Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Inspectors General Independence Act of 2020”.
Inspectors General Independence Act of 2020
A BILL
To enhance the independence of Inspectors General, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Amendments to the Inspector General Act of 1978
Removal for cause— The Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended—
in section 3(b), by inserting after the first sentence the following: “An Inspector General may only be removed by the President before the expiration of the term of the Inspector General for permanent incapacity, inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or conviction of a felony or conduct involving moral turpitude.”; and
in section 8(G)(e), by adding at the end the following:
“(3) An Inspector General may only be removed by the head of a designated Federal entity before the expiration of the term of the Inspector General for permanent incapacity, inefficiency, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or conviction of a felony or conduct involving moral turpitude.”
Establishment of terms of office— The Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended—
in section 3, by adding at the end the following:
“(h)
“(1) The term of office of each Inspector General shall be 7 years. An individual may serve for more than 1 term in such office. Any individual appointed and confirmed to fill a vacancy in such position, occurring before the expiration of the term for which his or her predecessor was appointed, shall be appointed and confirmed for a full 7-year term.
“(2) An individual may continue to serve as Inspector General beyond the expiration of the term for which the individual is appointed until a successor is appointed and confirmed, except that such individual may not continue to serve for more than 1 year after the date on which the term would otherwise expire under paragraph (1).”
in section 8G(c)—
by inserting “(1)” after “(c)”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(2) The term of office of each Inspector General shall be 7 years. An individual may serve for more than 1 term in such office. Any individual appointed to fill a vacancy in such position, occurring before the expiration of the term for which his or her predecessor was appointed, shall be appointed for a full 7-year term.”
Application—
In general— The amendments made by this section shall apply to any Inspector General of an establishment or a designated Federal entity, as defined in sections 12 and 8G(a) of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.), respectively, appointed before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.
Term— The term of office of an Inspector General described in paragraph (1) serving on the date of enactment of this Act is deemed to begin on such date of enactment.