Panel votes to give inspectors general police powers

Some federal officials whose job is to uncover corruption and waste would get permanent police powers with authority to carry guns, make arrests and issue warrants under a bill approved Wednesday by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.

The bill would make permanent police powers that have been granted on a temporary basis to some of the criminal investigators assigned to 23 offices of inspectors general, the federal watchdog agencies headed by individuals appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

Under the bill by committee Chairman Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., the law enforcement authority of the inspectors general would fall under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney General.

The bill was approved by voice vote.

The Governmental Affairs Committee also approved a bill to study whether some IG offices should be combined. The bill was a substitute offered by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, for her original bill that would have limited IGs to renewable nine-year terms and would have consolidated some small IG offices into other departments.

There are no term limits now for the 58 inspectors general, whose job is to root out corruption and waste in government agencies.

But her substitute, approved by voice vote, bowed to Clinton administration requests and eliminated the nine-year limitation. It also called for a General Accounting Office study of consolidation of offices.

Collins' bill would raise the pay level of some inspectors from Level IV to Level III, prohibit them from receiving cash awards or bonuses, and mandate external reviews of IGs' activities at least every three years.