Responsible BUILD Act
Bill: H.R.7339 | Sponsor: Rep. Meijer, Peter (R-MI)
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Responsible, Better Understanding of Infrastructure Leveraged Dollars Act or the Responsible BUILD Act
This bill establishes the Office of the Special Inspector General for Infrastructure Projects within the Department of Transportation (DOT).
Specifically, the office shall provide for independent and objective (1) supervision of certain infrastructure projects; and (2) leadership and coordination of, and recommendations on, policies designed to promote efficiency and effectiveness and to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse related to such projects.
The office must submit quarterly reports to Congress and DOT on state spending of infrastructure funding.

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 Representatives 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''.

SEC. 2. SPECIAL INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committees on Appropriations, Banking, 
                Housing, and Urban Affairs, Environment 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 Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (Public 
        Law 117-58), including the amendments made by such Act.
            (3) Inspector general.--The term ``Inspector General'' 
        means the Special Inspector General for Infrastructure Projects 
        established under this section.
            (4) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of the 
        Special Inspector General for Infrastructure Projects 
        established under this section.
            (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 Special 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 recommendations on, policies designed 
        to--
                    (A) promote economic efficiency and effectiveness 
                in the administration of the covered programs; and
                    (B) prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse in 
                such programs.
    (c) Appointment of Inspector General; Removal.--
            (1) Appointment.--The head of the Office shall be the 
        Special Inspector General for Infrastructure Projects, who 
        shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and 
        consent of the Senate.
            (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 analysis, public administration, or 
        investigations.
            (3) Deadline for appointment.--The appointment 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 considered an employee who determines 
        policies to be pursued by the United States in the nationwide 
        administration of Federal law.
            (6) Removal.--The Inspector General shall be removable from 
        office in accordance with the provisions 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 paragraph (2), the 
        Inspector General shall report directly to, and be under the 
        general supervision of, the Secretary of Transportation.
            (2) Independence to conduct investigations and audits.--No 
        officer of the Department of Transportation shall prevent or 
        prohibit the Inspector 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 investigation.
    (e) Duties.--
            (1) Oversight of spending by the department and states.--
        The Inspector General shall conduct, supervise, and coordinate 
        audits and investigations of the treatment, handling, and 
        expenditure of amounts appropriated or otherwise made available 
        to carry out a covered program, including--
                    (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 
                                nongovernmental entities;
                            (iii) the maintenance of records by States 
                        on the use of such amounts to facilitate 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 
                        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 inspector 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 Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.).
    (g) Personnel, Facilities, and Other Resources.--
            (1) Personnel.--The Inspector General may select, appoint, 
        and employ such officers and employees as may be necessary for 
        carrying out the duties 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 consultants.--The Inspector 
        General may obtain services as authorized by section 3109 of 
        title 5, United States Code, at daily rates not to exceed the 
        equivalent 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 audits, studies, analyses, and other services 
        with public agencies and with private persons, and make such 
        payments as may be necessary to carry out the duties of the 
        Office.
            (4) Assistance from federal agencies.--
                    (A) In general.--Upon request of the Inspector 
                General for information or assistance from any 
                department, agency, or other entity of a State or the 
                Federal Government, the head of 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 assistance.--Whenever 
                information or assistance requested by the Inspector 
                General is, in the judgment of the Inspector General, 
                unreasonably refused or not provided, the Inspector 
                General shall report the circumstances to the 
                Department 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 Inspector 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 possible, 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 
                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 statement of all 
                obligations, expenditures, and revenues associated with 
                a covered program, including the following:
                            (i) Obligations and expenditures of amounts 
                        made available to carry out a covered 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 mechanism 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, 
                                agreement, or other funding mechanism 
                                identified, and solicited offers or 
                                applications 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 
                                individuals or entities that were 
                                issued solicitations for the offers or 
                                applications; 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, agreements, and funding 
        mechanisms.--A contract, grant, agreement, or other funding 
        mechanism described 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--
                            (i) to build or rebuild physical 
                        infrastructure, 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 
        congressional committees any comments on the matters covered by 
        the report the Secretary determines appropriate.
            (4) Public availability.--The Inspector General and the 
        Secretary of Transportation, as appropriate, 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 submitted by the Secretary 
        of Transportation under paragraph (3), shall be submitted in 
        unclassified form, but may include a classified annex if the 
        Inspector General or the Secretary, as appropriate, considers 
        it necessary.
            (6) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall 
        be construed to authorize the public disclosure of information 
        that is--
                    (A) specifically prohibited from disclosure by any 
                other provision of law;
                    (B) specifically required by Executive order to be 
                protected from disclosure in the interest of national 
                defense or national security or in the conduct of 
                foreign affairs; or
                    (C) a part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
    (i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $20,000,000 for each fiscal year to carry out this 
section.
    (j) Termination.--The Office of the Special Inspector General shall 
terminate on the date that is 10 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act.
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