[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 19, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S7297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REPORTS CONSOLIDATION ACT OF 2000

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to consideration of Calendar No. 672, S. 2712.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 2712) to amend chapter 35 of title 31, United 
     States Code, to authorize consolidation of certain financial 
     and performance management reports required of Federal 
     agencies, and for other purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be 
read the third time and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, and any statements relating to the bill be printed in the 
Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 2712) was read the third time and passed as follows:

                                S. 2712

       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 ``Reports Consolidation Act of 
     2000''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) existing law imposes numerous financial and performance 
     management reporting requirements on agencies;
       (2) these separate requirements can cause duplication of 
     effort on the part of agencies and result in uncoordinated 
     reports containing information in a form that is not 
     completely useful to Congress; and
       (3) pilot projects conducted by agencies under the 
     direction of the Office of Management and Budget demonstrate 
     that single consolidated reports providing an analysis of 
     verifiable financial and performance management information 
     produce more useful reports with greater efficiency.
       (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
       (1) to authorize and encourage the consolidation of 
     financial and performance management reports;
       (2) to provide financial and performance management 
     information in a more meaningful and useful format for 
     Congress, the President, and the public;
       (3) to improve the quality of agency financial and 
     performance management information; and
       (4) to enhance coordination and efficiency on the part of 
     agencies in reporting financial and performance management 
     information.

     SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATED REPORTS.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 35 of title 31, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``Sec. 3516. Reports consolidation

       ``(a)(1) With the concurrence of the Director of the Office 
     of Management and Budget, the head of an executive agency may 
     adjust the frequency and due dates of, and consolidate into 
     an annual report to the President, the Director of the Office 
     of Management and Budget, and Congress any statutorily 
     required reports described in paragraph (2). Such a 
     consolidated report shall be submitted to the President, the 
     Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and to 
     appropriate committees and subcommittees of Congress not 
     later than 150 days after the end of the agency's fiscal 
     year.
       ``(2) The following reports may be consolidated into the 
     report referred to in paragraph (1):
       ``(A) Any report by an agency to Congress, the Office of 
     Management and Budget, or the President under section 1116, 
     this chapter, and chapters 9, 33, 37, 75, and 91.
       ``(B) The following agency-specific reports:
       ``(i) The biennial financial management improvement plan by 
     the Secretary of Defense under section 2222 of title 10.
       ``(ii) The annual report of the Attorney General under 
     section 522 of title 28.
       ``(C) Any other statutorily required report pertaining to 
     an agency's financial or performance management if the head 
     of the agency--
       ``(i) determines that inclusion of that report will enhance 
     the usefulness of the reported information to decision 
     makers; and
       ``(ii) consults in advance of inclusion of that report with 
     the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the 
     Committee on Government Reform of the House of 
     Representatives, and any other committee of Congress having 
     jurisdiction with respect to the report proposed for 
     inclusion.
       ``(b) A report under subsection (a) that incorporates the 
     agency's program performance report under section 1116 shall 
     be referred to as a performance and accountability report.
       ``(c) A report under subsection (a) that does not 
     incorporate the agency's program performance report under 
     section 1116 shall contain a summary of the most significant 
     portions of the agency's program performance report, 
     including the agency's success in achieving key performance 
     goals for the applicable year.
       ``(d) A report under subsection (a) shall include a 
     statement prepared by the agency's inspector general that 
     summarizes what the inspector general considers to be the 
     most serious management and performance challenges facing the 
     agency and briefly assesses the agency's progress in 
     addressing those challenges. The inspector general shall 
     provide such statement to the agency head at least 30 days 
     before the due date of the report under subsection (a). The 
     agency head may comment on the inspector general's statement, 
     but may not modify the statement.
       ``(e) A report under subsection (a) shall include a 
     transmittal letter from the agency head containing, in 
     addition to any other content, an assessment by the agency 
     head of the completeness and reliability of the performance 
     and financial data used in the report. The assessment shall 
     describe any material inadequacies in the completeness and 
     reliability of the data, and the actions the agency can take 
     and is taking to resolve such inadequacies.''.
       (b) Special Rule for Fiscal Years 2000 and 2001.--
     Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of section 3516(a) of title 31, 
     United States Code (as added by subsection (a) of this 
     section), the head of an executive agency may submit a 
     consolidated report under such paragraph not later than 
     180 days after the end of that agency's fiscal year, with 
     respect to fiscal years 2000 and 2001.
       (c) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of 
     sections for chapter 35 of title 31, United States Code, is 
     amended by inserting after the item relating to section 3515 
     the following:

``3516. Reports consolidation.''.

     SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS.

       (a) Financial Statements.--Section 3515 of title 31, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ``Congress and the'' 
     before ``Director''; and
       (2) by striking subsections (e) through (h).
       (b) Elimination of Report.--Section 3521(f) of title 31, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) by striking ``subsections (a) and (f)'' and inserting 
     ``subsection (a)''; and
       (B) by striking ``(1)''; and
       (2) by striking paragraph (2).

     SEC. 5. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO PROGRAM PERFORMANCE REPORTS.

       (a) Report Due Date.--
       (1) In general.--Section 1116(a) of title 31, United States 
     Code, is amended by striking ``No later than March 31, 2000, 
     and no later than March 31 of each year thereafter,'' and 
     inserting ``Not later than 150 days after the end of an 
     agency's fiscal year,''.
       (2) Special rule for fiscal years 2000 and 2001.--
     Notwithstanding subsection (a) of section 1116 of title 31, 
     United States Code (as amended by paragraph (1) of this 
     subsection), an agency head may submit a report under such 
     subsection not later than 180 days after the end of that 
     agency's fiscal year, with respect to fiscal years 2000 and 
     2001.
       (b) Inclusion of Information in Financial Statement.--
     Section 1116(e) of title 31, United States Code, is amended 
     to read as follows:
       ``(e)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), each program 
     performance report shall contain an assessment by the agency 
     head of the completeness and reliability of the performance 
     data included in the report. The assessment shall describe 
     any material inadequacies in the completeness and reliability 
     of the performance data, and the actions the agency can take 
     and is taking to resolve such inadequacies.
       ``(2) If a program performance report is incorporated into 
     a report submitted under section 3516, the requirements of 
     section 3516(e) shall apply in lieu of paragraph (1).''.




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