H.R. 4937 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 4937 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 23, 2014 Mr. McKinley (for himself and Mr. Enyart) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To require the implementation of report recommendations by an inspector general regarding wasteful and excessive spending, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Protection Against Wasteful Spending Act of 2014. 2. Report recommendations of wasteful and excessive spending required (a) Implementation of report recommendations required With respect to each of fiscal years 2014 through 2020 and except as provided in subsection (b), not later than 4 years after the submission of a report regarding wasteful and excessive spending, or duplicative programs causing wasteful and excessive spending, by an inspector general of an agency (in this Act, referred to as the IG report), the head of the agency shall implement all of the recommendations in such report. (b) Exception The implementation requirement in subsection (a) shall not apply to a recommendation by an inspector general that would violate an existing law. With regard to any such recommendation, the head of the relevant agency shall submit to Congress a description of the necessary change to the law to legally implement the recommendation. (c) Report required (1) Initial report Not later than 6 months after the submission of an IG report, or 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, whichever is later, the head of the relevant agency shall submit to Congress a report on— (A) the progress of the implementation of each recommendation in the IG report; (B) the time period required to complete each such implementation; (C) the wasteful and excessive spending, and duplicative programs causing wasteful and excessive spending within each agency described in the IG report; (D) the savings created from the completion of implementing each recommendation; and (E) the reason each recommendation was not implemented before the submission of the IG report. (2) Subsequent reports Not later than 13 months, and yearly thereafter until an updated report is submitted for fiscal year 2020, after the submission of an IG report, the head of the relevant agency shall submit to Congress an updated report on the information described in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1). 3. Failure to implement recommendations (a) In general Any agency that fails to implement a recommendation from an IG report, that is not an exception under section 2(b), in a timely manner, may not obligate any funds available to such agency for— (1) convention or seminar attendance and international or domestic travel by any politically-appointed official; or (2) any bonus or salary increase, performance or otherwise, with respect to such an official. (b) Funds subject to obligation limitation On the date that is 60 days after the submission of a report pursuant to section 2(c) that shows that an agency has failed to implement a recommendation of an IG report in a timely manner, of the funds prohibited from being obligated pursuant to subsection (a) (if any)— (1) 50 percent shall be credited to the Highway Trust Fund established under section 9503(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to be made available without further appropriation; and (2) 50 percent shall be transferred to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for making capitalization grants for State water pollution control revolving funds under section 603 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1382), to be made available without further appropriation. (c) Timely manner defined In this section, the term timely manner means, as determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Comptroller General and the inspector general of the relevant agency, with regard to the implementation of a recommendation from an IG report, that is not an exception under section 2(b)— (1) 30 percent completion of such recommendation within the first year following the submission of the IG report; and (2) 70 percent completion of such recommendation within the second year following the submission of the IG report. 4. Use of savings Of the savings (if any) from the implementation of a recommendation from an IG report pursuant to this Act— (1) 50 percent shall be credited to the Highway Trust Fund established under section 9503(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, to be made available without further appropriation; and (2) 50 percent shall be transferred to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency for making capitalization grants for State water pollution control revolving funds under section 603 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1382), to be made available without further appropriation. 5. Definitions In this Act— (1) the term agency has the meaning given that term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code; and (2) the term politically-appointed official means any employee of the Federal Government who is— (A) not paid under the General Schedule (chapter 53 of title 5, United States Code); and (B) appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.