General Accounting Office Act of 1996
Public Law 104-316 · H.R. 3864 · 104th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 19, 1996 · Congress
Sponsor: Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH-19)
Cosponsors (3): Rep. William Clinger, Rep. Stephen Horn,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Title I: Amendments to Laws Authorizing Auditing, Reporting,
and Other Functions by General Accounting Office
Title II: Conforming Amendments to Enact Transfers and
Delegations of Functions Under Other Laws
General Accounting Office Act of 1996 - Title I: Amendments to Laws Authorizing Auditing, Reporting, and Other Functions by General Accounting Office - Specifies that in any case in which a provision of law authorizes the performance of a function by the Comptroller General of the United States or General Accounting Office (GAO) is amended by this title to substitute another Federal officer, employee, or agency in that authorization the authority to perform that function is transferred to the other Federal officer, employee, or agency. Prohibits personnel transferred under this title from being separated or reduced in classification or compensation for one year after such transfer, except for cause.
(Sec. 102) Amends specified Federal laws and the District of Columbia Retirement Reform Act to revise or repeal over 100 existing statutory mandates and other provisions regarding auditing, reporting, and other functions performed by the Comptroller General or GAO.
Title II: Conforming Amendments to Enact Transfers and Delegations of Functions Under Other Laws - States that the purpose of this title is to amend provisions of law to reflect, update, and enact specified transfers and delegations of functions from GAO made under the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1996. Repeals implemented provisions of such Act and directs under such Act that personnel transferred prior to the effective date of this title not be separated or reduced in classification or compensation for one year after any such transfer, except for cause. Vests in the Director of the Office of Management and Budget the authority to make certain decisions concerning a function transferred, under such repealed provisions, to the Director. Makes conforming amendments.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Oct 19, 1996Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 104-316.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 10, 1996PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 3, 1996FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Sep 5, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Sep 4, 1996FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. LaTourette moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jul 25, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Jul 22, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.