II 
Calendar No. 901 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5683 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JUNE 10, 2008 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
JULY 26, 2008 
Reported by Mr. LIEBERMAN, with amendments 
[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 
AN ACT 
To make certain reforms with respect to the Government 
Accountability Office, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; REFERENCES; TABLE OF CON-
TENTS. 
Sec. 1. Short title; references; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Provisions relating to future annual pay adjustments. 
Sec. 3. Pay adjustment relating to certain previous years. 
Sec. 4. Lump-sum payment for certain performance-based compensation. 
Sec. 5. Inspector General. 
Sec. 6. Reimbursement of audit costs. 
Sec. 7.6. Financial disclosure requirements. 
Sec. 8.7. Highest basic pay rate. 
Sec. 9.8. Addition al authorities. 
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(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Government Accountability Office Act of 2008’’. 
(b) REFERENCES.—Except as otherwise expressly 
provided, whenever in this Act an amendment is expressed 
in terms of an amendment to a section or other provision, 
the reference shall be considered to be made to a section 
or other provision of title 31, United States Code. 
(c) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
SEC. 2. PROVISIONS RELATING TO FUTURE ANNUAL PAY 
ADJUSTMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 732 is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(j)(1) For purposes of this subsection— 
‘‘(A) the term ‘pay increase’, as used with re-
spect to an officer or employee in connection with a 
year, means the total increase in the rate of basic 
pay (expressed as a percentage) of such officer or 
employee, taking effect under section 731(b) and 
subsection (c)(3) in such year; 
‘‘(B) the term ‘required minimum percentage’, 
as used with respect to an officer or employee in 
connection with a year, means the percentage equal 
to the total increase in rates of basic pay (expressed 
as a percentage) taking effect under sections 5303 
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and 5304–5304a of title 5 in such year with respect 
to General Schedule positions within the pay locality 
(as defined by section 5302(5) of title 5) in which 
the position of such officer or employee is located; 
‘‘(C) the term ‘covered officer or employee’, as 
used with respect to a pay increase, means any indi-
vidual— 
‘‘(i) who is an officer or employee of the 
Government Accountability Office, other than 
an officer or employee described in subpara-
graph (A), (B), or (C) of section 4(c)(1) of the 
Government Accountability Office Act of 2008, 
determined as of the effective date of such pay 
increase; and 
‘‘(ii) whose performance is at least at a 
satisfactory level, as determined by the Comp-
troller General under the provisions of sub-
section (c)(3) for purposes of the adjustment 
taking effect under such provisions in such 
year; and 
‘‘(D) the term ‘nonpermanent merit pay’ means 
any amount payable under section 731(b) which 
does not constitute basic pay. 
‘‘(2)(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
chapter, if (disregarding this subsection) the pay increase 
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that would otherwise take effect with respect to a covered 
officer or employee in a year would be less than the re-
quired minimum percentage for such officer or employee 
in such year, the Comptroller General shall provide for a 
further increase in the rate of basic pay of such officer 
or employee. 
‘‘(B) The further increase under this subsection— 
‘‘(i) shall be equal to the amount necessary to 
make up for the shortfall described in subparagraph 
(A); and 
‘‘(ii) shall take effect as of the same date as the 
pay increase otherwise taking effect in such year. 
‘‘(C) Nothing in this paragraph shall be considered 
to permit or require that a rate of basic pay be increased 
to an amount inconsistent with the limitation set forth in 
subsection (c)(2). 
‘‘(D) If (disregarding this subsection) the covered of-
ficer or employee would also have received any nonperma-
nent merit pay in such year, such nonpermanent merit pay 
shall be decreased by an amount equal to the portion of 
such officer’s or employee’s basic pay for such year which 
is attributable to the further increase described in sub-
paragraph (A) (as determined by the Comptroller Gen-
eral), but to not less than zero. 
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‘‘(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this 
chapter, the effective date of any pay increase (within the 
meaning of paragraph (1)(A)) taking effect with respect 
to a covered officer or employee in any year shall be the 
same as the effective date of any adjustment taking effect 
under section 5303 of title 5 with respect to statutory pay 
systems (as defined by section 5302(1) of title 5) in such 
year.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
this section shall apply with respect to any pay increase 
(as defined by such amendment) taking effect on or after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 3. PAY ADJUSTMENT RELATING TO CERTAIN PRE-
VIOUS YEARS. 
(a) APPLICABILITY.—This section applies in the case 
of any individual who, as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act, is an officer or employee of the Government 
Accountability Office, excluding— 
(1) an officer or employee described in subpara-
graph (A), (B), or (C) of section 4(c)(1); and 
(2) an officer or employee who received both a 
2.6 percent pay increase in January 2006 and a 2.4 
percent pay increase in February 2007. 
(b) PAY INCREASE DEFINED.—For purposes of this 
section, the term ‘‘pay increase’’, as used with respect to 
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