I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2489 
To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to enhance the independence 
of the Inspectors General, to create a Council of the Inspectors General 
on Integrity and Efficiency, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 19, 2005 
Mr. COOPER (for himself, Mr. SHAYS, and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Government Reform 
A BILL 
To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to enhance 
the independence of the Inspectors General, to create 
a Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and 
Efficiency, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Improving Government 
Accountability Act’’.
SEC. 2. ENHANCING INDEPENDENCE OF INSPECTORS GEN-
ERAL. 
(a) REMOVAL FOR CAUSE.—The Inspector General 
Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended— 
(1) in section 3(b) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘An Inspector General may be removed from office prior 
to the expiration of his or her term only on any of the 
following grounds: 
‘‘(1) Permanent incapacity. 
‘‘(2) Inefficiency. 
‘‘(3) Neglect of duty. 
‘‘(4) Malfeasance. 
‘‘(5) Conviction of a felony or conduct involving 
moral turpitude.’’; and 
(2) in section 8G(e) by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘An Inspector General may be removed from office prior 
to the expiration of his or her term only on any of the 
following grounds: 
‘‘(1) Permanent incapacity. 
‘‘(2) Inefficiency. 
‘‘(3) Neglect of duty. 
‘‘(4) Malfeasance. 
‘‘(5) Conviction of a felony or conduct involving 
moral turpitude.’’.
(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF TERMS OF OFFICE.—The 
Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in section 3 by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e)(1) The term of office of each Inspector General 
shall be seven years. An individual may serve for more 
than one term in such office. Any individual appointed and 
confirmed to fill a vacancy in such position, occurring be-
fore the expiration of the term for which his or her prede-
cessor was appointed, shall be appointed and confirmed 
for a full seven-year term. 
‘‘(2) An individual may continue to serve as Inspector 
General beyond the expiration of the term for which the 
individual is appointed until a successor is appointed and 
confirmed, except that such individual may not continue 
to serve for more than 1 year after the date on which the 
term would otherwise expire under paragraph (1).’’; and 
(2) in section 8G(c) by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after 
‘‘(c)’’, and by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) The term of office of each Inspector Gen-
eral shall be seven years. An individual may serve 
for more than one term in such office. Any indi-
vidual appointed to fill a vacancy in such position, 
occurring before the expiration of the term for which
his or her predecessor was appointed, shall be ap-
pointed for a full 7-year term.’’. 
(c) APPLICATION.—The amendments made by this 
section shall apply to any Inspector General appointed be-
fore, on, or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
The term of office of an Inspector General serving on such 
date of enactment is deemed to begin on such date of en-
actment. 
SEC. 3. DIRECT SUBMISSION OF BUDGET REQUESTS TO 
CONGRESS. 
Section 6 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 
U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(f)(1) For each fiscal year, an Inspector General 
may transmit an appropriation estimate and request to 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and 
to the appropriate committees or subcommittees of the 
Congress, in addition to any appropriation estimate and 
request submitted to the head of the establishment con-
cerned. 
‘‘(2) The President shall include in each budget of 
the United States Government submitted to the Con-
gress— 
‘‘(A) a separate statement of the amount of ap-
propriations requested by each Inspector General
who has submitted an appropriation estimate under 
paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) a statement comparing each such appro-
priation estimate and request submitted by an In-
spector General and the funds requested by the head 
of the establishment concerned.’’. 
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF COUNCIL OF THE INSPECTORS 
GENERAL ON INTEGRITY AND EFFICIENCY. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Inspector General Act of 
1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by redesignating sec-
tions 11 and 12 in order as sections 12 and 13, and by 
inserting after section 10 the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 11. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE COUNCIL OF THE IN-
SPECTORS GENERAL ON INTEGRITY AND EF-
FICIENCY. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established as an 
independent entity within the executive branch the Inspec-
tors General Council (in this section referred to as the 
‘Council’). The Council’s mission shall be to increase the 
professionalism and effectiveness of personnel by devel-
oping policies, standards, and approaches to aid in the es-
tablishment of a well-trained and highly skilled workforce 
in the offices of the Inspectors General. 
‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall consist of 
the following members: 
‘‘(A) All Inspectors General whose offices 
are established under— 
‘‘(i) section 2; or 
‘‘(ii) section 8G. 
‘‘(B) The Inspectors General of the Cen-
tral Intelligence Agency and the Government 
Printing Office. 
‘‘(C) The Controller of the Office of Fed-
eral Financial Management. 
‘‘(D) A senior level official of the Federal 
Bureau of Investigation designated by the Di-
rector of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. 
‘‘(E) The Director of the Office of Govern-
ment Ethics. 
‘‘(F) The Special Counsel of the Office of 
Special Counsel. 
‘‘(G) The Deputy Director of the Office of 
Personnel Management. 
‘‘(H) The Deputy Director for Manage-
ment of the Office of Management and Budget. 
‘‘(2) CHAIRPERSON
AND
EXECUTIVE
CHAIR-
PERSON.—
‘‘(A) 
EXECUTIVE
CHAIRPERSON.—The 
Deputy Director for Management of the Office 
of Management and Budget shall be the Execu-
tive Chairperson of the Council. 
‘‘(B) CHAIRPERSON.—The Council shall 
elect one of the Inspectors General referred to 
in paragraph (1)(A) or (B) to act as Chair-
person of the Council. The term of office of the 
Chairperson shall be two years. 
‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS OF CHAIRPERSON AND EXECU-
TIVE CHAIRPERSON.— 
‘‘(A) EXECUTIVE CHAIRPERSON.—The Ex-
ecutive Chairperson shall— 
‘‘(i) preside over meetings of the 
Council; 
‘‘(ii) provide to the heads of agencies 
and entities represented on the Council 
with summary reports of the activities of 
the Council; and 
‘‘(iii) provide to the Council such in-
formation relating to the agencies and en-
tities represented on the Council as will as-
sist the Council in performing its func-
tions.
‘‘(B) 
CHAIRPERSON.—The 
Chairperson 
shall— 
‘‘(i) convene meetings of the Coun-
cil— 
‘‘(I) at least six times each year; 
‘‘(II) monthly to the extent pos-
sible; and 
‘‘(III) more frequently at his or 
her discretion; 
‘‘(ii) exercise the functions and duties 
of the Council under subsection (c); 
‘‘(iii) appoint a Vice Chairperson to 
assist in carrying out the functions of the 
Council and act in the absence of the 
Chairperson, from a category of Inspectors 
General described in subparagraph (A)(i), 
(A)(ii), or (B) of subsection [(a)(1)/ 
(b)(1)?], other than the category from 
which the Chairperson was elected; 
‘‘(iv) make such payments from funds 
otherwise available to the Council as may 
be necessary to carry out the functions of 
the Council; 
‘‘(v) select, appoint, and employ per-
sonnel as needed to carry out the functions
of the Council subject to the availability of 
appropriations and the provisions of title 5, 
United States Code, governing appoint-
ments in the competitive service, and the 
provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter 
III of chapter 53 of such title, relating to 
classification and General Schedule pay 
rates; 
‘‘(vi) to the extent and in such 
amounts as may be provided in advance by 
appropriations Acts, enter into contracts 
and other arrangements with public agen-
cies and private persons to carry out the 
functions and duties of the Council; 
‘‘(vii) establish, in consultation with 
the members of the Council, such commit-
tees as determined by the Chairperson to 
be necessary and appropriate for the effi-
cient conduct of Council functions; and 
‘‘(viii) prepare and transmit a report 
annually on behalf of the Council to the 
President on the activities of the Council. 
‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES OF COUNCIL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall—
‘‘(A) continually identify, review, and dis-
cuss areas of weakness and vulnerability in 
Federal programs and operations with respect 
to fraud, waste, and abuse; 
‘‘(B) develop plans for coordinated, Gov-
ernment-wide activities that address these prob-
lems and promote economy and efficiency in 
Federal programs and operations, including 
interagency and inter-entity audit, investiga-
tion, inspection, and evaluation programs and 
projects to deal efficiently and effectively with 
those problems concerning fraud and waste that 
exceed the capability or jurisdiction of an indi-
vidual agency or entity; 
‘‘(C) develop policies that will aid in the 
maintenance of a corps of well-trained and 
highly skilled Office of Inspector General per-
sonnel; 
‘‘(D) maintain an Internet Web site and 
other electronic systems for the benefit of all 
Inspectors General, as the Council determines 
are necessary or desirable; 
‘‘(E) maintain one or more academies as 
the Council considers desirable for the profes-
sional training of auditors, investigators, inspec-
tors, evaluators, and other personnel of the var-
ious offices of Inspector General; and 
‘‘(F) make such reports to the Congress as 
the Chairperson determines are necessary or 
appropriate. 
‘‘(2) ADHERENCE AND PARTICIPATION BY MEM-
BERS.—Each member of the Council should, to the 
extent permitted under law, and to the extent not in-
consistent with standards established by the Comp-
troller General of the United States for audits of 
Federal establishments, organizations, programs, ac-
tivities, and functions, adhere to professional stand-
ards developed by the Council and participate in the 
plans, programs, and projects of the Council. 
‘‘(3) EXISTING
AUTHORITIES
AND
RESPON-
SIBILITIES.—The creation and operation of the 
Council— 
‘‘(A) shall not affect the preeminent policy- 
setting role of the Department of Justice in law 
enforcement and litigation; 
‘‘(B) shall not affect the authority or re-
sponsibilities of any Government agency or enti-
ty; and
‘‘(C) shall not affect the authority or re-
sponsibilities of individual members of the 
Council. 
‘‘(d) INTEGRITY COMMITTEE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Council shall have 
an Integrity Committee, which shall receive, review, 
and refer for investigation allegations of wrongdoing 
that are made against Inspectors General and cer-
tain staff members of the various Offices of Inspec-
tor General. 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Integrity Committee 
shall consist of the following members: 
‘‘(A) The official of the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation serving on the Council, who shall 
serve as Chairperson of the Integrity Com-
mittee. 
‘‘(B) 3 or more Inspectors General de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) or (B) of sub-
section (b)(1) appointed by the Chairperson of 
the Council, representing both establishments 
and designated Federal entities (as that term is 
defined in section 8G(a)). 
‘‘(C) The Special Counsel of the Office of 
Special Counsel.
‘‘(D) The Director of the Office of Govern-
ment Ethics. 
‘‘(3) LEGAL ADVISOR.—The Chief of the Public 
Integrity Section of the Criminal Division of the De-
partment of Justice, or his designee, shall serve as 
a legal advisor to the Integrity Committee. 
‘‘(4) REFERRAL OF ALLEGATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT.—An Inspector Gen-
eral shall refer to the Integrity Committee any 
allegation of wrongdoing against a staff mem-
ber of his or her office, if— 
‘‘(i) review of the substance of the al-
legation cannot be assigned to an agency 
of the executive branch with appropriate 
jurisdiction over the matter; and 
‘‘(ii) the Inspector General determines 
that— 
‘‘(I) an objective internal inves-
tigation of the allegation is not fea-
sible; or 
‘‘(II) an internal investigation of 
the allegation may appear not to be 
objective. 
‘‘(B) STAFF MEMBER DEFINED.—In this 
subsection the term ‘staff member’ means—
‘‘(i) any employee of an Office of In-
spector General who reports directly to an 
Inspector General; or 
‘‘(ii) who is designated by an Inspec-
tor General under subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(C) DESIGNATION OF STAFF MEMBERS.— 
Each Inspector General shall annually submit 
to the Chairperson of the Integrity Committee 
a designation of positions whose holders are 
staff members for purposes of subparagraph 
(B). 
‘‘(5) REVIEW OF ALLEGATIONS.—The Integrity 
Committee shall— 
‘‘(A) review all allegations of wrongdoing it 
receives against an Inspector General, or 
against a staff member of an Office of Inspec-
tor General; and 
‘‘(B) refer to the Chairperson of the Integ-
rity Committee any allegation of wrongdoing 
determined by the Integrity Committee to be 
meritorious that cannot be referred to an agen-
cy of the executive branch with appropriate ju-
risdiction over the matter. 
‘‘(6) AUTHORITY
TO
INVESTIGATE
ALLEGA-
TIONS.—
‘‘(A) REQUIREMENT.—The Chairperson of 
the Integrity Committee shall cause a thorough 
and timely investigation of each allegation re-
ferred under paragraph (5)(B) to be conducted 
in accordance with this paragraph. 
‘‘(B) RESOURCES.—At the request of the 
Chairperson of the Integrity Committee, the 
head of each agency or entity represented on 
the Council— 
‘‘(i) may provide resources necessary 
to the Integrity Committee; and 
‘‘(ii) may detail employees from that 
agency or entity to the Integrity Com-
mittee, subject to the control and direction 
of the Chairperson, to conduct an inves-
tigation pursuant to this subsection. 
‘‘(7) PROCEDURES FOR INVESTIGATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) STANDARDS APPLICABLE.—Investiga-
tions initiated under this subsection shall be 
conducted in accordance with the most current 
Quality Standards for Investigations issued by 
the Council or by its predecessors (the Presi-
dent’s Council on Integrity and Efficiency and 
the Executive Council on Integrity and Effi-
ciency).
‘‘(B) ADDITIONAL POLICIES AND PROCE-
DURES.—The Integrity Committee, in conjunc-
tion with the Chairperson of the Council, shall 
establish additional policies and procedures nec-
essary to ensure fairness and consistency in— 
‘‘(i) determining whether to initiate 
an investigation; 
‘‘(ii) conducting investigations; 
‘‘(iii) reporting the results of an inves-
tigation; and 
‘‘(iv) providing the person who is the 
subject of an investigation with an oppor-
tunity to respond to any Integrity Com-
mittee report. 
‘‘(C) REPORTS.—The Chairperson of the 
Integrity Committee shall report to the Execu-
tive Chairperson of the Council the results of 
any investigation that substantiates any allega-
tion certified under paragraph (5)(B). 
‘‘(8) NO RIGHT OR BENEFIT.—This subsection 
is not intended to create any right or benefit, sub-
stantive or procedural, enforceable at law by a per-
son against the United States, its agencies, its offi-
cers, or any person.
‘‘(e) APPLICATION.—The provisions of this section 
apply only to the Inspectors General (and their offices) 
listed in subsection (b)(1)(A) and (B).’’. 
(b) 
EXISTING
EXECUTIVE
ORDERS.—Executive 
Order 12805, dated May 14, 1992, Executive Order 
12805, dated March 21, 1996, and Executive Order 
12993, dated March 26, 1996, shall have no force or ef-
fect. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) INSPECTOR GENERAL ACT OF 1978.—The 
Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is 
amended— 
(A) 
in 
sections 
2(1), 
4(b)(2), 
and 
8G(a)(1)(A) by striking ‘‘section 11(2)’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘section 12(2)’’; 
and 
(B) in section 8G(a), in the matter pre-
ceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘section 11’’ 
and inserting ‘‘section 12’’. 
(2) TITLE 31, U.S.C.—Section 1105(a) of title 
31, United States Code, is amended by striking the 
first paragraph (33) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(33) a separate appropriation account for ap-
propriations for the Inspectors General Council, and, 
included in that account, a separate statement of the
aggregate amount of appropriations requested for 
each academy maintained by the Inspectors General 
Council.’’. 
SEC. 5. MISCELLANEOUS ENHANCEMENTS. 
(a) OFFICES AS DISCRETE AGENCIES.—Section 6(d) 
of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(d)(1)(A) For purposes of applying the provisions 
of law identified in subparagraph (B)— 
‘‘(i) each Office of Inspector General shall 
be considered to be a separate agency; and 
‘‘(ii) the Inspector General who is the head 
of an office referred to in clause (i) shall, with 
respect to such office, have the functions, pow-
ers, and duties of an agency head or appointing 
authority under such provisions. 
‘‘(B) This paragraph applies with respect to the fol-
lowing provisions of title 5, United States Code: 
‘‘(i) Subchapter II of chapter 35. 
‘‘(ii) Sections 8335(b), 8336, 8414, and 
8425(b). 
‘‘(iii) All provisions relating to the Senior Exec-
utive Service (as determined by the Office of Per-
sonnel Management), subject to paragraph (2).
‘‘(2) For purposes of applying section 4507(b) of title 
5, United States Code, paragraph (1)(A)(ii) shall be ap-
plied by substituting ‘the Council of the Inspectors Gen-
eral on Integrity and Efficiency (established by section 11 
of the Inspector General Act) shall’ for ‘the Inspector Gen-
eral who is the head of an office referred to in clause (i) 
shall, with respect to such office,’.’’. 
(b) INSPECTORS GENERAL OF DESIGNATED FED-
ERAL ENTITIES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, the Inspector General of each designated Federal en-
tity (as those terms are defined under section 8G of the 
Inspector General Act of 1978) shall, for pay and all other 
purposes, be classified at a grade, level, or rank designa-
tion, as the case may be, comparable to those of a majority 
of the senior staff members of such designated Federal 
entity (such as, but not limited to, a General Counsel, 
Deputy Director, or Chief of Staff) that report directly 
to the head of such designated Federal entity. 
(c) SUBPOENA POWER.—Section 6(a)(4) of the In-
spector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), is amend-
ed— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘in any medium (including 
electronically stored information, as well as any tan-
gible thing)’’ after ‘‘other data’’; and
(2) by striking ‘‘subpena’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
poena’’. 
(d) LAW ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY
FOR DES-
IGNATED FEDERAL ENTITIES.—Section 6(e) of the In-
spector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘appointed 
under section 3’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) In this subsection the term ‘Inspector Gen-
eral’ means an Inspector General appointed under 
section 3 or an Inspector General appointed under 
section 8G’’. 
SEC. 6. PROGRAM FRAUD CIVIL REMEDIES ACT. 
Section 3801(a)(1) of title 31, United States Code, 
is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the 
end of subparagraph (C), by adding ‘‘and’’ after the semi-
colon at the end of subparagraph (D), and by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(E) a designated Federal entity (as such 
term is defined under section 8G(a)(2) of the 
Inspector General Act of 1978).’’.
SEC. 7. APPLICATION OF SEMIANNUAL REPORTING RE-
QUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO INSPECTION 
REPORTS AND EVALUATION REPORTS. 
Section 5 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 
U.S.C. App.) is amended— 
(1) in each of subsections (a)(6), (a)(8), (a)(9), 
(b)(2), and (b)(3)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘, inspection reports, and 
evaluation reports’’ after ‘‘audit reports’’ the 
first place it appears; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘audit’’ the second place it 
appears; and 
(2) in subsection (a)(10) by inserting ‘‘, inspec-
tion reports, and evaluation reports’’ after ‘‘audit re-
ports’’. 
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