H. R. 5683—7 
‘‘(4) in the performance of the functions assigned by this 
section, obtain all information, documents, reports, answers, 
records, accounts, papers, and other data and documentary 
evidence from a person not in the United States Government 
or from a Federal agency, to the same extent and in the 
same manner as the Comptroller General under the authority 
and procedures available to the Comptroller General in section 
716 of this title; 
‘‘(5) administer to or take from any person an oath, affirma-
tion, or affidavit, whenever necessary in the performance of 
the functions assigned by this section, which oath, affirmation, 
or affidavit when administered or taken by or before an 
employee of the Office of Inspector General designated by the 
Inspector General shall have the same force and effect as 
if administered or taken by or before an officer having a seal; 
‘‘(6) have direct and prompt access to the Comptroller Gen-
eral when necessary for any purpose pertaining to the perform-
ance of functions and responsibilities under this section; 
‘‘(7) report expeditiously to the Attorney General whenever 
the Inspector General has reasonable grounds to believe there 
has been a violation of Federal criminal law; and 
‘‘(8) provide copies of all reports to the Audit Advisory 
Committee of the Government Accountability Office and provide 
such additional information in connection with such reports 
as is requested by the Committee. 
‘‘(d) COMPLAINTS BY EMPLOYEES.— 
‘‘(1) The Inspector General— 
‘‘(A) subject to subparagraph (B), may receive, review, 
and investigate, as the Inspector General considers appro-
priate, complaints or information from an employee of the 
Government Accountability Office concerning the possible 
existence of an activity constituting a violation of any law, 
rule, or regulation, mismanagement, or a gross waste of 
funds; and 
‘‘(B) shall refer complaints or information concerning 
violations of personnel law, rules, or regulations to estab-
lished investigative and adjudicative entities of the Govern-
ment Accountability Office. 
‘‘(2) The Inspector General shall not, after receipt of a 
complaint or information from an employee, disclose the 
identity of the employee without the consent of the employee, 
unless the Inspector General determines such disclosure is 
unavoidable during the course of the investigation. 
‘‘(3) Any employee who has authority to take, direct others 
to take, recommend, or approve any personnel action, shall 
not, with respect to such authority, take or threaten to take 
any action against any employee as a reprisal for making 
a complaint or disclosing information to the Inspector General, 
unless the complaint was made or the information disclosed 
with the knowledge that it was false or with willful disregard 
for its truth or falsity. 
‘‘(e) SEMIANNUAL REPORTS.—(1) The Inspector General shall 
submit semiannual reports summarizing the activities of the Office 
of the Inspector General to the Comptroller General. Such reports 
shall include, but need not be limited to—
H. R. 5683—8 
‘‘(A) a summary of each significant report made during 
the reporting period, including a description of significant prob-
lems, abuses, and deficiencies disclosed by such report; 
‘‘(B) a description of the recommendations for corrective 
action made with respect to significant problems, abuses, or 
deficiencies described pursuant to subparagraph (A); 
‘‘(C) a summary of the progress made in implementing 
such corrective action described pursuant to subparagraph (B); 
and 
‘‘(D) information concerning any disagreement the Comp-
troller General has with a recommendation of the Inspector 
General. 
‘‘(2) The Comptroller General shall transmit the semiannual 
reports of the Inspector General, together with any comments the 
Comptroller General considers appropriate, to Congress within 30 
days after receipt of such reports. 
‘‘(f) INDEPENDENCE IN CARRYING OUT DUTIES AND RESPONSIBIL-
ITIES.—The Comptroller General may not prevent or prohibit the 
Inspector General from carrying out any of the duties or responsibil-
ities of the Inspector General under this section. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORITY FOR STAFF.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Inspector General shall select, 
appoint, and employ (including fixing and adjusting the rates 
of pay of) such personnel as may be necessary to carry out 
this section consistent with the provisions of this title governing 
selections, appointments, and employment (including the fixing 
and adjusting the rates of pay) in the Government Account-
ability Office. Such personnel shall be appointed, promoted, 
and assigned only on the basis of merit and fitness, but without 
regard to those provisions of title 5 governing appointments 
and other personnel actions in the competitive service, except 
that no personnel of the Office may be paid at an annual 
rate greater than $1,000 less than the annual rate of pay 
of the Inspector General. 
‘‘(2) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.—The Inspector General 
may procure temporary and intermittent services under section 
3109 of title 5 at rates not to exceed the daily equivalent 
of the annual rate of basic pay for level IV of the Executive 
Schedule under section 5315 of such title. 
‘‘(3) INDEPENDENCE IN APPOINTING STAFF.—No individual 
may carry out any of the duties or responsibilities of the Office 
of the Inspector General unless the individual is appointed 
by the Inspector General, or provides services obtained by the 
Inspector General, pursuant to this paragraph. 
‘‘(4) LIMITATION
ON
PROGRAM
RESPONSIBILITIES.—The 
Inspector General and any individual carrying out any of the 
duties or responsibilities of the Office of the Inspector General 
are prohibited from performing any program responsibilities. 
‘‘(h) OFFICE SPACE.—The Comptroller General shall provide 
the Office of the Inspector General— 
‘‘(1) appropriate and adequate office space; 
‘‘(2) such equipment, office supplies, and communications 
facilities and services as may be necessary for the operation 
of the Office of the Inspector General; 
‘‘(3) necessary maintenance services for such office space, 
equipment, office supplies, and communications facilities; and 
‘‘(4) equipment and facilities located in such office space.
H. R. 5683—9 
‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term ‘Federal 
agency’ means a department, agency, instrumentality, or unit 
thereof, of the Federal Government.’’. 
(b) INCUMBENT.—The individual who serves in the position 
of Inspector General of the Government Accountability Office on 
the date of the enactment of this Act shall continue to serve in 
such position subject to removal in accordance with the amendments 
made by this section. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections for chapter 
7 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 704 
the following: 
‘‘705. Inspector General for the Government Accountability Office.’’. 
SEC. 6. REIMBURSEMENT OF AUDIT COSTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3521 is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(i)(1) If the Government Accountability Office audits any finan-
cial statement or related schedule which is prepared under section 
3515 by an executive agency (or component thereof) for a fiscal 
year beginning on or after October 1, 2009, such executive agency 
(or component) shall reimburse the Government Accountability 
Office for the cost of such audit, if the Government Accountability 
Office audited the statement or schedule of such executive agency 
(or component) for fiscal year 2007. 
‘‘(2) Any executive agency (or component thereof) that prepares 
a financial statement under section 3515 for a fiscal year beginning 
on or after October 1, 2009, and that requests, with the concurrence 
of the Inspector General of such agency, the Government Account-
ability Office to conduct the audit of such statement or any related 
schedule required by section 3521 may reimburse the Government 
Accountability Office for the cost of such audit. 
‘‘(3) For the audits conducted under paragraphs (1) and (2), 
the Government Accountability Office shall consult prior to the 
initiation of the audit with the relevant executive agency (or compo-
nent) and the Inspector General of such agency on the scope, 
terms, and cost of such audit. 
‘‘(4) Any reimbursement under paragraph (1) or (2) shall be 
deposited to a special account in the Treasury and shall be available 
to the Government Accountability Office for such purposes and 
in such amounts as are specified in annual appropriations Acts.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1401 of title I of Public 
Law 108–83 (31 U.S.C. 3523 note) is repealed, effective October 
1, 2010. 
SEC. 7. 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 officer or 
employee of the Government Accountability Office)’’ after ‘‘legis-
lative 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 Government 
Accountability Office who, for at least 60 consecutive days, 
occupies a position for which the rate of basic pay, minus 
the amount of locality pay that would have been authorized 
under section 5304 of title 5, United States Code (had
H. R. 5683—10 
the officer or employee been paid under the General 
Schedule) for the locality within which the position of such 
officer or employee is located (as determined by the Comp-
troller General), is equal to or greater than 120 percent 
of the minimum rate of basic pay payable for GS–15 of 
the General Schedule; and’’. 
SEC. 8. 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. 9. ADDITIONAL AUTHORITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 731 is amended— 
(1) by repealing subsection (d); 
(2) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in the matter before paragraph (1), by striking 
‘‘maximum daily rate for GS–18 under section 5332 of 
such title’’ and inserting ‘‘daily rate for level IV of the 
Executive Schedule’’; and 
(B) 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 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) Funds appropriated to the Government Accountability Office 
for salaries and expenses are available for meals and other related 
reasonable expenses incurred in connection with recruitment.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) 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)’’. 
(2) Section 733(c) is amended by striking ‘‘(d),’’. 
(3) Section 735(a) is amended by striking ‘‘731(c)–(e),’’ and 
inserting ‘‘731(c) and (e),’’. 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.