BETHESDA – Today the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report questioning over $1.7 million in grant awards. The OIG found CPSC’s Pool Safely Grants Program (PSGP) does not fully comply with government-wide grant requirements and its own procedures and as a result, during the period under review, the program was not effective. Additionally, the report noted the program lacked adequate oversight and an effective control environment.
The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (VGB Act) was enacted on December 19, 2007, to:
...improve pool and spa safety through the use of anti-entrapment devices and to encourage State adoption of minimum mandatory swimming pool and spa safety laws.
The VGB Act charges the CPSC with administering a grants program, the PSGP, which assists jurisdictions in enforcing laws and regulations related to preventing drowning accidents and educating the public.
The OIG report found that as a result of mismanagement an ineligible recipient received a grant; taxpayer funds were inappropriately spent; and there were several possible violations of fiscal law. The OIG questioned $1,722,084 in grant awards due to inadequacies in the grant award and oversight processes.
Further, the CPSC was not able to identify all funds spent on grants administration. CPSC staff did not accurately report grant information in government-wide reporting systems as required by law, thus hindering oversight by Congress and the American people. The report made 22 recommendations to the agency to correct these issues.