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B-322147 1 (2011-07-06)

handle is hein.gao/gaobadbwa0001 and id is 1 raw text is: I Accountability * Integrity * Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 B-322147 July 6, 2011 The Honorable Ander Crenshaw Chairman Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch Committee on Appropriations House of Representatives Subject: Contract for Legal Services This responds to your letter dated June 21, 2011, requesting our views with respect to a contract entered into by the House Office of General Counsel for the services of outside counsel to represent the House Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group' in certain matters. Letter from Chairman, House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch to General Counsel, GAO (June 21, 2011) (Request Letter). Specifically, your letter asked that we address two questions: (1) What obligation did the House Office of General Counsel incur when the General Counsel entered into the contract, and did the House General Counsel violate the Antideficiency Act when he signed the contract? (2) To the extent that the obligation for the contract may implicate the availability of funds for other activities and expenses of the House Office of General Counsel, may the House exercise its transfer authorities under title 2 of the U.S. Code to transfer to the Office of General Counsel appropriations adequate to cover its expenses to avoid any potential Antideficiency Act violation? For the reasons stated below, based on the information provided, we conclude that when the House General Counsel entered into the contract on April 25, 2011, the House Office of General Counsel incurred an obligation of $500,000 against its appropriation for salaries and expenses. The House Chief Administrative Officer has advised us that there was an adequate unobligated balance to satisfy the obligation. We conclude, therefore, that the House General Counsel did not violate the Antideficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. § 1341(a). In addition, because of the statutory authorities to transfer appropriations of the House of Representatives, the House may 'The Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group is a five-member panel of House Leadership consisting of the Speaker of the House, Majority Leader, Majority Whip, Minority Leader, and Minority Whip. See Rule II, cl. 8, Rules of the House of Representatives at 3, 112th Cong. (2011).

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