H.R. 5815: Inspector General Authority Improvement Act of 2010

111th Congress · introduced 2010-07-22 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 363.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2010-07-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Towns, Edolphus [D-NY-10] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 363. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Inspector General Authority Improvement Act of 2010

Plain summary

Inspector General Authority Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to authorize Inspectors General to subpoena the attendance and testimony of witnesses. Requires an Inspector General to use procedures other than subpoenas to obtain attendance and testimony from federal employees. Requires that such a subpoena provide reasonable notice to the individual whose testimony is sought and state that individual's name and the place of taking the testimony. Directs the Attorney General to represent an Office of Inspector General in the enforcement of such a subpoena. Prohibits an Inspector General from issuing a subpoena if: (1) the Inspector General believes there has been a violation of federal criminal law or the False Claims Act, unless the Inspector General provides 15 days' notice to the Attorney General; or (2) the Attorney General objects, within 14 days, to the issuance of the subpoena on the grounds that the taking of the testimony is likely to endanger national security or to interfere with any criminal investigation or prosecution, any pending investigation under the False Claims Act, or any civil litigation to which the United States is a party. Exempts Inspectors General from the Paperwork Reduction Act for any investigation, audit, inspection, evaluation, or other review conducted by any federal office of Inspector General, including any Inspector General defined under the Inspector General Act, any Special Inspector General established by statute, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, and the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. Authorizes an Inspector General to compare, through a matching program, any federal records with other federal or non-federal records while conducting an audit, inspection, or investigation to identify weaknesses that make a program vulnerable to fraud, waste, or abuse and to detect improper payments and fraud. Requires: (1) the head of an establishment to take corrective action in response to any questioned costs, a recommendation that funds be put to better use, significant problems, abuses, or deficiencies identified by the establishment's Inspector General; and (2) such head's report to Congress accompanying each Inspector General's semiannual report to include a description of any such corrective action taken or proposed and a certification of any determination that no such action is necessary or appropriate with respect to any such issue. Codifies specified provisions concerning the classification and pay of Inspectors General of designated federal entities. Provides that an allegation of wrongdoing against a Special Counsel or Deputy Special Counsel may be received, reviewed, and referred for investigation by the Integrity Committee in the same manner as an allegation against an Inspector General, subject to Special Counsel recusal.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Inspector General Authority Improvement Act of 2010

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Towns, Edolphus [D-NY-10] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 5815, Inspector General Authority Improvement Act of 2010 (2010-09-10); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 5815, Inspector General Authority Improvement Act of 2010 (2010-09-10)

Cosponsors on this site

Darrell Issa (R-CA)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111hr5815.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/hr>

Record fed-us-cong111-hr5815 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111