§1326 — Title 49 Transportation | U.S. Code

Summary

The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General can review the Surface Transportation Board’s money handling, property, and business operations to check if the Board is following federal laws, rules, and its own accounting and control systems. The Inspector General must keep the Board’s Chairman and the Senate and House transportation committees fully updated about problems, give recommendations for fixes, and send regular reports on progress. The Inspector General may use other Inspector General powers under federal law. Money to pay for these reviews can be provided to the Secretary of Transportation for the Inspector General. If no funds are provided, the Inspector General and the Board must agree to reimburse the costs.

Title 49, §1326

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)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 management, property management, and business operations of the Surface Transportation Board, including internal accounting and administrative control systems, to determine the Board’s compliance with applicable Federal laws, rules, and regulations.

(b)In carrying out this section, the Inspector General shall—

(1)keep the Chairman of the Board, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives fully and currently informed about problems relating to administration of the internal accounting and administrative control systems of the Board;

(2)issue findings and recommendations for actions to address the problems referred to in paragraph (1); and

(3)submit periodic reports to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives that describe any progress made in implementing actions to address the problems referred to in paragraph (1).

(c)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)(1)There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation for use by the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation such sums as may be necessary to cover expenses associated with activities pursuant to the authority exercised under this section.

(2)In the absence of an appropriation under this subsection for an expense referred to in paragraph (1), the Inspector General and the Board shall have a reimbursement agreement to cover such expense.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2022—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted “subsections (a) and (c) of section 406 of title 5.” for “subsections (a) and (b) of section 6 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.).”

§1326 Authority of the Inspector General

Summary

Title 49, §1326

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Citations & Metadata