The INSPECT Act would create three new inspectors general (IGs) for major health agencies: the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By amending the Inspector General framework (5 U.S.C. § 401), the bill adds these agencies to the list of offices that have IGs and requires the President to appoint an IG for each agency within one year of enactment, using the standard IG appointment process. Importantly, the bill directs that these new IG offices be funded within existing resources—no new appropriations would be authorized, with funding to come from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under a CUTGO (budget-cut/constraint) rule. The overall aim is to strengthen internal oversight, accountability, and integrity within NIH, CDC, and FDA.
Key Points
- 1Short title: The act may be cited as the “Improving National Safety, Public health, Ethics, and Clinical Trials Act” or the “INSPECT Act.”
- 2Establishment of IGs: Amends 5 U.S.C. § 401 to add the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration to the list of agencies that have Inspectors General.
- 3Appointment timeline: Within one year after enactment, the President must appoint an IG for NIH, an IG for CDC, and an IG for FDA, following the standard IG appointment process in 5 U.S.C. § 403(a).
- 4Funding approach: The act requires implementation using amounts already appropriated to the HHS OIG; no new appropriations are authorized for the INSPECT Act or the amended offices (CUTGO requirement).
- 5Scope of oversight (as with IGs generally): While not exhaustively listed in the text, IGs are typically responsible for audits, investigations, and evaluations to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and to promote program integrity within their respective agencies.