Legislative Developments

The House Appropriations Committee has recommended that GAO concentrate on those studies and investigations which are directly related to reducing waste and inefficiency in the Federal Government. It may be necessary for Congress to review the responsibilities of GAO in the near future to ensure that: (1) it is operating efficiently, (2) it is not overburdened by Congress with unnecessary responsibilities, and (3) it is fully capable of concentrating on those areas which are most likely to uncover waste and help assure the proper use of tax dollars. The Committee suggested that the review include an analysis of the GAO workload to learn the extent to which it is aimed at preventing fraud and waste as opposed to studies which may have more or less academic or historic interest. A proposed Federal Managers' Accountability Act requires that internal controls be established in each executive agency to conform to standards set by the Comptroller General. The Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Comptroller General, will prepare the evaluation guidelines for use by agencies in determining whether their systems are in compliance with GAO standards. A proposed Debt Collection Act requires each inspector general to conduct a review in accordance with GAO standards on each program for which there is more than $100 million in debt outstanding at the end of a fiscal year. In support of a proposed Federal Pay Comparability Reform Act, GAO has suggested that improvements are needed in the Federal pay system to achieve a more reasonable comparability with the non-Federal sector.