Statutory Offices of Inspector General: Establishment and Evolution

Publication Date: July 2003

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

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Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

Statutory offices of inspector general consolidate responsibility for auditing and investigations within a federal department, agency, or other organization. Established by public law as permanent, nonpartisan, independent offices, they now exist in nearly 60 federal establishments and entities, including all departments and the largest agencies as well as many boards, commissions, and governmental corporations. Under two major enactments--the Inspector General Act of 1978 and its amendments of 1988--the inspectors general (IGs) have been granted a substantial amount of independence and authority to carry out their basic mandate to combat waste, fraud, and abuse.1 Recent statutes, moreover, have added a separate Inspector General for Tax Administration in Treasury and one in the new Department of Homeland Security; codified Justice IG jurisdiction over the entire department; granted law enforcement powers to offices headed by presidential appointees; and created a Criminal Investigator Academy and an Inspector General Forensic Laboratory. This report will be updated as events require.