Title 2The CongressRelease 119-73

§4721 Referral of ethics violations by Senate Ethics Committee to Government Accountability Office for investigation

Title 2 › Chapter CHAPTER 47— - CONGRESSIONAL ETHICS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - SENATE › § 4721

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the Senate Ethics Committee thinks there is reason to believe a Senator, officer, or employee broke ethics rules, it can ask the GAO’s Office of Special Investigations to look into it, and that office must investigate promptly.

Full Legal Text

Title 2, §4721

The Congress — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

If the Committee on Ethics of the Senate determines that there is a reasonable basis to believe that a Member, officer, or employee of the Senate may have committed an ethics violation, the committee may request the Office of Special Investigations of the Government Accountability Office to conduct factfinding and an investigation into the matter. The Office of Special Investigations shall promptly investigate the matter as directed by the committee.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was formerly classified to section 72a–1g of this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Amendments

2004—Pub. L. 108–271 substituted “Government Accountability Office” for “General Accounting Office” in section catchline and text.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

2 U.S.C. § 4721

Title 2The Congress

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73