31 U.S.C. § 721 — Access to certain information

Page 93 TITLE 31—MONEY AND FINANCE § 731 Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2019—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 115–414, § 3(1), substituted ‘‘181st’’ for ‘‘61st’’. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 115–414, § 3(2), substituted ‘‘180’’ for ‘‘60’’. 2017—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 115–3, § 2(b)(1), inserted ‘‘or planned’’ after ‘‘action taken’’ in introductory provi- sions. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 115–3, § 2(b)(2), added par. (1) and struck out former par. (1) which read as follows: ‘‘the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Government Operations of the House of Representatives before the 61st day after the date of the report; and’’. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries CHANGE OF NAME Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Sixteenth Con- gress, Jan. 9, 2019. Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Accountability of House of Representa- tives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eight- eenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023. § 721. Access to certain information (a) No provision of the Social Security Act, in- cluding section 453(l) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 653(l)), shall be construed to limit, amend, or su- persede the authority of the Comptroller Gen- eral to obtain any information or to inspect any record under section 716 of this title. (b) The specific reference to a statute in sub- section (a) shall not be construed to affect ac- cess by the Government Accountability Office to information under statutes that are not so ref- erenced. (Added Pub. L. 115–3, § 2(a), Jan. 31, 2017, 131 Stat. 7.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT The Social Security Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is act Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, 49 Stat. 620, which is classified generally to chapter 7 (§ 301 et seq.) of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1305 of Title 42 and Tables. SUBCHAPTER III—PERSONNEL § 731. General (a) The Comptroller General may appoint, pay, assign, and remove officers (except the Deputy Comptroller General) and employees the Comp- troller General decides are necessary to carry out the duties and powers of the Government Accountability Office. (b) The Comptroller General may establish for appropriate officers and employees a merit pay system consistent with section 5401 of title 5, as in effect on October 31, 1993. (c) The annual rate of basic pay of the General Counsel of the Government Accountability Of- fice is equal to the rate for level IV of the Exec- utive Schedule. [(d) Repealed. Pub. L. 110–323, § 9(a)(1), Sept. 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 3548.] (e) The Comptroller General may procure the services of experts and consultants under sec- tion 3109 of title 5 at rates not in excess of the daily rate for level IV of the Executive Sched- ule, except that the services of not more than 20 experts and consultants may be procured for terms of not more than 3 years, but which shall be renewable. (f) The Comptroller General shall prescribe regulations under which officers and employees of the Office may, in appropriate circumstances, be reimbursed for any relocation expenses under subchapter II of chapter 57 of title 5 for which they would not otherwise be eligible, but only if the Comptroller General determines that the transfer giving rise to such relocation is of suffi- cient benefit or value to the Office to justify such reimbursement. (g) The Comptroller General shall prescribe regulations under which key officers and em- ployees of the Office who have less than 3 years of service may accrue leave in accordance with section 6303(a)(2) of title 5, in those cir- cumstances in which the Comptroller General has determined such increased annual leave is appropriate for the recruitment or retention of such officers and employees. Such regulations shall define key officers and employees and set forth the factors in determining which officers and employees should be allowed to accrue leave in accordance with this subsection. (h) The Comptroller General may by regula- tion establish an executive exchange program under which officers and employees of the Office may be assigned to private sector organizations, and employees of private sector organizations may be assigned to the Office, to further the in- stitutional interests of the Office or Congress, including for the purpose of providing training to officers and employees of the Office. Regula- tions to carry out any such program— (1) shall include provisions (consistent with sections 3702 through 3704 of title 5) as to mat- ters concerning— (A) the duration and termination of as- signments; (B) reimbursements; and (C) status, entitlements, benefits, and obli- gations of program participants; (2) shall limit— (A) the number of officers and employees who are assigned to private sector organiza- tions at any one time to not more than 15; and (B) the number of employees from private sector organizations who are assigned to the Office at any one time to not more than 30; (3) shall require that an employee of a pri- vate sector organization assigned to the Office may not have access to any trade secrets or to any other nonpublic information which is of commercial value to the private sector organi- zation from which such employee is assigned; (4) shall require that, before approving the assignment of an officer or employee to a pri- vate sector organization, the Comptroller Gen- eral shall determine that the assignment is an effective use of the Office’s funds, taking into account the best interests of the Office and the costs and benefits of alternative methods