Review of the Reimbursement and Reporting Requirement of the Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976

The Presidential Protection Assistance Act of 1976 required the Secret Service, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Coast Guard to submit semi-annual reports to six congressional committees on expenditures made pursuant to the act. A review of the reports of the three agencies disclosed several problems in implementing the act's reimbursement and reporting requirements. Most of these problems involved uncertainties concerning which expenditures incurred by other agencies are reimbursable by the Secret Service and which expenditures are to be included in the reports submitted to the congressional committees. As the focal point for the act's implementation, the Director of the Secret Service should: consult with cognizant congressional committees to determine whether they want the reports of expenditures restricted to costs incurred for protection at non-Government properties or information on the total cost of protection; resolve misunderstandings as to which costs are reimbursable by the Secret Service; advise the agencies which provide protection assistance as to the understanding reached with the committees concerning reporting requirements and provide model guidelines which agencies can use in issuing instructions to personnel; and resolve agency accountability and settlement of accounts by encouraging timely billing for reimbursable services.