49 U.S.C. § 1137 — Authority of the Inspector General

Page 174 TITLE 49—TRANSPORTATION § 1137 Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2000 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 106–181 applicable only to fis- cal years beginning after Sept. 30, 1999, see section 3 of Pub. L. 106–181, set out as a note under section 106 of this title. EFFECTIVE DATE Except as otherwise specifically provided, section ap- plicable only to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 1996, and not to be construed as affecting funds made available for a fiscal year ending before Oct. 1, 1996, see section 3 of Pub. L. 104–264, set out as an Effective Date of 1996 Amendment note under section 106 of this title. § 1137. Authority of the Inspector General (a) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of the Department of Transportation, in accordance with the mission of the Inspector General to prevent and detect fraud and abuse, shall have authority to review only the financial manage- ment, property management, and business oper- ations of the National Transportation Safety Board, including internal accounting and admin- istrative control systems, to determine compli- ance with applicable Federal laws, rules, and regulations. (b) DUTIES.—In carrying out this section, the Inspector General shall— (1) keep the Chairman of the Board and Con- gress fully and currently informed about prob- lems relating to administration of the internal accounting and administrative control sys- tems of the Board; (2) issue findings and recommendations for actions to address such problems; and (3) report periodically to Congress on any progress made in implementing actions to ad- dress such problems. (c) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—In carrying out this section, the Inspector General may exercise authorities granted to the Inspector General under subsections (a) and (c) of section 406 of title 5. (d) AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.— (1) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be ap- propriated to the Secretary of Transportation for use by the Inspector General of the Depart- ment of Transportation such sums as may be necessary to cover expenses associated with activities pursuant to the authority exercised under this section. (2) REIMBURSABLE AGREEMENT.—In the ab- sence of an appropriation under this sub- section for an expense referred to in paragraph (1), the Inspector General and the Board shall have a reimbursable agreement to cover such expense. (Added Pub. L. 106–424, § 12(a), Nov. 1, 2000, 114 Stat. 1887; amended Pub. L. 109–443, § 4, Dec. 21, 2006, 120 Stat. 3299; Pub. L. 117–286, § 4(b)(96), Dec. 27, 2022, 136 Stat. 4353.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted ‘‘sub- sections (a) and (c) of section 406 of title 5.’’ for ‘‘sub- sections (a) and (b) of section 6 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.).’’ 2006—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 109–443 amended heading and text of subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘The Inspector General shall be reimbursed by the Board for the costs associated with carrying out activities under this section.’’ § 1138. Evaluation and audit of National Trans- portation Safety Board (a) IN GENERAL.—To promote economy, effi- ciency, and effectiveness in the administration of the programs, operations, and activities of the National Transportation Safety Board, the Comptroller General of the United States shall evaluate and audit the programs and expendi- tures of the Board. Such evaluation and audit shall be conducted as determined necessary by the Comptroller General or the appropriate con- gressional committees. (b) RESPONSIBILITY OF COMPTROLLER GEN- ERAL.—The Comptroller General shall evaluate and audit Board programs, operations, and ac- tivities, including— (1) information management and security, including privacy protection of personally identifiable information; (2) resource management; (3) workforce development; (4) procurement and contracting planning, practices and policies; (5) the process and procedures to select an accident to investigate; (6) the extent to which the Board follows leading practices in selected management areas; and (7) the extent to which the Board addresses management challenges in completing acci- dent investigations. (c) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT- TEES.—For purposes of this section the term ‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com- mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives. (Added Pub. L. 109–443, § 5(a), Dec. 21, 2006, 120 Stat. 3299; amended Pub. L. 113–188, title XV, § 1502, Nov. 26, 2014, 128 Stat. 2025; Pub. L. 115–254, div. C, § 1110, Oct. 5, 2018, 132 Stat. 3435; Pub. L. 118–63, title XII, § 1221(a), May 16, 2024, 138 Stat. 1432.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2024—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 118–63 substituted ‘‘expendi- tures of the’’ for ‘‘expenditures of the National Trans- portation Safety’’. 2018—Subsec. (b)(5) to (7). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1110(1), added par. (5) and redesignated former pars. (5) and (6) as (6) and (7), respectively. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1110(2), inserted comma after ‘‘Science’’. 2014—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 113–188 struck out ‘‘at least annually, but may be conducted’’ after ‘‘Such evalua- tion and audit shall be conducted’’. § 1139. Assistance to passengers involved in rail passenger accidents and families of such pas- sengers (a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after being notified of a rail passenger accident with-