5 U.S.C. § 420: Information on websites of…

Summary

Federal agencies and designated federal entities must put an obvious, easy-to-use link on their website homepages to their Office of Inspector General (OIG) website. Each OIG must post any final audit, inspection, or evaluation report to its website within 3 days after giving the final report to the agency head. Posted reports must be easy to find from the OIG homepage, include a short summary of the findings, and be searchable, downloadable, and easy to print. Each OIG must also have a clear homepage link for people to report fraud, waste, or abuse. Reporters do not have to give personal identifying information. OIGs must not reveal a reporter’s identity without the reporter’s consent unless it is unavoidable during an investigation. OIGs may not post information that other laws forbid them to share. The terms “designated Federal entity” and “head of the designated Federal entity” are defined in section 415(a).

Title 5, §420

Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Direct Links to Inspectors General Offices.—

(1)In general.—

Each Federal agency and designated Federal entity shall establish and maintain on the homepage of the website of that Federal agency or designated Federal entity, a direct link to the website of the Office of the Inspector General of that Federal agency or designated Federal entity.

(2)Accessibility.—

The direct link under paragraph (1) shall be obvious and facilitate accessibility to the website of the Office of the Inspector General.

(b)Requirements for Inspectors General Websites.—

(1)Posting of reports and audits.—

The Inspector General of each Federal agency and designated Federal entity shall—

(A)not later than 3 days after any audit report, inspection report, or evaluation report (or portion of any such report) is submitted in final form to the head of the Federal agency or the head of the designated Federal entity, as applicable, post that report (or portion of that report) on the website of the Office of Inspector General; and

(B)ensure that any posted report (or portion of that report) described under subparagraph (A)—

(i)is easily accessible from a direct link on the homepage of the website of the Office of the Inspector General;

(ii)includes a summary of the findings of the Inspector General; and

(iii)is in a format that—

(I)is searchable and downloadable; and

(II)facilitates printing by individuals of the public accessing the website.

(2)Reporting of fraud, waste, and abuse.—

(A)In general.—

The Inspector General of each Federal agency and designated Federal entity shall establish and maintain a direct link on the homepage of the website of the Office of the Inspector General for individuals to report fraud, waste, and abuse. Individuals reporting fraud, waste, or abuse using the direct link established under this paragraph shall not be required to provide personally identifying information relating to that individual.

(B)Anonymity.—

The Inspector General of each Federal agency and designated Federal entity shall not disclose the identity of any individual making a report under this paragraph without the consent of the individual unless the Inspector General determines that such a disclosure is unavoidable during the course of the investigation.

(3)Rule of construction.—

Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as authorizing an Inspector General to publicly disclose information otherwise prohibited from disclosure by law.

(c)Definitions.—

In this section, the terms “designated Federal entity” and “head of the designated Federal entity” have the meanings given those terms in section 415(a) of this title.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 4205 U.S.C. App. (IGA § 8M)Pub. L. 95–452, § 8M, formerly § 8L, as added Pub. L. 110–409, § 13(a), Oct. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 4315; renumbered § 8M, Pub. L. 112–239, div. A, title VIII, § 848(1), Jan. 2, 2013, 126 Stat. 1851; amended Pub. L. 114–317, §§ 4(e), 7(b)(1)(A), (c), Dec. 16, 2016, 130 Stat. 1602, 1605, 1606.

§420 Information on Websites of Offices of Inspectors General

Summary

Title 5, §420

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Citations & Metadata