{ "id": "R45450", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R45450", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com", "versions": [ { "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R45450", "date": "2023-11-13", "id": "R45450_11_2023-11-13", "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "title": "Statutory Inspectors General in the Federal Government: A Primer", "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "sha1": "6187cf727e32707a538c8c50b89051dbc86914e9", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45450/11", "filename": "files/2023-11-13_R45450_6187cf727e32707a538c8c50b89051dbc86914e9.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2023-11-13_R45450_6187cf727e32707a538c8c50b89051dbc86914e9.html" } ], "active": true, "retrieved": "2023-11-27T04:03:21.877475", "typeId": "R", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R45450", "date": "2023-02-08", "id": "R45450_10_2023-02-08", "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "title": "Statutory Inspectors General in the Federal Government: A Primer", "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "sha1": "788906a571b90ef13d836bb66716274d30922764", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45450/10", "filename": "files/2023-02-08_R45450_788906a571b90ef13d836bb66716274d30922764.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2023-02-08_R45450_788906a571b90ef13d836bb66716274d30922764.html" } ], "active": true, "retrieved": "2023-11-27T04:03:21.876876", "typeId": "R", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R45450", "date": "2022-05-12", "id": "R45450_6_2022-05-12", "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "title": "Statutory Inspectors General in the Federal Government: A Primer", "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "sha1": "8f4e8cb711744ad146940fc0f26cff973234736c", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R45450/6", "filename": "files/2022-05-12_R45450_8f4e8cb711744ad146940fc0f26cff973234736c.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2022-05-12_R45450_8f4e8cb711744ad146940fc0f26cff973234736c.html" } ], "active": true, "retrieved": "2023-11-27T04:03:21.875051", "typeId": "R", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 589447, "date": "2019-01-03", "retrieved": "2019-01-09T23:10:31.132955", "title": "Statutory Inspectors General in the Federal Government: A Primer", "summary": "This report provides an overview of statutory inspectors general (IGs) in the federal government, including their structure, functions, and related issues for Congress. \nReport Roadmap\nEstablishment of Statutory IGs. History and evolution of the Inspector General Act of 1978. \nStructure of the IG Community. Different types of IGs and their distribution across the government.\nTypes of IG Reviews. Differences among an IG audit, inspection or evaluation, and investigation.\nIG Statutory Authorities and Requirements. Comparison of selected authorities and requirements across different IG types.\nCoordination and Oversight of Statutory IGs. Overview of the structure and functions of the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) and other coordinative bodies.\nIssues for Congress. High-level overview of broad issues facing statutory IGs.\n\nStatutory IGs\u2014established by law rather than administrative directive\u2014are intended to be independent, nonpartisan officials who aim to prevent and detect waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. To execute their missions, IGs lead offices of inspector general (OIGs) that conduct various reviews of agency programs and operations\u2014including audits, investigations, inspections, and evaluations\u2014and provide findings and recommendations to improve them. IGs possess several authorities to carry out their respective missions, such as the ability to independently hire staff, access relevant agency records and information, and report findings and recommendations directly to Congress. \nA total of 74 statutory IGs currently operate across the federal government. Statutory IGs can be grouped into four types: (1) establishment, (2) designated federal entity (DFE), (3) other permanent, and (4) special. Establishment (33 of 74) and DFE (32) IGs are governed by the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, whereas other permanent (7) and special (2) IGs are governed by separate statutes. Statutory authorities and requirements can differ among the four IG types, resulting in varied levels of independence, transparency, and accountability.\n/\n\nStatutory IGs play a key role in government oversight, and Congress plays a key role in establishing the structures and authorities to enable that oversight. The structure and placement of IGs in government agencies allows OIG personnel to develop the expertise necessary to conduct in-depth assessments of agency programs. Further, IGs\u2019 dual reporting structure\u2014to both agency heads and Congress\u2014positions them to advise agencies on how to improve their programs and policies and to advise Congress on how to monitor and facilitate such improvement. Congress, therefore, may have an interest in ensuring that statutory IGs possess the resources and authorities necessary to fulfill their oversight roles.\nAs the federal government continues to evolve, so too does the role of IGs in government oversight. Agency programs and operations have increased in terms of breadth, complexity, and interconnectedness. Consequently, IGs may face increasing demand to complete statutorily mandated reviews of programs and operations that require (1) a broader focus on program performance and effectiveness in addition to waste, fraud, and abuse; (2) analysis of specialty or technical programs, possibly in emerging policy areas; and (3) use of more complex analytical methods and tools. Congress may wish to consider several options regarding IG structures, functions, and coordination as the role of IGs in government oversight evolves.\nIssues for Congress\nIndependence. Concept of IG independence, including what constitutes independence, whether IGs possess adequate levels of independence, and the appropriate balance between independence and agency needs.\nAppointment and Removal Method. Potential impact of appointment and removal on IG independence and effectiveness, both directly (whether a particular method provides more independence) and indirectly (IG vacancies and independence of acting IGs).\nAudit Follow-Up and Oversight of IG Recommendations. Tracking and resolving open IG recommendations and enhancing audit follow-up procedures.\nWorkforce Composition and Skills. Evolution of skill sets held by OIG personnel and further diversifying the mix of skills beyond auditing and investigations to include specialty areas (such as cybersecurity and information technology).\nIG Effectiveness. IG analytical focus on program outputs versus program outcomes and potential impact on IG effectiveness.\nCIGIE Structure and Functions. Potential changes to CIGIE\u2019s structure and operations to enhance coordination and oversight of the IG community, such as enhancing the peer review process, tracking and refining statutory reporting requirements, bolstering data analysis capabilities, and exploring resource sharing opportunities across the IG community.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R45450", "sha1": "ca549c367da5f135121758fd25ce58ddc76b4598", "filename": "files/20190103_R45450_ca549c367da5f135121758fd25ce58ddc76b4598.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45450_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190103_R45450_images_f5cc7225cbf3a7369d72131f9e5952d7aabbd9ae.png", "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R45450_files&id=/1.png": "files/20190103_R45450_images_be660c6b2dd8e6c5ef396e277def14a41ed7bc04.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R45450", "sha1": "b79ea6a64860e857714e961814cc0c206ad135ef", "filename": "files/20190103_R45450_b79ea6a64860e857714e961814cc0c206ad135ef.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4860, "name": "Oversight" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Economic Policy", "Foreign Affairs", "National Defense" ] }