anonymous
2009-06-12 19:38:53 UTC
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090612/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_national_service_inspector_general_12
An inspector general fired by President Barack Obama says he acted "with the highest integrity" in investigating AmeriCorps and other government-funded national service programs.
Gerald Walpin's job was to review grants awarded by AmeriCorps and its parent agency, the Corporation for National and Community Service. He told The Associated Press he has no doubt he acted properly in investigating Sacramento mayor and former NBA star Kevin Johnson.
Obama told Congress on Thursday he had lost confidence in Walpin.
As a result of Walpin's investigation, Johnson and the nonprofit St. HOPE Academy that he headed were ordered to repay about half of nearly $847,000 in federal grants they had received from AmeriCorps. Johnson is a political supporter of Obama.
http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=PressReleases.View&PressRelease_id=4bf66e42-feac-43ee-a924-767b09425347&Affiliation=C
Specifically, the legislation will require that:
- Congress is notified of any proposed removal of an IG, along with the reasons for the removal, in writing with 30-days notice.
- All IGs must receive their own legal counsel or have access to the services of legal counsel of another Inspector General. This will allow them to avoid using agency counsels.
- A Council on Integrity and Efficiency for Inspectors General must be established. Within the Council, an Integrity Committee must be created to receive, review, and refer for investigation allegations of wrongdoing that are made against Inspectors General or certain other staff members.
- All IG websites are directly accessible from the home page of agency web sites. All IG reports must be posted on agency websites within 3 working days of their release.
- The president’s budget submission must state how much money is being requested for each IG office, as well as the funding level the IG requested for the office. This will allow Congress to identify whether agencies are trying to interfere with the work of an IG office by cutting funding.
- No IG may accept a bonus.
- Presidentially appointed IGs must be paid at Level III of the Executive Schedule, plus three percent, and other IGs must receive compensation comparable to other senior level executives in the department. This is aimed at preventing agencies from discouraging qualified candidates by lowering pay.
Senators Daniel Akaka (D-HI), Barack Obama (D-IL), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Tom Carper (D-DE) and Ted Stevens (R-AK) are co-sponsors of the legislation. Similar legislation introduced by Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN) in the House of Representatives received overwhelming bipartisan approval with a vote of 404-11.