404(b)(1) 

24 of this title; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) in coordination with relevant In2 spectors General, have the authorities pro3 vided under and be subject to paragraphs 

4 (1) through (4) of subsection (a) and sub5 sections (h), (j), and (k) of section 406; 

6 ‘‘(iii) be considered to be conducting 

7 civil or criminal law enforcement activity 

8 for the purposes of section 552a(b)(7) of 

9 this title; and 

10 ‘‘(iv) for the purposes of sections 552 

11 and 552a of this title, be considered to be 

12 a component which performs as its prin13 cipal function an activity pertaining to the 

14 enforcement of criminal laws, and its 

15 records may constitute investigatory mate16 rial compiled for law enforcement pur17 poses. 

18 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON SUBPOENA AUTHOR19 ITY.—When carrying out subpoena authority 

20 under section 406(a)(4) of this title, the fol21 lowing limitations shall apply to the Committee: 

22 ‘‘(i) Any subpoena issued under this 

23 subsection shall be signed by the Chair24 person of the Committee, and this power is 

25 non-delegable. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) On a quarterly basis, the Com2 mittee shall notify the Committee on 

3 Homeland Security and Governmental Af4 fairs of the Senate and the Committee on 

5 Oversight and Accountability of the House 

6 of Representatives of any subpoenas issued 

7 during the preceding quarter. 

8 ‘‘(iii) The authority to issue a sub9 poena under this subsection shall termi10 nate on the date that is 5 years after the 

11 date of enactment of this subsection. 

12 ‘‘(9) REFUSAL OF INFORMATION OR ASSIST13 ANCE.—Whenever information or assistance re14 quested by the Committee or an Inspector General 

15 is unreasonably refused or not provided, the Com16 mittee shall immediately report the circumstances to 

17 the appropriate congressional committees. 

18 ‘‘(10) USE OF EXISTING RESOURCES.—The 

19 Committee shall leverage existing information tech20 nology resources within the Council, such as over21 sight.gov and those developed by the Pandemic Re22 sponse Accountability Committee established under 

23 section 15010 of the CARES Act (Public Law 116– 

24 136; 135 Stat. 533), to carry out the duties of the 

25 Committee. 


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1 ‘‘(11) CONTRACTS.—The Committee may enter 

2 into contracts to enable the Committee to discharge 

3 its duties, including contracts and other arrange4 ments for audits, studies, analyses, and other serv5 ices with public agencies and with private persons, 

6 and make such payments as may be necessary to 

7 carry out the duties of the Committee. 

8 ‘‘(12) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Committee may 

9 establish subcommittees to facilitate the ability of 

10 the Committee to discharge its duties. 

11 ‘‘(13) TRANSFER OF FUNDS, ASSETS, AND OB12 LIGATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(A) FUNDS.—The Committee may trans14 fer funds appropriated to the Committee— 

15 ‘‘(i) for expenses to support adminis16 trative support services and audits, re17 views, or other activities related to over18 sight by the Committee of covered funds to 

19 any Office of the Inspector General or the 

20 General Services Administration; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) to reimburse for services pro22 vided by the Council. 

23 ‘‘(B) ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS.— 

24 ‘‘(i) ASSETS DEFINED.—In this sub25 paragraph, the term ‘assets’ includes conVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 Jul 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S4036.RS S4036

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1 tracts, agreements, facilities, property, 

2 data, records, unobligated or unexpended 

3 balances of appropriations, and other 

4 funds or resources (other than personnel). 

5 ‘‘(ii) TRANSFER.—Upon the effective 

6 date of this subsection, the assets and obli7 gations held by or available in connection 

8 with the Pandemic Response Account9 ability Committee established under 15010 

10 of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 

11 135 Stat. 540) shall be transferred to the 

12 Committee. 

13 ‘‘(14) ADDITIONAL STAFF.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara15 graph (B), the Committee may exercise the au16 thorities of subsections (b) through (i) of sec17 tion 3161 of this title (without regard to sub18 section (a) of that section) to meet temporary 

19 or urgent needs of the Committee under this 

20 subsection, as certified by the Chairperson to 

21 the appropriate congressional committees that 

22 such temporary or urgent needs exist, as if the 

23 Committee were a temporary organization. 

24 ‘‘(B) HEAD OF ORGANIZATION.—For pur25 poses of exercising the authorities described in 


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1 subparagraph (A), the term ‘Chairperson’ shall 

2 be substituted for the term ‘head of a tem3 porary organization’. 

4 ‘‘(C) CONSULTATION.—In exercising the 

5 authorities described in subparagraph (A), the 

6 Chairperson shall consult with members of the 

7 Committee. 

8 ‘‘(D) ADDITIONAL DETAILEES.—In addi9 tion to the authority provided by section 

10 3161(c) of this title, upon the request of an In11 spector General, the Committee may detail, on 

12 a nonreimbursable basis, any personnel of the 

13 Committee to that Inspector General to assist 

14 in carrying out any audit, review, or investiga15 tion pertaining to the oversight of covered 

16 funds. 

17 ‘‘(E) LIMITATIONS.—In exercising the em18 ployment authorities under section 3161(b) of 

19 this title, as provided under subparagraph (A) 

20 of this paragraph— 

21 ‘‘(i) section 3161(b)(2) of this title 

22 (relating to periods of appointments) shall 

23 not apply; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) no period of appointment may 

2 exceed the date on which the Committee 

3 terminates. 

4 ‘‘(F) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—A person 

5 employed by the Committee shall acquire com6 petitive status and conditional tenure for ap7 pointment to any position in the competitive 

8 service for which the employee possesses the re9 quired qualifications upon the completion of 2 

10 years of continuous service as an employee 

11 under this subsection. 

12 ‘‘(G) ANNUITANTS.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Committee 

14 may employ annuitants covered by section 

15 9902(g) of this title for purposes of the 

16 oversight of covered funds. 

17 ‘‘(ii) TREATMENT OF ANNUITANTS.— 

18 The employment of annuitants under this 

19 paragraph shall be subject to the provi20 sions of section 9902(g) of this title, as if 

21 the Committee was the Department of De22 fense. 

23 ‘‘(15) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.— 

24 ‘‘(A) REQUESTS.—Upon request of the 

25 Committee for information or assistance from 


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1 any agency or other entity of the Federal Gov2 ernment, the head of such entity shall, insofar 

3 as is practicable and not in contravention of 

4 any existing law, and consistent with section 

5 406 of this title, furnish such information or as6 sistance to the Committee, or an authorized 

7 designee, including an Inspector General des8 ignated by the Chairperson. 

9 ‘‘(B) INSPECTORS GENERAL.—Any Inspec10 tor General responsible for conducting oversight 

11 related to covered funds may, consistent with 

12 the duties, responsibilities, policies, and proce13 dures of the Inspector General, provide infor14 mation requested by the Committee or an In15 spector General on the Committee relating to 

16 the responsibilities of the Committee. 

17 ‘‘(16) WEBSITE.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 

19 days after the date of enactment of this sub20 section, the Committee shall establish and 

21 maintain a user-friendly, public-facing 

22 website— 

23 ‘‘(i) to foster greater accountability 

24 and transparency in the use of covered 

25 funds, which shall have a uniform resource 


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1 locator that is descriptive and memorable; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(ii) that shall be a portal or gateway 

4 to key information relating to the oversight 

5 of covered funds and provide connections 

6 to other Government websites with related 

7 information. 

8 ‘‘(17) COORDINATION.—The Committee shall 

9 coordinate its oversight activities with the Comp10 troller General of the United States and State audi11 tors. 

12 ‘‘(18) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

13 this subsection shall be construed to— 

14 ‘‘(A) affect the independent authority of an 

15 Inspector General to determine whether to con16 duct an audit or investigation of covered funds; 

17 or 

18 ‘‘(B) require the Council or any Inspector 

19 General to provide funding to support the ac20 tivities of the Committee. 

21 ‘‘(19) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

22 For the purposes of carrying out the mission of the 

23 Committee under this subsection, there are author24 ized to be appropriated such sums as may be necVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 Jul 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S4036.RS S4036

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1 essary to carry out the duties and functions of the 

2 Committee.’’. 

3 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act and the amend4 ments made by this Act shall take effect on September 

5 30, 2025. 

6 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

7 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Government Spending 

8 Oversight Act of 2024’’. 

9 SEC. 2. GOVERNMENT SPENDING OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 424 of title 5, United 

11 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(f) GOVERNMENT SPENDING OVERSIGHT COM13 MITTEE.— 

14 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.— In this subsection: 

15 ‘‘(A) AGENCY.—The term ‘agency’ has the 

16 meaning given the term in section 551 of this 

17 title. 

18 ‘‘(B) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COM19 MITTEES.—The term ‘appropriate congressional 

20 committees’ means— 

21 ‘‘(i) the Committees on Appropriations 

22 of the Senate and the House of Representa23 tives; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Homeland Se2 curity and Governmental Affairs of the Sen3 ate; 

4 ‘‘(iii) the Committee on Oversight and 

5 Accountability of the House of Representa6 tives; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) any other relevant congressional 

8 committee of jurisdiction. 

9 ‘‘(C) CHAIRPERSON.—The term ‘Chair10 person’ means the Chairperson of the Committee. 

11 ‘‘(D) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘Committee’ 

12 means the Government Spending Oversight Com13 mittee established under paragraph (2). 

14 ‘‘(E) COVERED FUNDS.—The term ‘covered 

15 funds’ means— 

16 ‘‘(i) any funds, including loans, that 

17 are made available in any form to any non18 Federal entity or individual, under— 

19 ‘‘(I) division A or B of the 

20 CARES Act (Public Law 116–136); 

21 ‘‘(II) the Coronavirus Prepared22 ness and Response Supplemental Ap23 propriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 

24 116–123); 


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1 ‘‘(III) the Families First 

2 Coronavirus Response Act (Public Law 

3 116–127); 

4 ‘‘(IV) the Paycheck Protection 

5 Program and Health Care Enhance6 ment Act (Public Law 116–139); 

7 ‘‘(V) division M or N of the Con8 solidated Appropriations Act, 2021 

9 (Public Law 116–260); 

10 ‘‘(VI) the American Rescue Plan 

11 Act of 2021 (Public Law 117–2); 

12 ‘‘(VII) any loan guaranteed or 

13 made by the Small Business Adminis14 tration, including any direct loan or 

15 guarantee of a trust certificate, under 

16 the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 

17 et seq.), the Small Business Investment 

18 Act of 1958 (15 U.S.C. 661 et seq.), or 

19 any other provision of law; 

20 ‘‘(VIII) unemployment compensa21 tion, as defined in section 85 of the In22 ternal Revenue Code of 1986; 

23 ‘‘(IX) the Infrastructure Invest24 ment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117– 

25 58); 


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1 ‘‘(X) Public Law 117–169 (com2 monly known as the ‘Inflation Reduc3 tion Act’); 

4 ‘‘(XI) the Honoring our PACT 

5 Act of 2022 (Public Law 117–168); or 

6 ‘‘(XII) the CHIPS Act of 2022 

7 (division A of Public Law 117–167 

8 (commonly known as the ‘CHIPS and 

9 Science Act of 2022’)); 

10 ‘‘(ii) any Federal grant of not less 

11 than $50,000; and 

12 ‘‘(iii) any intramural payment made 

13 Government wide for research activity. 

14 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established 

15 within the Council the Government Spending Over16 sight Committee to promote transparency and con17 duct and support oversight of covered funds to— 

18 ‘‘(A) prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, 

19 and mismanagement; and 

20 ‘‘(B) mitigate major risks that cut across 

21 programs and agency boundaries. 

22 ‘‘(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the 

23 Committee— 

24 ‘‘(A) shall be selected by the Chairperson of 

25 the Council from among Inspectors General apVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 Jul 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S4036.RS S4036

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1 pointed by the President and confirmed by the 

2 Senate; and 

3 ‘‘(B) should have experience managing over4 sight of large organizations and expenditures. 

5 ‘‘(4) MEMBERSHIP.—The members of the Com6 mittee shall include— 

7 ‘‘(A) the Chairperson; 

8 ‘‘(B) the Inspector General of the Depart9 ment of Labor; 

10 ‘‘(C) the Inspector General of the Depart11 ment of Health and Human Services; 

12 ‘‘(D) the Inspector General of the Small 

13 Business Administration; 

14 ‘‘(E) the Inspector General of the Depart15 ment of the Treasury; 

16 ‘‘(F) the Inspector General of the Depart17 ment of Transportation; 

18 ‘‘(G) the Treasury Inspector General for 

19 Tax Administration; 

20 ‘‘(H) the Inspector General of the Depart21 ment of Veterans Affairs; 

22 ‘‘(I) the Inspector General of the Depart23 ment of Commerce; 

24 ‘‘(J) the Inspector General of the Depart25 ment of Justice; 


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1 ‘‘(K) the Inspector General of the Depart2 ment of Defense; 

3 ‘‘(L) the Inspector General of the Depart4 ment of Education; 

5 ‘‘(M) the Inspector General of the Depart6 ment of Homeland Security; and 

7 ‘‘(N) any other Inspector General, as des8 ignated by the Chairperson, from any agency 

9 that expends or obligates covered funds. 

10 ‘‘(5) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—There shall be an Exec12 utive Director of the Committee. 

13 ‘‘(B) APPOINTMENT; QUALIFICATIONS.—The 

14 Executive Director of the Committee shall— 

15 ‘‘(i) be appointed by the Chairperson, 

16 in consultation with the majority leader of 

17 the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Rep18 resentatives, the minority leader of the Sen19 ate, and the minority leader of the House of 

20 Representatives; 

21 ‘‘(ii) have demonstrated ability in ac22 counting, auditing, financial analysis, law, 

23 management analysis, public administra24 tion, or investigations; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) have experience managing over2 sight of large organizations and expendi3 tures; and 

4 ‘‘(iv) be a full-time employee of the 

5 Committee. 

6 ‘‘(C) DUTIES.—The Executive Director of 

7 the Committee shall— 

8 ‘‘(i) report directly to the Chairperson; 

9 ‘‘(ii) appoint staff of the Committee, 

10 subject to the approval of the Chairperson, 

11 consistent with this subsection; 

12 ‘‘(iii) supervise and coordinate Com13 mittee functions and staff; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) perform any other duties as15 signed to the Executive Director by the 

16 Committee. 

17 ‘‘(D) NOTICE.—The Chairperson shall pro18 vide notice to the Committee on Homeland Secu19 rity and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and 

20 the Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

21 of the House of Representatives when appointing 

22 or removing the Executive Director of the Com23 mittee. 


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1 ‘‘(6) PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL COMPENSA2 TION.—Members of the Committee may not receive 

3 additional compensation for services performed. 

4 ‘‘(7) DUTIES OF THE COMMITTEE.— 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall 

6 conduct oversight of covered funds and support 

7 Inspectors General in the oversight of covered 

8 funds in order to— 

9 ‘‘(i) detect and prevent fraud, waste, 

10 abuse, and mismanagement; and 

11 ‘‘(ii) identify major risks that cut 

12 across programs and agency boundaries. 

13 ‘‘(B) GENERAL FUNCTIONS.—The Com14 mittee, in coordination with relevant Inspectors 

15 General, may— 

16 ‘‘(i) provide support to, and collaborate 

17 with, relevant Inspectors General in con18 ducting investigations, audits, and reviews 

19 relating to covered funds, including 

20 through— 

21 ‘‘(I) data analytics; 

22 ‘‘(II) the sharing of data, tools, 

23 and services; 


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1 ‘‘(III) the development and en2 hancement of data practices, analysis, 

3 and visualization; and 

4 ‘‘(IV) any other appropriate 

5 means as determined by the Com6 mittee; 

7 ‘‘(ii) provide analytical products to 

8 agencies, in coordination with Inspectors 

9 General, to promote program integrity, pre10 vent improper payments, and facilitate 

11 verification efforts to ensure proper expendi12 ture and utilization of covered funds; 

13 ‘‘(iii) review the economy, efficiency, 

14 and effectiveness in the administration of, 

15 and the detection of fraud, waste, abuse, 

16 and mismanagement in, programs and op17 erations using covered funds; 

18 ‘‘(iv) review whether there are appro19 priate mechanisms for interagency collabo20 ration relating to the oversight of covered 

21 funds, including coordinating and collabo22 rating to the extent practicable with State 

23 and local government entities; and 

24 ‘‘(v) expeditiously report to the Attor25 ney General any instance in which the 


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1 Committee has reasonable grounds to believe 

2 there has been a violation of Federal crimi3 nal law. 

4 ‘‘(C) ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS.—The Com5 mittee may provide investigative support to 

6 prosecutive and enforcement authorities to pro7 tect program integrity and prevent, detect, and 

8 prosecute fraud of covered funds. 

9 ‘‘(D) REPORTING.— 

10 ‘‘(i) ALERTS.—The Committee shall 

11 submit to the President and Congress, in12 cluding the appropriate congressional com13 mittees, management alerts on potential 

14 management, risk, and funding problems 

15 that require immediate attention. 

16 ‘‘(ii) REPORTS AND UPDATES.—The 

17 Committee shall submit to Congress such 

18 other reports or provide such periodic up19 dates on the work of the Committee as the 

20 Committee considers appropriate on the use 

21 of covered funds. 

22 ‘‘(iii) BIANNUAL REPORTS.—The Com23 mittee shall submit biannual reports to the 

24 President and Congress, including the ap25 propriate congressional committees, and 


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1 may submit additional reports as appro2 priate summarizing the findings of the 

3 Committee and any recommended changes 

4 to the scope of covered funds. 

5 ‘‘(iv) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—All re6 ports submitted under this subparagraph 

7 shall be made publicly available and posted 

8 on the website established under paragraph 

9 (16). 

10 ‘‘(v) REDACTIONS.—Any portion of a 

11 report submitted under this paragraph may 

12 be redacted when made publicly available, if 

13 that portion would disclose information that 

14 is not subject to disclosure under sections 

15 552 and 552a of this title, or is otherwise 

16 prohibited from disclosure by law. 

17 ‘‘(E) RECOMMENDATIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Committee 

19 shall make recommendations to agencies on 

20 measures to prevent or address fraud, waste, 

21 abuse, and mismanagement, and to mitigate 

22 major risks that cut across programs and 

23 agency boundaries, relating to covered 

24 funds. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) REPORT.—Not later than 30 days 

2 after receipt of a recommendation under 

3 clause (i), an agency shall submit a report 

4 to the President and the appropriate con5 gressional committees on— 

6 ‘‘(I) whether the agency agrees or 

7 disagrees with the recommendations; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(II) any actions the agency will 

10 take to implement the recommenda11 tions, which shall also be included in 

12 the report required under section 

13 2(b)(3) of the GAO–IG Act (31 U.S.C. 

14 1105 note; Public Law 115–414). 

15 ‘‘(8) AUTHORITIES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the du17 ties and functions under this subsection with re18 spect to the oversight of covered funds, the Com19 mittee shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) carry out those duties and func21 tions in accordance with section 404(b)(1) 

22 of this title; 

23 ‘‘(ii) in coordination with relevant In24 spectors General, have the authorities pro25 vided under and be subject to paragraphs 


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1 (1) through (4) of subsection (a) and sub2 sections (h), (j), and (k) of section 406; 

3 ‘‘(iii) be considered to be conducting 

4 civil or criminal law enforcement activity 

5 for the purposes of section 552a(b)(7) of this 

6 title; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) for the purposes of sections 552 

8 and 552a of this title, be considered to be a 

9 component which performs as its principal 

10 function an activity pertaining to the en11 forcement of criminal laws, and its records 

12 may constitute investigatory material com13 piled for law enforcement purposes. 

14 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION ON SUBPOENA AUTHOR15 ITY.—When carrying out subpoena authority 

16 under section 406(a)(4) of this title, the following 

17 limitations shall apply to the Committee: 

18 ‘‘(i) Any subpoena issued under this 

19 subsection shall be signed by the Chair20 person, and this power is non-delegable. 

21 ‘‘(ii) On a quarterly basis, the Com22 mittee shall notify the Committee on Home23 land Security and Governmental Affairs of 

24 the Senate and the Committee on Oversight 

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1 resentatives of any subpoenas issued during 

2 the preceding quarter. 

3 ‘‘(iii) The authority to issue a sub4 poena under this subsection shall terminate 

5 on the date that is 5 years after the effective 

6 date of this subsection. 

7 ‘‘(9) REFUSAL OF INFORMATION OR ASSIST8 ANCE.— Whenever information or assistance re9 quested by the Committee or an Inspector General on 

10 the Committee is unreasonably refused or not pro11 vided, the Committee shall immediately report the cir12 cumstances to the appropriate congressional commit13 tees. 

14 ‘‘(10) USE OF EXISTING RESOURCES.—The Com15 mittee shall leverage existing information technology 

16 resources within the Council, such as oversight.gov 

17 and those developed by the Pandemic Response Ac18 countability Committee established under section 

19 15010 of the CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 134 

20 Stat. 533), to carry out the duties of the Committee. 

21 ‘‘(11) CONTRACTS.—The Committee may enter 

22 into contracts to enable the Committee to discharge its 

23 duties, including contracts and other arrangements 

24 for audits, studies, analyses, and other services with 

25 public agencies and with private persons, and make 


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1 such payments as may be necessary to carry out the 

2 duties of the Committee. 

3 ‘‘(12) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Committee may 

4 establish subcommittees to facilitate the ability of the 

5 Committee to discharge its duties. 

6 ‘‘(13) TRANSFER OF FUNDS, ASSETS, AND OBLI7 GATIONS.— 

8 ‘‘(A) FUNDS.—The Committee may transfer 

9 funds appropriated to the Committee— 

10 ‘‘(i) for expenses to support adminis11 trative support services and audits, reviews, 

12 or other activities related to oversight by the 

13 Committee of covered funds to any Office of 

14 the Inspector General or the General Serv15 ices Administration; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) to reimburse for services provided 

17 by the Council. 

18 ‘‘(B) ASSETS AND OBLIGATIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) ASSETS DEFINED.—In this sub20 paragraph, the term ‘assets’ includes con21 tracts, agreements, facilities, property, data, 

22 records, unobligated or unexpended balances 

23 of appropriations, and other funds or re24 sources (other than personnel). 


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1 ‘‘(ii) TRANSFER.—Upon the effective 

2 date of this subsection, the assets and obli3 gations held by or available in connection 

4 with the Pandemic Response Accountability 

5 Committee established under 15010 of the 

6 CARES Act (Public Law 116–136; 134 

7 Stat. 533) shall be transferred to the Com8 mittee. 

9 ‘‘(14) ADDITIONAL STAFF.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara11 graph (B), the Committee may exercise the au12 thorities of subsections (b) through (i) of section 

13 3161 of this title (without regard to subsection 

14 (a) of that section) to meet temporary or urgent 

15 needs of the Committee under this subsection, as 

16 certified by the Chairperson to the appropriate 

17 congressional committees that such temporary or 

18 urgent needs exist, as if the Committee were a 

19 temporary organization. 

20 ‘‘(B) HEAD OF ORGANIZATION.—For pur21 poses of exercising the authorities described in 

22 subparagraph (A), the term ‘Chairperson’ shall 

23 be substituted for the term ‘head of a temporary 

24 organization’. 


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1 ‘‘(C) CONSULTATION.—In exercising the au2 thorities described in subparagraph (A), the 

3 Chairperson shall consult with members of the 

4 Committee. 

5 ‘‘(D) ADDITIONAL DETAILEES.—In addition 

6 to the authority provided by section 3161(c) of 

7 this title, upon the request of an Inspector Gen8 eral, the Committee may detail, on a nonreim9 bursable basis, any personnel of the Committee to 

10 that Inspector General to assist in carrying out 

11 any audit, review, or investigation pertaining to 

12 the oversight of covered funds. 

13 ‘‘(E) LIMITATIONS.—In exercising the em14 ployment authorities under section 3161(b) of 

15 this title, as provided under subparagraph (A) of 

16 this paragraph— 

17 ‘‘(i) section 3161(b)(2) of this title (re18 lating to periods of appointments) shall not 

19 apply; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) no period of appointment may 

21 exceed the date on which the Committee ter22 minates. 

23 ‘‘(F) COMPETITIVE SERVICE.—A person em24 ployed by the Committee shall acquire competi25 tive status and conditional tenure for appointVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 Jul 09, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S4036.RS S4036

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1 ment to any position in the competitive service 

2 for which the employee possesses the required 

3 qualifications upon the completion of 2 years of 

4 continuous service as an employee under this 

5 subsection. 

6 ‘‘(G) ANNUITANTS.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Committee 

8 may employ annuitants covered by section 

9 9902(g) of this title for purposes of the over10 sight of covered funds. 

11 ‘‘(ii) TREATMENT OF ANNUITANTS.— 

12 The employment of annuitants under this 

13 paragraph shall be subject to the provisions 

14 of section 9902(g) of this title, as if the 

15 Committee were the Department of Defense. 

16 ‘‘(15) PROVISION OF INFORMATION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) REQUESTS.—Upon request of the Com18 mittee for information or assistance from any 

19 agency or other entity of the Federal Govern20 ment, the head of such entity shall, insofar as is 

21 practicable and not in contravention of any ex22 isting law, and consistent with section 406 of 

23 this title, furnish such information or assistance 

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1 cluding an Inspector General designated by the 

2 Chairperson. 

3 ‘‘(B) INSPECTORS GENERAL.—Any Inspec4 tor General responsible for conducting oversight 

5 related to covered funds may, consistent with the 

6 duties, responsibilities, policies, and procedures 

7 of the Inspector General, provide information re8 quested by the Committee or an Inspector Gen9 eral on the Committee relating to the responsibil10 ities of the Committee. 

11 ‘‘(16) WEBSITE.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 

13 after the effective date of this subsection, the 

14 Committee shall establish and maintain a user15 friendly, public-facing website— 

16 ‘‘(i) to foster greater accountability 

17 and transparency in the use of covered 

18 funds, which shall have a uniform resource 

19 locator that is descriptive and memorable; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(ii) that shall be a portal or gateway 

22 to key information relating to the oversight 

23 of covered funds and provide connections to 

24 other Government websites with related in25 formation. 


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1 ‘‘(17) COORDINATION.—The Committee shall co2 ordinate its oversight activities with the Comptroller 

3 General of the United States and State auditors. 

4 ‘‘(18) NOTICE.—The Chairperson shall provide 

5 notice to the Committee on Homeland Security and 

6 Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Com7 mittee on Oversight and Accountability of the House 

8 of Representatives when designating or removing an 

9 Inspector General from the membership of the Com10 mittee under paragraph (4). 

11 ‘‘(19) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 

12 this subsection shall be construed to— 

13 ‘‘(A) affect the independent authority of an 

14 Inspector General to determine whether to con15 duct an audit or investigation of covered funds; 

16 or 

17 ‘‘(B) require the Council or any Inspector 

18 General to provide funding to support the activi19 ties of the Committee. 

20 ‘‘(20) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of 

22 carrying out the mission of the Committee under 

23 this subsection, there are authorized to be appro24 priated $17,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 


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1 and 2027 to carry out the duties and functions 

2 of the Committee. 

3 ‘‘(B) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

4 than 1 year after the effective date of this sub5 section, the Chairperson shall submit to the ap6 propriate congressional committees a report that 

7 details the anticipated future budgetary needs of 

8 the Committee.’’. 

9 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This Act and the amendments 

10 made by this Act shall take effect on September 30, 2025. 


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Calendar No. 431 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4036 

[Report No. 118–186] 

A BILL 

To establish a Government Spending Oversight 

other purposes. General on Integrity and Efficiency, and for Committee within the Council of the Inspectors 

JULY 8, 2024 

Reported with an amendment 


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