I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7339 
To establish the Office of the Special Inspector General for Infrastructure 
Projects, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 31, 2022 
Mr. MEIJER (for himself, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. GALLAGHER, 
Mr. GIBBS, Mr. MCKINLEY, Mr. NEWHOUSE, and Mr. BACON) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Over-
sight and Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish the Office of the Special Inspector General 
for Infrastructure Projects, 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 ‘‘Responsible, Better 
Understanding of Infrastructure Leveraged Dollars Act’’ 
or the ‘‘Responsible BUILD Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR INFRASTRUC-
TURE PROJECTS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committees on Appropriations, 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Environ-
ment and Public Works, and Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate; and 
(B) the Committees on Appropriations, 
Energy and Commerce, and Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives. 
(2) COVERED
PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘covered 
program’’ means any program established by the 
Secretary of Transportation pursuant to the Infra-
structure Investments and Jobs Act (Public Law 
117–58), including the amendments made by such 
Act. 
(3) INSPECTOR GENERAL.—The term ‘‘Inspec-
tor General’’ means the Special Inspector General 
for Infrastructure Projects established under this 
section. 
(4) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
fice of the Special Inspector General for Infrastruc-
ture Projects established under this section. 
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(5) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 
(A) any of the several States; 
(B) the District of Columbia; 
(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 
(D) the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands; 
(E) the United States Virgin Islands; 
(F) Guam; 
(G) American Samoa; and 
(H) any other territory or possession of the 
United States. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Department of Transportation the Office of the Spe-
cial Inspector General for Infrastructure Projects to— 
(1) provide for the independent and objective 
supervision of projects carried out under a covered 
program; and 
(2) provide for the independent and objective 
leadership and coordination of, and recommenda-
tions on, policies designed to— 
(A) promote economic efficiency and effec-
tiveness in the administration of the covered 
programs; and 
(B) prevent and detect waste, fraud, and 
abuse in such programs. 
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(c) APPOINTMENT
OF INSPECTOR GENERAL; RE-
MOVAL.— 
(1) APPOINTMENT.—The head of the Office 
shall be the Special Inspector General for Infrastruc-
ture Projects, who shall be appointed by the Presi-
dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Sen-
ate. 
(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—The appointment of the 
Inspector General shall be made solely on the basis 
of integrity and demonstrated ability in accounting, 
auditing, financial analysis, law, management anal-
ysis, public administration, or investigations. 
(3) DEADLINE
FOR
APPOINTMENT.—The ap-
pointment of an individual as Inspector General 
shall be made not later than 30 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(4) COMPENSATION.—The annual rate of basic 
pay of the Inspector General shall be the annual rate 
of basic pay provided for positions at level IV of the 
Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
(5) PROHIBITION ON POLITICAL ACTIVITIES.— 
For purposes of section 7324 of title 5, United 
States Code, the Inspector General shall not be con-
sidered an employee who determines policies to be 
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pursued by the United States in the nationwide ad-
ministration of Federal law. 
(6) REMOVAL.—The Inspector General shall be 
removable from office in accordance with the provi-
sions of section 3(b) of the Inspector General Act of 
1978 (5 U.S.C. App.). 
(d) SUPERVISION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Inspector General shall report directly 
to, and be under the general supervision of, the Sec-
retary of Transportation. 
(2) INDEPENDENCE TO CONDUCT INVESTIGA-
TIONS AND AUDITS.—No officer of the Department 
of Transportation shall prevent or prohibit the In-
spector General from initiating, carrying out, or 
completing any audit or investigation related to 
amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to 
carry out a covered program, or from issuing any 
subpoena during the course of any such audit or in-
vestigation. 
(e) DUTIES.— 
(1) OVERSIGHT OF SPENDING BY THE DEPART-
MENT AND STATES.—The Inspector General shall 
conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and inves-
tigations of the treatment, handling, and expendi-
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ture of amounts appropriated or otherwise made 
available to carry out a covered program, includ-
ing— 
(A) audits and investigations with respect 
to— 
(i) the oversight and accounting of the 
obligation 
and 
expenditure 
of 
such 
amounts; 
(ii) the monitoring and review of— 
(I) activities funded by such 
amounts; 
(II) contracts funded by such 
amounts; and 
(III) 
the 
transfer 
of 
such 
amounts from States to other entities, 
including businesses and nongovern-
mental entities; 
(iii) the maintenance of records by 
States on the use of such amounts to fa-
cilitate future audits and investigations; 
(iv) overpayments, such as duplicate 
payments or duplicate billing; and 
(v) any potential unethical or illegal 
actions of Federal employees or employees 
of States, contractors, or nongovernmental 
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entities related to the treatment, handling, 
obligation, or expenditure of such amounts; 
and 
(B) the referral of findings of any audits 
and investigations to the Department of Justice 
to ensure further investigations, prosecutions, 
recovery of funds, or other remedies. 
(2) OTHER DUTIES RELATED TO OVERSIGHT.— 
The Inspector General shall establish, maintain, and 
oversee such systems, procedures, and controls as 
the Inspector General considers appropriate to carry 
out the duties under paragraph (1). 
(3) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES UNDER IN-
SPECTOR GENERAL ACT OF 1978.—Section 4 of the 
Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) shall 
apply to the Office established under this section. 
(f) POWERS AND AUTHORITIES.—In carrying out the 
duties specified in subsection (e), the Inspector General 
shall have the authorities provided in section 6 of the In-
spector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.). 
(g) PERSONNEL, FACILITIES, AND
OTHER
RE-
SOURCES.— 
(1) PERSONNEL.—The Inspector General may 
select, appoint, and employ such officers and em-
ployees as may be necessary for carrying out the du-
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ties of the Office, subject to the provisions of title 
5, United States Code, governing appointments 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. 
(2) EMPLOYMENT OF EXPERTS AND CONSULT-
ANTS.—The Inspector General may obtain services 
as authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United 
States Code, at daily rates not to exceed the equiva-
lent rate prescribed for grade GS–15 of the General 
Schedule by section 5332 of such title. 
(3) CONTRACTING AUTHORITY.—To the extent, 
and in such amounts, as may be provided in advance 
by appropriations Acts, the Inspector General may 
enter into contracts and other arrangements for au-
dits, studies, analyses, and other services with public 
agencies and with private persons, and make such 
payments as may be necessary to carry out the du-
ties of the Office. 
(4) ASSISTANCE FROM FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Upon request of the In-
spector General for information or assistance 
from any department, agency, or other entity of 
a State or the Federal Government, the head of 
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such entity shall, insofar as is practicable and 
not in contravention of any existing law, furnish 
such information or assistance to the Inspector 
General, or a designee of the Inspector General. 
(B) REPORTING
OF
REFUSED
ASSIST-
ANCE.—Whenever information or assistance re-
quested by the Inspector General is, in the 
judgment of the Inspector General, unreason-
ably refused or not provided, the Inspector Gen-
eral shall report the circumstances to the De-
partment of Justice, as appropriate, and to the 
appropriate congressional committees without 
delay. 
(h) REPORTS.— 
(1) QUARTERLY REPORTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days 
after the end of each fiscal-year quarter, the In-
spector General shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees and the Secretary of 
Transportation a report summarizing, for the 
period of such quarter and, to the extent pos-
sible, the period from the end of such quarter 
to the time of the submission of the report, the 
activities during such period of the Inspector 
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General and any activities of States that are 
carried out pursuant to a covered program. 
(B) CONTENTS.—Each report submitted 
under subparagraph (A) shall include, for the 
period covered by such report, a detailed state-
ment of all obligations, expenditures, and reve-
nues associated with a covered program, includ-
ing the following: 
(i) Obligations and expenditures of 
amounts made available to carry out a cov-
ered program. 
(ii) Detailed operating expenses of 
States that are related to the use of such 
amounts. 
(iii) In the case of any contract, 
grant, agreement, or other funding mecha-
nism described in paragraph (2)— 
(I) the amount of the contract, 
grant, agreement, or other funding 
mechanism; 
(II) a brief summary of the scope 
of the contract, grant, agreement, or 
other funding mechanism; 
(III) a summary of how the State 
involved in the contract, grant, agree-
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ment, or other funding mechanism 
identified, and solicited offers or ap-
plications from, potential individuals 
or entities to perform the contract or 
activities under the grant, agreement, 
or other funding mechanism; 
(IV) a list of the potential indi-
viduals or entities that were issued so-
licitations for the offers or applica-
tions; and 
(V) the justification and approval 
documents on which was based any 
determination to use procedures other 
than procedures that provide for full 
and open competition with respect to 
the contract, grant, agreement, or 
other funding mechanism. 
(2) COVERED
CONTRACTS, GRANTS, AGREE-
MENTS, AND FUNDING MECHANISMS.—A contract, 
grant, agreement, or other funding mechanism de-
scribed in this paragraph is any major contract, 
grant, agreement, or other funding mechanism with 
any public or private entity that— 
(A) is entered into by a State— 
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(i) to build or rebuild physical infra-
structure, including infrastructure related 
to bridges, roads, highways, waterways, 
ports, rail travel, or air travel of such 
State; or 
(ii) to provide products or services to 
the people of such State; and 
(B) involves the use of amounts made 
available to carry out a covered program. 
(3) SUBMISSION
OF
REPORT
COMMENTS
TO 
CONGRESS.—Not later than 30 days after receipt of 
a report under paragraph (1), the Secretary of 
Transportation may submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees any comments on the matters 
covered by the report the Secretary determines ap-
propriate. 
(4) 
PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—The 
Inspector 
General and the Secretary of Transportation, as ap-
propriate, shall publish on a publicly available 
website each report required under this subsection 
and any comments submitted by the Secretary under 
paragraph (3). 
(5) FORM.—Each report required under this 
subsection, including any comments on a report sub-
mitted by the Secretary of Transportation under 
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