PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9421-9422)
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Sep 24, 2008
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish within the Department of the Interior the Minerals Management Service (MMS), to be headed by a Director appointed by the President, by and with the consent of the Senate. (The MMS currently exists, but its Director is appointed by the Secretary.)
Requires the Director to ensure that the MMS implements comprehensive financial audits of royalty payments and adjustments.
Requires the Director to issue requirements that: (1) MMS employees conducting audits and compliance reviews meet specified auditor qualifications; and (2) MMS-conducted audits reflect the latest revision of the Government Auditing Standards published by the Government Accountability Office.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Directs the Inspector General of the Department to audit and report annually to certain congressional committees on MMS activities, including leasing and royalty activities.
Requires the Secretary to certify to Congress that all Inspector General recommendations as a result of specified investigations of the royalty-in-kind program have been implemented.
Directs the Secretary to certify annually to Congress that the royalty-in-kind program is in full compliance with federal law governing procurement and ethics.
Suspends, for a specified period, the authority of the Secretary to implement each royalty-in-kind program if the Secretary fails to meet the annual certification deadline.
People & committees
Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] · D–OR
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9421-9422)
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9420-9421)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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