S. 237: Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2011

112th Congress · introduced 2011-01-31 · Government Operations and Politics · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 363.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-01-31 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. 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

Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2011

Plain summary

Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2011- (Sec. 2) Authorizes the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) obtain federal agency records required to discharge his or her duties, including by bringing civil actions under this Act, (2) make and retain copies of agency records, and (3) administer oaths when investigating fraud or federal employee misconduct. (Sec. 4) States that no provision of the Social Security Act, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 (including any information disclosed to the Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for purposes of pre-merger review under the Clayton Act) shall be construed to limit, amend, or supersede GAO's authority to obtain any information, inspect, or copy any record under this Act. Requires GAO to prescribe policies and procedures to protect from public disclosure proprietary or trade secret information obtained pursuant to this Act. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to: (1) alter or amend the prohibitions against the disclosure of trade secrets or other sensitive information prohibited by federal and other applicable laws; or (2) affect prohibitions applicable to GAO against unauthorized disclosure of information. (Sec. 5) Requires GAO to notify a congressional committee or Member of Congress if an agency has not provided within 30 days information requested by GAO relating to any request from such committee or Member. (Sec. 6) Requires agency statements on actions taken or planned in response to GAO recommendations to be submitted to the congressional committees with jurisdiction over the pertinent agency program or activity and to GAO.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s)), 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

Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2011

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))

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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: Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Susan M. Collins (R-ME)

Agencies named in this bill

Government Accountability Office: its federal spending and other bills that name it

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

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 (2)

Jurisdiction: The area or the matters a government or court has authority over.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s237.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s237 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112