Comer Applauds House Passage of Bills to Improve Government Efficiency, Transparency, and Security

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today applauded the House of Representatives’ passage of five bills aimed at enhancing efficiency, transparency, accountability, and security across the federal government. These bills previously passed out of the Oversight Committee, receiving broad bipartisan support.

“The House of Representatives has advanced several bipartisan bills to make the federal government more efficient and effective for the American people. These bills provide better stewardship of American taxpayers’ money by modernizing, streamlining, and securing government operations and projects. They also deliver more transparency and accountability, both of which the American people demand and deserve from the federal government. The House Oversight Committee will continue to advance solutions to ensure Americans’ investment in their government is spent effectively, efficiently, and transparently,” said Chairman Comer.

Below are the bills passed by the House of Representatives this week:

Federal Acquisition Security Council Improvement Act of 2024 (H.R. 9597): This bill – introduced by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, Ranking Member Jamie Raskin, Select Committee on the CCP Chairman John Moolenar, and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi – improves the Federal Acquisition Security Council’s ability to protect the federal supply chain from nefarious entities owned or controlled by a foreign adversary by excluding such entities from procurement processes or removing them from federal information systems.  

Federal Register Modernization Act (H.R. 9592): This bill – introduced by Representatives Clay Higgins and Gerry Connolly – saves taxpayers money and improves government efficiency by authorizing the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to stop wasting paper and instead publish the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations online. The bill also streamlines the process for federal agencies to transmit official documents to the National Archives and provides necessary safeguards so that backup physical copies are properly stored and alternate publication systems can be established in cases of a continuity of government national crises.

Value Over Cost Act (H.R. 9596): This bill – introduced by Representatives Byron Donalds and Jared Moskowitz – provides the federal government with increased contractual flexibility by reducing regulatory burdens and promoting the use of alternate factors outside of lowest price which can lead to a greater return on investment for the taxpayer.

Eliminate Useless Reports Act (H.R. 5301): This bill – introduced by Representatives Robert Garcia and Glenn Grothman – increases government efficiency and saves taxpayer dollars by eliminating unnecessary reports. Specifically, the bill requires each agency to identify and reduce the frequency of duplicative or outdated reports in its regular budget justification documents. It provides a clear and comprehensive mechanism for the regular review of outdated or duplicative reports.

GAO Inspector General Parity Act (S. 1510): This legislation provides the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Inspector General the independence it needs by applying reforms recently placed on all inspectors general. Those reforms include requiring the head of GAO to notify the Congress if the GAO Inspector General is to be removed or transferred, providing Congress the knowledge it needs to weigh in on such decisions, if necessary. The bill also provides a pass-through budget for the Office of the Inspector General, providing an additional layer of independence for the IG from the agency it oversees. Finally, the bill requires the GAO Inspector General to have its own legal counsel, separate from GAO, thus ensuring proper independence.