(a) The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct an investigation of the impact which emergency support grants have on the operations of State and local governments and on the national economy. Before and during the course of such investigation the Comptroller General shall consult with and coordinate his activities with the Congressional Budget Office and the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. The Comptroller General shall report the results of such investigation to the Congress within one year after July 22, 1976, together with an evaluation of the macroeconomic effect of the program established under this subchapter and any recommendations for improving the effectiveness of similar programs. All officers and employees of the United States shall make available all information, reports, data, and any other material necessary to carry out the provisions of this subsection to the Comptroller General upon a reasonable request.

(b) The Congressional Budget Office and the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations shall conduct a study to determine the most effective means by which the Federal Government can stabilize the national economy during periods of rapid economic growth and high inflation through programs directed toward State and local governments. Such study shall include a comparison of the effectiveness of alternative factors for triggering and measuring the extent of the fiscal coordination problem addressed by this program, and the effect of the recession on State and local expenditures. Before and during the course of such study, the Congressional Budget Office and the Advisory Commission shall consult with and coordinate their activities with the Comptroller General of the United States. The Congressional Budget Office and the Advisory Commission shall report the results of such study to Congress within two years after July 22, 1976. Such study shall include the opinions of the Comptroller General with respect to such study.

(c) The Secretary shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Commerce, conduct an investigation of—

(1) the extent to which allocations of funds provided under this chapter might be more precisely related to true economic conditions by the use of data on aggregate declines in private real wages and salaries;

(2) the extent to which other factors, such as relative tax effort, should also be made part of the allocation system provided by this chapter; and

(3) the availability and reliability of data concerning Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and the extent to which such territories may properly be made part of the regular allocation system applicable to the several States.

The results of such investigation shall be submitted to the Congress not later than March 1, 1978, in order that such results may be available during congressional consideration of any extension of this chapter beyond the fiscal year ending September 30, 1978.