S-4036, would establish a Government Spending Oversight Committee as a follow-on to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee. Image: Katherine Welles/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffBipartisan bills have been offered in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs designed to strengthen oversight of agency spending and to modernize agency record-keeping practices.
The former, S-4036, would establish a Government Spending Oversight Committee as a follow-on to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee created in 2020 to oversee spending under pandemic relief laws. That interagency committee of IG offices “has helped to uncover an estimated $1.95 billion in fraud loss, a significant return on investment” but is scheduled to sunset September 30, 2025, sponsors said.
The bill would authorize the new body to coordinate with IGs “to support investigations, reviews and audits, including through data analytic tools, enhanced data-sharing, and improved data management practices,” they said.
The bill on record-keeping (S-4042) would “strengthen requirements for preserving records and create greater accountability for mismanagement of federal agency records,” sponsors said. “The bill also makes critical updates to account for commonly used electronic communications, including disappearing messaging apps, and takes steps to ensure that federal agencies are utilizing emerging technology to manage their records more efficiently.”
The bill also would “ensure that the National Archives and Records Administration is better equipped to handle the rapid proliferation of electronic records and hold those who mismanage government records accountable.” It would require NARA to refer repeated violations of records laws to the Department of Justice and report them to Congress; and require agencies to take additional steps to increase employee compliance with record-keeping policies.
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