Legislative and Regulatory Review, Congressional and Media Inquiries, and CIGIE Participation
Legislative and Regulatory Review
The Legal Services program serves as the independent legal counsel to the IG and the OIG staff. Legal Services staff members provide comprehensive legal advice, research, counseling, analysis, and representation in support of OIG audits, investigations, inspections, evaluations, and other professional, management, and administrative functions. Moreover, Legal Services keeps the IG and the OIG staff aware of recent legal developments that may affect the activities of the OIG, the Board, and the CFPB.
In accordance with section 4(a)(2) of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, Legal Services staff members conduct an independent review of newly enacted and proposed legislation and regulations to determine their potential effect on the economy and efficiency of the Board’s and the CFPB’s programs and operations. During this reporting period, Legal Services reviewed 36 legislative and 7 regulatory items.
Congressional and Media Inquiries
The OIG communicates and coordinates with various congressional committees on issues of mutual interest. During the reporting period, we provided 45 responses to inquiries from congressional members and staff concerning the Board and the CFPB. Additionally, the OIG responded to 17 media inquiries and conducted 3 outreach meetings with the media.
CIGIE Participation
The IG is a member of CIGIE, which provides a forum for IGs from various government agencies to discuss governmentwide issues and shared concerns. Collectively, the members of CIGIE work toward improving government programs and operations. The IG also serves as a member of CIGIE’s Legislation Committee and Investigations Committee and leads the Information Technology Subcommittee of the Legislation Committee. The Legislation Committee is the central point of information regarding legislative initiatives and congressional activities that may affect the community. The Investigations Committee advises the IG community on issues involving criminal investigations, criminal investigations personnel, and criminal investigative guidelines.
The Associate Inspector General for Legal Services serves as the Chair of CIGIE’s Council of Counsels to the Inspector General, and Legal Services staff attorneys are members of the council. In addition, the Associate Inspector General for Information Technology, as the Chair of the Information Technology Committee of the Federal Audit Executive Council, works with IT audit staff throughout the IG community and reports to the CIGIE Audit and Information Technology Committees on common IT audit issues.
