Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2008

To provide additional authorities to the Comptroller General of the United States, and for other purposes.

7/29/2008--Passed House amended. Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2008 - Authorizes the Comptroller General to:
(1) obtain federal agency records required to discharge his or her duties, including through bringing civil actions under this Act;
(2)b> interview agency officers and employees to get information about agency duties, powers, activities, organization, and financial transactions; and
(3) administer oaths to witnesses (currently, the Comptroller General may administer oaths to witnesses when auditing and settling accounts).
Requires the Comptroller General to prescribe such policies and procedures as are necessary to protect from public disclosure proprietary or trade secret information obtained under this Act.
Declares 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 shall be construed to limit, amend, or supersede the authority of the Comptroller General to obtain information, inspect records, or interview specified agency officers or employees, including with respect to:
(1) information disclosed to or obtained by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under the Social Security Act;
(2) information concerning any method or process protected as a trade secret; and
(3) 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. Declares that this Act shall not be construed to:
(1) alter or amend the prohibitions against the disclosure of trade secret or other sensitive information; and
(2) affect the applicability of requirements governing the availability of agency information to information obtained.
Requires the Comptroller General to:
(1) report annually on the cooperation of agencies subject to the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 and other agencies designated by the Comptroller General in making personnel available for interviews, providing written answers to questions, submitting to an oath authorized by the Comptroller General, granting access to records, providing timely comments to draft reports, adopting report recommendations, and responding to such matters as the Comptroller General deems appropriate; and
(2) report to Congress when agencies do not respond to requests regarding such matters.


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Sponsor

• Rep. Henry Waxman [D, CA-30]
• and 18 Co-Sponsors
  • Rep. Howard Berman [D, CA-28]
  • Rep. Robert Brady [D, PA-1]
  • Rep. John Conyers [D, MI-14]
  • Rep. John Dingell [D, MI-15]
  • Rep. Bob Filner [D, CA-51]
  • Rep. Barney Frank [D, MA-4]
  • Rep. Barton Gordon [D, TN-6]
  • Rep. George Miller [D, CA-7]
  • Rep. James Oberstar [D, MN-8]
  • Rep. David Obey [D, WI-7]
  • Rep. Nick Rahall [D, WV-3]
  • Rep. Charles Rangel [D, NY-15]
  • Rep. Silvestre Reyes [D, TX-16]
  • Rep. Ike Skelton [D, MO-4]
  • Rep. Louise Slaughter [D, NY-28]
  • Rep. John Spratt [D, SC-5]
  • Rep. Bennie Thompson [D, MS-2]
  • Rep. Nydia Velázquez [D, NY-12]
  close

Committees

• Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
• 1 more
  • House Oversight and Government Reform
  close

Amendments

This bill has no amendments.

Amendments to H.R.6388

Number	Status	Purpose

Bill Status

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Introduced		Voted on by House		Voted on by Senate		Considered By President		Bill Becomes Law
June 26, 2008		July 29, 2008

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All Bill Actions

• Jul 30, 2008: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
• Passed by voice vote in the House on Jul 29, 2008. On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
• Jul 29, 2008: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 6388.
• Jul 29, 2008: Considered under suspension of the rules.
• Jul 29, 2008: Mr. Waxman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
• Added to calendar on Jul 24, 2008: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 490..
• Jul 24, 2008: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government. H. Rept. 110-771.
• Added to calendar on Jul 16, 2008: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote..
• Jul 16, 2008: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
• Introduced on Jun 26, 2008.
• Jun 26, 2008: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
• Jun 26, 2008: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1382)

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In the News

July 29, 2008 House passes bill giving allowing GAO to sue for agency records

The bill, HR 6388, affirms GAO’s authority to go to court when agencies refuse to provide access to records. It effectively would nullify a 2002 decision by ...

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Source: Federal Times

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June 27, 2008 Bill Seeks to Strengthen GAO Access to Executive Branch Documents

The bill ( HR 6388 ) is a “legislative repudiation” of a federal court’s decision in Walker v. Cheney, according to sponsor Henry Waxman, D-Calif., ...

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Source: CQPolitics.com, DC

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Blog Coverage

August 05, 2008 senate approves gao pay raise, ig legislation

... action against the executive branch in order to obtain information related to an investigation or audit. the government accountability office improvement act (hr 6388) would also allow the gao to interview federal employees under oath.

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Source: ombwatch Blogs

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August 04, 2008 secrecy news for 08/04/08

... according to a gao letter supplied for the hearing record. a bill adopted last week in the house, called the "government accountability office improvement act" (hr 6388) did not explicitly address intelligence oversight by gao. ...

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Source: Secrecy News

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August 02, 2008 GAO and Intelligence Oversight | Secrecy News

A bill adopted last week in the House, called the “Government Accountability Office Improvement Act” (HR 6388) did not explicitly address intelligence oversight by GAO. Bookmark It Add 'GAO and Intelligence Oversight' To Del.icio.us ...

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