I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5815 
To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide authority for Inspec-
tors General to subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 22, 2010 
Mr. TOWNS (for himself and Mr. ISSA) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To amend the Inspector General Act of 1978 to provide 
authority for Inspectors General to subpoena the attend-
ance and testimony of witnesses, 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 ‘‘Inspector General Au-
thority Improvement Act of 2010’’. 
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SEC. 2. SUBPOENA AUTHORITY FOR INSPECTORS GENERAL 
TO REQUIRE TESTIMONY OF CERTAIN PER-
SONS. 
Section 6 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 
U.S.C. App.) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) at the end of paragraph (8), by strik-
ing ‘‘and’’; 
(B) at the end of paragraph (9), by strik-
ing the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(10) to require by subpoena the attendance 
and testimony of witnesses necessary in the perform-
ance of the functions assigned to the Inspector Gen-
eral by this Act, except as provided for and subject 
to the provisions in subsection (g).’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(g)(1) An Inspector General shall use procedures 
other than subpoenas to obtain attendance and testimony 
from Federal employees. 
‘‘(2)(A) A subpoena issued under subsection (a)(10) 
shall provide reasonable notice to the individual whose tes-
timony is sought and shall state the name of the individual 
and the place of taking the testimony. 
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‘‘(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C), a sub-
poena issued under subsection (a)(10), in the case of con-
tumacy or refusal to obey, shall be enforceable in the 
United States District Court in the district where the indi-
vidual whose testimony is sought by subpoena resides or 
in the district of the individual’s place of employment. 
‘‘(C) A proceeding to enforce a subpoena may be 
brought in the United States District Court for the Dis-
trict of Columbia if the individual whose testimony is 
sought by the subpoena resides within 25 miles of the Dis-
trict of Columbia and if the complaint seeking enforce-
ment alleges that a significant portion of the matters that 
are expected to be the subject of the investigation, audit, 
inspection, evaluation, or review occurred in the District 
of Columbia. 
‘‘(D) The Attorney General shall represent an Office 
of Inspector General in the enforcement of a subpoena 
under this subsection. 
‘‘(3)(A) An Inspector General may not issue a sub-
poena under subsection (a)(10) if the subpoena is being 
issued in connection with a matter in which the Inspector 
General has reasonable grounds to believe there has been 
a violation of Federal criminal law or section 3729 of title 
31, United States Code, unless the Inspector General noti-
fies the Attorney General of the intention of the Inspector 
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General to issue the subpoena, including the name of the 
individual whose testimony is sought and the nature of 
the testimony sought, at least 15 days before issuing the 
subpoena. 
‘‘(B) The Inspector General may not issue the sub-
poena if the Attorney General informs the Inspector Gen-
eral, within 14 days after receipt of the notification under 
subparagraph (A), that the Attorney General objects to 
the issuance of the subpoena on one or more of the 
grounds listed in clauses (i) through (iii) of subparagraph 
(C). 
‘‘(C) If the Attorney General objects to the issuance 
of the subpoena as described in subparagraph (B) and the 
Inspector General does not agree with the objection of the 
Attorney General, the Attorney General shall, within 30 
days after receipt of the notification under subparagraph 
(A), submit an explanation to the Inspector General that 
the taking of the testimony— 
‘‘(i) is likely to endanger the national security 
of the United States; 
‘‘(ii) is likely to interfere with any Federal or 
State criminal investigation or prosecution; or 
‘‘(iii) is likely to interfere with any pending in-
vestigation under section 3729 of title 31, United 
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