115 S2178 RS: Inspector General Recommendation Transparency Act of 2017 U.S. Senate 2017-11-30 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IICalendar No. 409115th CONGRESS2d SessionS. 2178[Report No. 115–245]IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESNovember 30, 2017Ms. Heitkamp (for herself, Mrs. Ernst, and Mr. Lankford) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental AffairsMay 10, 2018Reported by Mr. Johnson, with an amendment and an amendment to the titleStrike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italicA BILLTo require the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to make open recommendations of Inspectors General publicly available, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Inspector General Recommendation Transparency Act of 2017.

2.

Inspector General open recommendations database

Section 11(c) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the following: (5)

Open recommendations database

(A)

Definitions

In this paragraph— (i)the term designated Federal entity has the meaning given the term in section 8G(a)(2); and (ii)the term open recommendation means a recommendation— (I)issued by an Inspector General of an establishment or designated Federal entity and made publicly available; and (II)that has not been adopted or implemented by the establishment or designated Federal entity during the 1-year period following the date on which the recommendation was issued. (B)

Establishment of database

The Council shall establish and operate a publicly available database that— (i)is accessible via the website of the Council; and (ii)includes the information on open recommendations submitted by each Inspector General of an establishment or designated Federal entity under subparagraph (C). (C)

Contents

Not later than 1 year after the first semiannual reporting deadline described in section 5(a) that occurs after the date of enactment of this paragraph, and not less frequently than every 6 months thereafter, each Inspector General of an establishment or designated Federal entity shall submit to the Council, in a manner determined by the Council, the status and disposition of each open recommendation of the establishment or designated Federal entity, which shall include— (i)the number of recommendations issued by the Inspector General for the fiscal year; (ii)the number of recommendations described in clause (i) that are open recommendations; (iii)the title of each report in which an open recommendation was issued; (iv)the assigned number of each open recommendation, as designated within a report described in clause (iii); (v)a short description of each open recommendation; (vi)the date on which each open recommendation was submitted in final form to the head of the establishment or designated Federal entity; (vii)the current status of each open recommendation, such as whether the recommendation remains open or has been partially implemented, or if the establishment or designated Federal entity has expressed that the recommendation is expected to be implemented soon; (viii)if available, any comments of the Inspector General relating to why the recommendation remains open; (ix)if available, any response from the establishment or designated Federal entity relating to why the recommendation remains open; and (x)any other information as determined by the Council..

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Inspector General Recommendation Transparency Act of 2018.

2.

Inspector General open recommendations

(a)

In general

The Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended— (1)in section 5— (A)in subsection (a)— (i)in paragraph (2), by inserting the total number and before a description of; and (ii)by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following: (3)the total number of open recommendations described in previous semiannual reports on which corrective action has not been completed, and an identification of each open recommendation, which shall include— (A)the title of each report in which an open recommendation was issued; (B)the assigned number of each open recommendation, as designated within a report described in subparagraph (A); (C)a short description of each open recommendation; (D)the date on which each open recommendation was submitted in final form to the head of the establishment; (E)if available, any cost savings if the corrective action with respect to the open recommendation were completed; and (F)any other information as determined appropriate by the Inspector General that clarifies the progress of implementing the open recommendation or the expected timeframe for implementation.; and (B)in subsection (f)— (i)paragraph (6)(B), by striking and at the end; (ii)in paragraph (7)(B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and; and (iii)by adding at the end the following: (8)the term open recommendation means a recommendation— (A)issued by an Inspector General of an establishment and made publicly available; (B)on which corrective action has not been completed by the establishment during the 1-year period following the date on which the recommendation was issued; and (C)that has not been otherwise closed by the Office.; and (2)in section 11(c), by adding at the end the following: (5)

Establishment of database

Not later than 18 months after the date on which the first semiannual report is required to be prepared under section 5(a) after the date of enactment of this paragraph, the Council shall establish and operate a publicly available database that— (A)is accessible via the website of the Council in a standardized, searchable format; and (B)includes— (i)the information on open recommendations that is required to be included in each semiannual report under section 5(a)(3); and (ii)any other information as determined necessary by the Council. (6)

Submission of Reports

Beginning not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this paragraph, each Inspector General of an establishment or a designated Federal entity (as defined in section 8G(a)) shall, not later than 30 days after the date on which the Inspector General issues a public report, submit to the Council the report for publication on a centralized website.. (b)

Application

The amendments made by subsection (a)(1) shall apply with respect to the first semiannual report prepared under section 5(a) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) after the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.

Amend the title so as to read: A bill to require the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to make open recommendations of Inspectors General publicly available, and for other purposes..May 10, 2018Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the title