The House has passed the Government Accountability Office Improvement Act, HR-2646, to expand GAO’s legal authority to access records.
Sponsored by Oversight and Government Reform Committee chair, Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., the bill gives the Comptroller General the option to litigate if GAO determines a government entity is withholding information or documents.
The bill – a response to Walker v. Cheney, which concerned GAO’s ability to access Bush administration energy task force records – also clarifies GAO’s authority to administer oaths.