A new bill has been approved by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to give inspectors general more subpoena power. Currently, “federal employees who choose to retire rather than face internal punishment” cannot be compelled to give testimony. This has limited the ability of the OIG to fully investigate employees if they are no longer employed by the agency.

The new legislation proposes given inspectors general “the power to subpoena former federal employees and contractors to testify in cases of fraud or waste of more that $100,000, or when criminal activity is suspected.” To prevent IGs from abusing the power, approval is needed from the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. The attorney general would also be able to block the request if it was found to interfere with an ongoing investigation.

Read more at Federal News Radio