This report provides a brief analysis of selected "general oversight provisions" in the House- and Senate-passed versions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, H.R. The analysis is included in a side-by-side discussion of similar provisions in each bill. For purposes of this report, the term "general oversight provision" means an oversight-related provision that addresses multiple agencies or programs. Therefore, oversight-related provisions that are specific to a single program or appropriation, such as appropriations set-asides, are excluded from the report's scope. Among these in the present context is the question of how to balance speed with prudence. More general challenges in formulating a response to a crisis include how to reconcile values of transparency, accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. Longer-term issues include questions of how to build the capacity of federal agencies, Congress, and the President to better respond to crises. In addition, and arguably no less significant, questions arise of how to anticipate and avoid preventable crises. Oversight Systems and Objectives

The federal government might be viewed as a system of "nested" oversight, with multiple entities engaging in simultaneous oversight activity. Congress oversees the President and agencies, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), an entity within the Executive Office of the President. Inspectors general and congressional support agencies such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provide assistance to Congress, agencies, and the President with oversight. In turn, within the executive branch, OMB has a statutory responsibility to provide management leadership for many agencies, including monitoring and oversight of their activities. Agencies oversee their own activities through organizational and procedural arrangements, often as Congress has mandated via statute. Throughout, tools such as monitoring, analysis, and evaluation may be utilized. In developing an overall oversight framework, there also are multiple perspectives on the potential objectives of oversight. These include the following:
compliance with applicable laws and regulations (e.g., adherence to legal requirements and avoidance of fraud); implementation that is faithful with congressional intent, when an agency or the President exercises discretion; avoidance of mismanagement (e.g., adherence to sound management practices); avoidance of undesired bias in funding allocations and policy execution (e.g., fair allocation of resources and fair implementation of policy, with intended equity); effectiveness of funded activities (e.g., achievement of programmatic missions and purposes); and efficiency of funded activities (e.g., minimization of avoidable "waste" and unnecessary redundancy).
This report provides a brief analysis of selected "general oversight provisions" in the House- and Senate-passed versions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, H.R. 1, 111th Congress). The analysis is included in a side-by-side discussion of similar provisions in each bill.
For purposes of this report, the term "general oversight provision" means an oversight-related provision that addresses multiple agencies or programs. Therefore, oversight-related provisions that are specific to a single program or appropriation, such as appropriations set-asides, are excluded from the report's scope. General oversight provisions in the House- and Senate-passed bills provide for, among other things, an oversight board composed of executive branch officials, several reporting requirements, and increased resources for agency inspectors general (IGs).
In the context of crises, several oversight issues may arise. In the short term, these include questions of how to balance speed with prudence, and more general challenges of how to reconcile values of transparency, accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, and equity. Longer-term issues include questions of how to build the capacity of federal agencies, Congress, and the President to better respond to crises. In addition, and arguably no less significant, questions arise of how to anticipate and avoid preventable crises.
The federal government might be viewed as a system of "nested" oversight, with multiple entities engaging in simultaneous oversight activity. Congress oversees the President and agencies, for example, including the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Inspectors general and congressional support agencies such as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) provide assistance to Congress, agencies, and the President with oversight. In turn, within the executive branch, OMB has a statutory responsibility to provide management leadership for many agencies and oversees their activities. Agencies oversee their own activities through organizational and procedural arrangements. Throughout, tools such as monitoring, analysis, and evaluation may be utilized.
In developing an overall oversight framework, there also are multiple perspectives on the potential objectives of oversight. These include compliance with applicable laws and regulations (e.g., adherence to legal requirements and avoidance of fraud); implementation that is faithful with congressional intent, when an agency or the President exercises discretion; avoidance of mismanagement (e.g., adherence to sound management practices); avoidance of undesired bias in funding allocations (e.g., fair allocation of resources and implementation of authorities, with intended equity); effectiveness of funded activities (e.g., achievement of programmatic missions and purposes); and efficiency of funded activities (e.g., minimization of avoidable "waste" and unnecessary redundancy).
This report will be updated as events warrant.