Government Accountability Office Act of 2008

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 5683) to make certain reforms with respect to the Government Accountability Office, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

The Speaker pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois?

Mr. Davis of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, once again, we come to the House floor to consider and pass what, in my opinion, is a vitally important piece of legislation designed to ensure the continual effectiveness of the U.S. Congress. H.R. 5683, the Government Accountability Act of 2008, will allow the Government Accountability Office to regain its footing as a premier government agency that both promotes its employees as the best and the brightest, as well as treats them as such.

On April 2, after a 2-year investigation and several subcommittee hearings, I introduced H.R. 5683, which would restore the 2006 and 2007 annual across-the-board increase to GAO employees who met expectations but did not receive the adjustment.

In summary, the legislation sets a ``floor guarantee'' that would preserve GAO's performance-based compensation system, while ensuring that GAO employees receive an annual increase in their permanent pay, provided they meet expectations, that is at least equal to the congressionally approved across-the-board increase. The floor guarantee will be comprised of the annual adjustment to the GAO pay schedule plus the permanent merit pay increase received by an employee under GAO's merit pay system.

Other provisions in the bill include creating a statutory Inspector General for GAO, permitting the Comptroller General greater flexibility to administer oaths to witnesses when auditing and settling accounts, enabling the CG to expenditures for meals and other expenses in connection with recruitment, and eliminates the statutorily employed GS-15 pay cap to allow the Comptroller General the authority to pay employees up to the rate for Executive Level III.

After consideration by our colleagues in the Senate, H.R. 5683 returns to us in the House amended and, in some respects, strengthened by the inclusion of language requiring the Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service, or any other Federal agency that the GAO elects to audit, to reimburse the GAO for the cost of performing such audits during fiscal year 2007. The most recent iteration of the bill also makes sure that GAO would be reimbursed by an agency that asks to be audited and elects to pay for the audit.

While the bill represents a significant step forward, the subcommittee and many Members of the House still recognize that more work needs to be done at GAO. Nevertheless, H.R. 5683 will help improve the morale at GAO and remedy the inequities that resulted from the denial of the 2006 and 2007 across-the-board adjustments.

Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will once again join GAO and the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers and support the passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for his support of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 5683.

Source