I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2646 

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

of the Comptroller General, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 2, 2009 

Mr. TOWNS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Oversight and Government Reform 

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 2009’’. 

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)— 

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


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1 (2) by inserting after the section heading the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(a)(1) The Comptroller General is authorized to ob4 tain such agency records as the Comptroller General re5 quires to discharge his duties (including audit, evaluation, 

6 and investigative duties), including through the bringing 

7 of civil actions under this section. In reviewing a civil ac8 tion under this section, the court shall recognize the con9 tinuing force and effect of the authorization in the pre10 ceding sentence until such time as the authorization is re11 pealed pursuant to law.’’. 

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

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

14 (a), is further amended in the second sentence of para15 graph (2) by striking ‘‘inspect an agency record’’ and in16 serting ‘‘inspect, and make and retain copies of, an agency 

17 record and interview agency officers and employees’’. 

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

19 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

20 the following new subsection: 

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

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

23 shall be construed to limit, amend, or supersede the au24 thority of the Comptroller General to obtain any informa25 tion, to inspect any record, or to interview any officer or 


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1 employee under this section, except to the extent such pro2 vision expressly and specifically refers to this section and 

3 provides for such limitation, amendment, or superses4 sion.’’. 

5 SEC. 3. ADMINISTERING OATHS. 

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

7 States Code, is amended to read as follows: 

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

9 in matters other than auditing and settling accounts, 

10 the authority of an officer or employee to administer 

11 oaths to witnesses pursuant to a delegation under 

12 paragraph (2) shall not be available without the 

13 prior express approval of the Comptroller General 

14 (or a designee).’’. 

15 SEC. 4. AGENCY REPORTS. 

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

17 amended— 

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

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

20 (2) by amending paragraph (1) to read as fol21 lows: 

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

23 Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Committee 

24 on Oversight and Government Operations of the 

25 House of Representatives, the congressional commitVerDate Nov 24 2008 06:17 Jun 03, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2646.IH H2646

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1 tees with jurisdiction over the agency program or ac2 tivity that is the subject of the recommendation, and 

3 the Government Accountability Office before the 

4 61st day after the date of the report; and’’. 

Æ 


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