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Summary

In response to a July 20, 2015 opinion issued by the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel, the Department of Transportation Inspector General joined the OIG community in writing to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in support of unfettered IG access to agency information. Specifically, the letter urges Congress to pass legislation: (1) affirming the authority of Inspectors General, under section 6(a) of the IG Act, to access, independently and without delay, all information and data in an agency’s possession that the Inspector General deems necessary to conduct its oversight functions; and (2) clarifying that no law or provision restricting access to information applies to Inspectors General unless that law or provision expressly so states, and that such unrestricted IG access extends to all records available to the agency, regardless of location or form.