H.R. 6388 (110th): Government Accountability Office Improvement Act of 2008

Introduced:
Jun 26, 2008 (110th Congress, 2007–2009)
Sponsor:
Rep. Henry Waxman [D-CA30]
Status:
Died (Passed House)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced in a previous session of Congress and was passed by the House on July 29, 2008 but was never passed by the Senate.

Progress
Introduced Jun 26, 2008
Referred to Committee Jun 26, 2008
Reported by Committee Jul 16, 2008
Passed House Jul 29, 2008
Cosponsors
18 cosponsors (18D) (show)
Committees

House Oversight and Government Reform

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

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

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

Read Bill Text »

Last updated Jul 30, 2008.
6 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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Citation

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

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) 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.

House Republican Conference Summary

The summary below was written by the House Republican Conference, which is the caucus of Republicans in the House of Representatives.

No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)

Other Citations

  • 31 U.S.C. Chapter 7