II 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2991 

To amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the oversight authorities 

of the Comptroller General, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 4, 2010 

Mrs. MCCASKILL (for herself and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the 

oversight authorities of the Comptroller General, 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 Account5 ability Office Improvement Act of 2010’’. 

6 SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO OBTAIN INFORMATION. 

7 (a) AUTHORITY TO OBTAIN RECORDS.—Section 716 

8 of title 31, United States Code, is amended in subsection 

9 (a)— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘(2)’’; and 

2 (2) by inserting after the section heading the 

3 following: 

4 ‘‘(a)(1) The Comptroller General is authorized to ob5 tain such agency records as the Comptroller General re6 quires to discharge his duties (including audit, evaluation, 

7 and investigative duties), including through the bringing 

8 of civil actions under this section. In reviewing a civil ac9 tion under this section, the court shall recognize the con10 tinuing force and effect of the authorization in the pre11 ceding sentence until such time as the authorization is re12 pealed pursuant to law.’’. 

13 (b) COPIES AND INTERVIEWS.—Section 716(a) of 

14 title 31, United States Code, as amended by subsection 

15 (a), is further amended in the second sentence of para16 graph (2) by striking ‘‘inspect an agency record’’ and in17 serting ‘‘inspect, and make and retain copies of, an agency 

18 record and interview agency officers and employees’’. 

19 (c) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION.—Section 716 of title 

20 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

21 the following new subsection: 

22 ‘‘(f) No provision of any law in existence on the date 

23 of the enactment of this section or enacted after such date 

24 shall be construed to limit, amend, or supersede the au25 thority of the Comptroller General to obtain any informaVerDate Nov 24 2008 04:18 Feb 05, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2991.IS S2991

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1 tion, to inspect any record, or to interview any officer or 

2 employee under this section in carrying out any authorized 

3 audit, evaluation, or investigation, except to the extent 

4 such provision expressly and specifically refers to this sec5 tion and provides for such limitation, amendment, or 

6 supersession.’’. 

7 SEC. 3. ADMINISTERING OATHS. 

8 Paragraph (4) of section 711 of title 31, United 

9 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(4) administer oaths to witnesses, except that, 

11 in matters other than auditing and settling accounts, 

12 the authority of an officer or employee to administer 

13 oaths to witnesses pursuant to a delegation under 

14 paragraph (2) shall not be available without the 

15 prior express approval of the Comptroller General 

16 (or a designee).’’. 

17 SEC. 4. AGENCY REPORTS. 

18 Section 720(b) of title 31, United States Code, is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

21 inserting ‘‘or planned’’ after ‘‘action taken’’; and 

22 (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol23 lows: 

24 ‘‘(1) the Committee on Homeland Security and 

25 Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Committee 


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1 on Oversight and Government Operations of the 

2 House of Representatives, the congressional commit3 tees with jurisdiction over the agency program or ac4 tivity that is the subject of the recommendation, and 

5 the Government Accountability Office before the 

6 61st day after the date of the report; and’’. 

Æ 


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