About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (May 24, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govelsx0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic informing ¶hw legislative debate since 1914 0 May 24, 2023 Oversight of Inspectors General: The CIGIE Integrity Committee The role of inspectors general (IGs) in the federal government makes it particularly important that they operate with integrity and maintain the confidence of government stakeholders and the public. While misconduct by government employees is always a serious issue, the negative impact of such behavior by IGs may be amplified by the fact that they are tasked with independent investigations within agencies and are expected to report on matters including employee misconduct. One of the key ways in which the IG community, at the direction of Congress, addresses allegations of misconduct by IGs is through the Integrity Committee (IC), a component of the Council of the Inspectors General for Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) authorized in the IG Act (5 U.S.C. §424(d)). In recent years, some Members have expressed concerns about the timeliness and transparency of IC investigations, including an ongoing investigation of the Department of Homeland Security IG. In response, Congress included a provision in the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for FY2003 (NDAA) that expands reporting to Congress on IC activities and clarifies Congress's entitlement to information on IC reviews (P.L. 117-263, §§5231-5237). This In Focus provides a brief introduction to the IC and its processes and identifies key issues for Congress. Organization The IC is currently made up of six members, including: the CIGIE member representing the Federal Bureau of Investigation, four IGs appointed by the CIGIE chairperson, and the director of the Office of Government Ethics (or his or her designee). The IC selects a chair from among the four IG members, who serves a term of two years. The IC's investigative work is performed by staff detailees from Offices of Inspector General (OIGs), and legal advice is provided by the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice (DOJ). Authority Like the IGs themselves, the IC's primary authorities focus on receiving complaints, conducting investigations, and making recommendations. OIGs are required to refer allegations of wrongdoing against the IG and other covered staff to the IC if there is no other executive agency with jurisdiction and an internal investigation by the OIG would not be feasible or might appear to not be objective. Additionally, the IC maintains an email to which anyone may submit complains regarding IGs (Integrity- Complaint@ cigie.gov). Process From the time the IC receives a complaint, it may take up to 217 days (without time extensions) for the President or relevant agency head to receive the IC's report and recommendations (Figure 1). When the IC receives a complaint regarding an IG or other covered staffer, representatives of DOJ, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), and the IC review the complaint, and they have seven days to determine where the complaint should be referred. The complaint may be referred to more than one agency (5 U.S.C. §424(d)(5)(A)). Figure I. Integrity Committee Process Source: CRS. Upon referral to the IC, the committee has 30 days to decide whether to direct the IC chairperson to investigate

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most