Congressman introduces bill to strengthen accountability

U.S. Reps. Ted W. Lieu (D-Torrance) has coauthored bipartisan legislation to increase transparency and accountability in the federal government. The Oversight.gov Authorization Act would formally authorize the establishment and maintenance of a website to help the public more easily access reports that have been generated by the independent work of Inspectors General. Lieu was joined by U.S. Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA), along with Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), in introducing the legislation.

"Our bill will allow for crucial improvements to be made to Oversight.gov, a central online location for all federal inspectors general to publish their reports," Lieu said. "[Inspectors general] are critical to rooting out waste, fraud and abuse in our government, and this website will make their findings more accessible to the American people. I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan bill to increase transparency in the [inspector general] community."

"The inspector general community is on the frontlines in combatting waste, fraud and abuse across federal agencies on behalf of the American taxpayer," Hice added. "The Oversight.gov Authorization Act is an important step in promoting and protecting the work of inspectors general, enabling the public to view firsthand the need for greater accountability and transparency in our government."

In 2017, the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, an independent government entity that oversees the offices of inspectors general, launched Oversight.gov to house public reports and data issued by inspectors general to improve government transparency. The bipartisan Oversight.gov Authorization Act would formally authorize the establishment and maintenance of the website to help improve the public's access to reports and other material, as well as help whistleblowers report waste, fraud and abuse.

Additionally, the bill would improve accountability over funds related to COVID-19 federal spending and the work of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee by bolstering the webpage dedicated to housing that information, as mandated under the CARES Act.