reimbursement is received and shall remain available until 
expended.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1401 of title 
I of Public Law 108–83 (31 U.S.C. 3523 note) is repealed. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section and the amend-
ments made by this section shall take effect on October 1, 
2009. 
SEC. 9. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 109(13)(B) of the Ethics in Government Act 
of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i), by inserting ‘‘(except any offi-
cer or employee of the Government Accountability Of-
fice)’’ after ‘‘legislative branch’’, and by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(2) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); 
and 
(3) by inserting after clause (i) the following: 
‘‘(ii) each officer or employee of the Govern-
ment Accountability Office who, for at least 60 
consecutive days, occupies a position for which 
the rate of basic pay, minus the amount of local-
ity pay that would have been authorized under 
section 5304 of title 5, United States Code (had 
the officer or employee been paid under the Gen-
eral Schedule) for the locality within which the 
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position of such officer or employee is located (as 
determined by the Comptroller General), is equal 
to or greater than 120 percent of the minimum 
rate of basic pay payable for GS–15 of the Gen-
eral Schedule; and’’. 
SEC. 10. HIGHEST BASIC PAY RATE. 
Section 732(c)(2) is amended by striking ‘‘highest 
basic rate for GS–15;’’ and inserting ‘‘rate for level III of 
the Executive Level, except that the total amount of cash 
compensation in any year shall be subject to the limitations 
provided under section 5307(a)(1) of title 5;’’. 
SEC. 11. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—(1) Section 731 is amended— 
(A) by repealing subsection (d); 
(B) in subsection (e)— 
(i) in the matter before paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘maximum daily rate for GS– 
18 under section 5332 of such title’’ and in-
serting ‘‘daily rate for level IV of the Execu-
tive Schedule’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘more than—’’ and all 
that follows and inserting the following: 
‘‘more than 20 experts and consultants may 
be procured for terms of not more than 3 
years, but which shall be renewable.’’; and 
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(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) Funds appropriated to the Government Account-
ability Office for salaries and expenses are available for 
meals and other related reasonable expenses incurred in 
connection with recruitment.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(A) Section 732a(b) 
is amended by striking ‘‘section 731(d), (e)(1), or (e)(2)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1) or (2) of section 731(e)’’. 
(B) Section 733(c) is amended by striking ‘‘(d),’’. 
(C) Section 735(a) is amended by striking ‘‘731(c)– 
(e),’’ and inserting ‘‘731(c) and (e),’’. 
(b) ACCESS TO CERTAIN INFORMATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 7 is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘§ 721. Access to certain information 
‘‘(a) No provision of the Social Security Act shall be 
construed to limit, amend, or supersede the authority of the 
Comptroller General to obtain any information, to inspect 
any record, or to interview any officer, employee, or con-
tractor under section 716 of this title, including with re-
spect to any information disclosed to or obtained by the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services under part C or 
D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act. 
‘‘(b) No provision of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos-
metic Act shall be construed to limit, amend, or supersede 
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the authority of the Comptroller General to obtain any in-
formation, to inspect any record, or to interview any officer, 
employee, or contractor under section 716 of this title, in-
cluding with respect to any information concerning any 
method or process which as a trade secret is entitled to pro-
tection.’’. 
(2) INTERVIEWS.—Section 716(a) is amended in 
the second sentence by inserting ‘‘and interview agen-
cy officers and employees’’ after ‘‘agency record’’. 
(3) CLERICAL
AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 
chapter 7 is amended by inserting after the item re-
lating to section 720 the following: 
‘‘721. Access to certain information.’’. 
SEC. 12. BASIC PAY FOR RETIREMENT. 
Section 8331(3) of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (G), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (H), by inserting ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (H) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(I) the nonpermanent amount of a perform-
ance-based pay increase received by an employee of 
the Government Accountability Office, to the extent 
that such increase does not cause the basic pay of 
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such employee to exceed the limitation specified in 
section 732(c)(2) of title 31;’’; and 
(4) in the matter following subparagraph (I) (as 
added by this section), by striking ‘‘(B) through (H)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(B) through (I)’’. 
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