[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4809 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4809

            To increase access to agency guidance documents.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 16, 2018

  Mr. Walker introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
            To increase access to agency guidance documents.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Guidance Out Of Darkness Act'' or 
the ``GOOD Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.
            (2) Guidance document.--The term ``guidance document''--
                    (A) means the whole or a part of an agency 
                statement of general or particular applicability and 
                future effect that--
                            (i) is designed to implement, interpret, or 
                        prescribe law or policy or describing the 
                        organization, procedure, or practice 
                        requirements of an agency and includes the 
                        approval or prescription for the future of 
                        rates, wages, corporate or financial structures 
                        or reorganizations thereof, prices, facilities, 
                        appliances, services or allowances therefor or 
                        of valuations, costs, or accounting, or 
                        practices bearing on any of the foregoing; and
                            (ii) has not been issued through the notice 
                        and comment process under section 553 of title 
                        5, United States Code;
                    (B) includes--
                            (i) a memorandum;
                            (ii) a notice;
                            (iii) a bulletin;
                            (iv) a directive;
                            (v) a news release;
                            (vi) a letter; and
                            (vii) a blog post; and
                    (C) does not include a rule, as that term is 
                defined in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS ON THE INTERNET.

    (a) In General.--On the date on which an agency issues a guidance 
document, the agency shall publish the guidance document on the 
Internet website of the agency.
    (b) Previously Issued Guidance Documents.--Not later than 60 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, each agency shall publish on 
the Internet website of that agency any guidance document issued by 
that agency during the 10-year period ending on the date of enactment 
of this Act.
    (c) Single Location.--All guidance documents published under 
subsections (a) and (b) by an agency shall be published in a single 
location on the Internet website of the agency.
    (d) Rescinded Guidance Documents.--On the date on which a guidance 
document issued by an agency is rescinded, the agency shall--
            (1) maintain the rescinded guidance document at the 
        location described in subsection (c); and
            (2) at the location described in subsection (c), indicate--
                    (A) that the guidance document is rescinded; and
                    (B) the date on which the guidance document was 
                rescinded.
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