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DOCUMENT RESUME
00449 - [A0590978]
GA:) Role as Watchdog for Official House Allowances and
Acceptance of Gifts by Members of Congress and the GAO Position
on S.495]. January 14, 1977. 4 pp.
Testimony before Rep. David R. Obey, House of Representatives:
Commission on Administrative Review; by Phillip S. Hughes,
Assistant Comptroller General.
Issue Area: Internal Auditing Systems (200).
Contact: Office of the Comptroller General.
Budget Function: General Government. Other General Government
(806).
Congressional Relevance: Senate committee on Foreign Relations;
House of Representative-: Commission on Administrative
Review.
Authority: Foreign Gifts And Decorations Act of 1966. 2 U.S.C.
95. S. 495 (94th Cong.).
GAO maintains a professional staff at the Capitol to
audit the various revolv.ng funds and other activities of the
House and Senate and the activities of private organizations
doing business on the Capitol grounds. The staff also reviews
egislative branch activities at the request of Congressional
Ilembers. Legislation such as S.495, which would place custodial
,lnd administrative responsibilities in the GAO, is inconsistent
with GAO's basic responsibilities for monitoring, auditing and
evaluating .dministration. Executive agency headr and members of
Coigress F' ould be responsible fcr the administration of
fiLancial disclosure requirements of their agencies and
themselves, There are -iso w.de areas of potential conflict of a
non financial nature that should be noted. Any disclosure system
for iither branch should properly balance conflict-of-interest
and public disclosure concerns against the rights of individuals
to privacy. Achieving the balance will require (a) careful
judgments as to which employees should be included, (b)
limitation of routine disclosure to those who need tc know,
and (c) disclosure requirements structured to preclude their use
by criminals. In a report entitled, Proposals tc Strengthen the
Foreign Gifts and Decorations Act of 1966, recommendations were
made that Congress include reference to the Act ia the
Congressional Handbook as a reminder and amend the Act to
clarify and tiqhten it to assure adequate disclosure a.d provide
sanctions for noncompliance. Revisions were suggested for State
Department regulations and procedures. (Author/SS)](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.gao/gaobadxsz0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)