Michael Horowitz, inspector general at the Justice Department, has said that IGs would not be able to meet the congressional deadline for the first reports in November due to a timing anomaly in the 2014 Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, Government Executive reported Thursday.
Charles S. Clark writes Horowitz, also chairman of the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, said in a December 2015 letter to House and Senate government oversight committees the DATA Act does not require government agencies to submit spending information until May 2017.
“As a result, inspectors general would be unable to report on the spending data submitted under the act, as this data will not exist until the following year,†Horowitz added.
Horowitz asked lawmakers to push back the deadline of the first IG reports to November 2017 in an effort to address the timing glitch in the DATA Act, which seeks to require agencies to make their spending data available to the public, Clark reports.
The council also urged IGs to carry out readiness reviews ahead of the proposed November 2017 deadline, according to the letter.
The report also noted that the Government Accountability Office plans to release an updated report on the law’s implementation in November.
