grounds to believe there has been a violation of Fed-
eral criminal law; and 
‘‘(8) provide copies of all reports to the Audit 
Advisory Committee of the Government Account-
ability Office and provide such additional informa-
tion 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 re-
ceive, review, and investigate, as the Inspector 
General considers appropriate, complaints or in-
formation 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 established investigative and ad-
judicative entities of the Government Account-
ability Office. 
‘‘(2) The Inspector General shall not, after re-
ceipt of a complaint or information from an em-
ployee, disclose the identity of the employee without 
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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 au-
thority, 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— 
‘‘(A) a summary of each significant report 
made during the reporting period, including a de-
scription of significant problems, abuses, and defi-
ciencies 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); 
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‘‘(C) a summary of the progress made in imple-
menting such corrective action described pursuant to 
subparagraph (B); and 
‘‘(D) information concerning any disagreement 
the Comptroller 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 appro-
priate, to Congress within 30 days after receipt of such 
reports. 
‘‘(f) INDEPENDENCE IN CARRYING OUT DUTIES AND 
RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Comptroller General may not 
prevent or prohibit the Inspector General from carrying 
out any of the duties or responsibilities of the Inspector 
General under this section. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORITY FOR STAFF.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Inspector General 
shall select, appoint, and employ such personnel as 
may be necessary to carry out this section consistent 
with the provisions of this title governing selections, 
appointments, and employment in the Government 
Accountability Office. Such personnel shall be ap-
pointed, promoted, and assigned only on the basis of 
merit and fitness, but without regard to those provi-
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sions 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 an-
nual rate of pay of the Inspector General. 
‘‘(2) EXPERTS
AND
CONSULTANTS.—The In-
spector General may procure temporary and inter-
mittent services under section 3109 of title 5 at 
rates not to exceed the daily equivalent of the annual 
rate of basic pay for level V of the Executive Sched-
ule under section 5315 of such title. 
‘‘(3) INDEPENDENCE IN APPOINTING STAFF.— 
No individual may carry out any of the duties or re-
sponsibilities of the Office of the Inspector General 
unless the individual is appointed by the Inspector 
General, or provides services obtained by the Inspec-
tor General, pursuant to this paragraph. 
‘‘(4) LIMITATION ON PROGRAM RESPONSIBIL-
ITIES.—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; 
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‘‘(2) such equipment, office supplies, and com-
munications facilities and services as may be nec-
essary for the operation of the Office of the Inspec-
tor General; 
‘‘(3) necessary maintenance services for such 
office space, equipment, office supplies, and commu-
nications facilities; and 
‘‘(4) equipment and facilities located in such of-
fice space. 
‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term 
‘Federal agency’ means a department, agency, instrumen-
tality, or unit thereof, of the Federal Government.’’. 
(b) INCUMBENT.—The individual who serves in the 
position of Inspector General of the Government Account-
ability 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 relat-
ing 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 add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘(i)(1) If the Government Accountability Office au-
dits any financial statement or related schedule which is 
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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— 
‘‘(A) the statement or schedule audited is that 
of an executive agency (or component) which sub-
mitted a financial statement or related schedule 
under section 3515 for fiscal year 2007 which was 
audited by the Government Accountability Office; or 
‘‘(B) the reason for the audit (described in the 
matter before subparagraph (A)) is because of the 
Comptroller General’s determination of materiality 
to the statements required under section 331(e). 
‘‘(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 the Government Accountability Office to 
audit such statement or any related schedule may reim-
burse the Government Accountability Office for the cost 
of such audit. 
‘‘(3) 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 
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Office for such purposes and in such amounts as are speci-
fied 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. 7.6. 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 
Office)’’ 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 Gov-
ernment 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 the officer or employee been paid 
under the General Schedule) for the locality 
within which the position of such officer or em-
ployee is located (as determined by the Comp-
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troller General), is equal to or greater than 120 
percent of the minimum rate of basic pay pay-
able for GS–15 of the General Schedule; and’’. 
SEC. 87. 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 limi-
tations provided under section 5307(a)(1) of title 5;’’. 
SEC. 9.8. 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: 
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‘‘(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.’’. 
(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),’’. 
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Calendar No. 901 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5683 
AN ACT 
To make certain reforms with respect to the Gov-
ernment Accountability Office, and for other pur-
poses. 
JULY 26, 2008 
Reported with amendments 
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