§ 3712h. Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management
(a)
Establishment
(1)
In general
There is established within the Office an Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management, headed by a Director appointed by the Attorney General. In carrying out the functions of the Office, the Director shall be subject to the authority, direction, and control of the Attorney General. Such authority, direction, and control may be delegated only to the Assistant Attorney General, without redelegation.
(2)
Purpose
The purpose of the Office shall be to carry out and coordinate program assessments of, take actions to ensure compliance with the terms of, and manage information with respect to, grants under programs covered by subsection (b). The Director shall take special conditions of the grant into account and consult with the office that issued those conditions to ensure appropriate compliance.
(3)
Exclusivity
The Office shall be the exclusive element of the Department of Justice, other than the Inspector General, performing functions and activities for the purpose specified in paragraph (2). There are hereby transferred to the Office all functions and activities, other than functions and activities of the Inspector General, for such purpose performed immediately before January 5, 2006, by any other element of the Department.
(c)
Program assessments required
(1)
In general
The Director shall select grants awarded under the programs covered by subsection (b) and carry out program assessments on such grants. In selecting such grants, the Director shall ensure that the aggregate amount awarded under the grants so selected represent not less than 10 percent of the aggregate amount of money awarded under all such grant programs.
(2)
Relationship to NIJ evaluations
This subsection does not affect the authority or duty of the Director of the National Institute of Justice to carry out overall evaluations of programs covered by subsection (b), except that such Director shall consult with the Director of the Office in carrying out such evaluations.
(d)
Compliance actions required
The Director shall take such actions to ensure compliance with the terms of a grant as the Director considers appropriate with respect to each grant that the Director determines (in consultation with the head of the element of the Department of Justice concerned), through a program assessment under subsection (a) or other means, is not in compliance with such terms. In the case of a misuse of more than 1 percent of the grant amount concerned, the Director shall, in addition to any other action to ensure compliance that the Director considers appropriate, ensure that the entity responsible for such misuse ceases to receive any funds under any program covered by subsection (b) until such entity repays to the Attorney General an amount equal to the amounts misused. The Director may, in unusual circumstances, grant relief from this requirement to ensure that an innocent party is not punished.
(e)
Grant management system
The Director shall establish and maintain, in consultation with the chief information officer of the Office, a modern, automated system for managing all information relating to the grants made under the programs covered by subsection (b).
(f)
Availability of funds
Not to exceed 3 percent of all funding made available for a fiscal year for the programs covered by subsection (b) shall be reserved for the Office of Audit, Assessment and Management for the activities authorized by this section.