BEACON Act
The BEACON Act would create the first Inspector General (IG) for the Executive Office of the President (EOP) by amending the Inspector General Act of 1978. The new Office of the Inspector General for the EOP would be established within the President’s own staff and would be appointed by the President within 120 days of enactment. The bill gives the EOP IG authority to audit, investigate, and issue subpoenas related to the EOP, but with specific protections for highly sensitive information (such as confidential sources, intelligence matters, and undercover operations) that would place certain oversight actions under the President’s direction. The act also adds extensive reporting requirements, mandates oversight audits by the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE) with annual findings, and includes a program to evaluate over-classification practices to reduce mislabeling of information. Overall, the BEACON Act aims to boost executive accountability and oversight of the EOP, while balancing secrecy interests with new transparency requirements.
Key Points
- 1Establishes an Office of the Inspector General for the Executive Office of the President by modifying the Inspector General Act of 1978 and designating the EOP as an agency subject to IG oversight; the President must appoint the IG within 120 days.
- 2Special authority and limits on oversight: For audits, investigations, and subpoenas that involve sensitive information (confidential sources, intelligence/counterintelligence matters, or undercover operations), the President may direct the IG to halt action to protect that information. The President must notify the IG within 30 days of such a direction, and Congress within 30 days of that notification.
- 3Expanded semiannual reporting: The EOP IG must include additional items in its semiannual reports (e.g., descriptions of corrective actions taken, a certification that the IG has access to relevant information, and any audits hindered by presidential actions). The IG must submit semiannual reports to the President by April 30 and October 31 each year, and then transmit copies to specified congressional committees within 30 days of submission to the President.
- 4Oversight and accountability mechanisms: The act requires an annual audit of the EOP IG by the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), with a follow-up report to Congress on findings. The IG must also coordinate with other IGs and ISOO (Information Security Oversight Office) for consistency in methodology.
- 5Over-classification evaluation: The IG, in coordination with ISOO, must conduct two evaluations to assess classification policies and identify misclassification risks within the EOP. One evaluation is due within a year of enactment, and the second within a year after the first. Reports on these evaluations must be provided to Congress, the President, and ISOO, detailing identified issues and recommendations.