S. 1707, a bill to amend the Inspector General Act of 1978. Introduced by Senator Thompson, the bill would elevate the Office of the Inspector General for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) from an agency-appointed to presidentially-appointed position. It also improves the training and investigative facilities for the IG community. The bill was reported by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on November 8, 1999 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent on November 19, 1999. It is pending in the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee. Representative John Duncan (R-TN) has introduced similar legislation in the House.

Legislative History

On May 26, 1999, the TVA Inspector General sent a `seven day letter' to the Chairman of the TVA Board alleging that the TVA Board had attempted to `impede the independence' of his office. On June 2, 1999, the Chairman of the TVA Board attached allegations against the TVA Inspector General and forwarded the letter to Congress. That same day, Senator Thompson, Chairman of the Governmental Affairs Committee, requested an independent investigation of all the allegations by the General Accounting Office (GAO). On September 15, 1999, GAO issued a report which stated in part that the Board's `actions could be viewed as an attempt to undermine the IG's independence.

S. 1707 is cosponsored by the following Senators: