[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 161 (Thursday, December 13, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H6771-H6772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   GAO MANDATES REVISION ACT OF 2012

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (S. 3315) to repeal or modify certain mandates of the Government 
Accountability Office.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 3315

       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 ``GAO Mandates Revision Act of 
     2012''.

     SEC. 2. REPEALS AND MODIFICATIONS.

       (a) Capitol Preservation Fund Financial Statements.--
     Section 804 of the Arizona-Idaho Conservation Act of 1988 (2 
     U.S.C. 2084) is amended by striking ``annual audits of the 
     transactions of the Commission'' and inserting ``periodic 
     audits of the transactions of the Commission, which shall be 
     conducted at least once every 3 years, unless the Chairman or 
     the Ranking Member of the Committee on Rules and 
     Administration of the Senate or the Committee on House 
     Administration of the House of Representatives, the Secretary 
     of the Senate, or the Clerk of the House of Representatives 
     requests that an audit be conducted at an earlier date,''.
       (b) Judicial Survivors' Annuities Fund Audit by GAO.--
       (1) In general.--Section 376 of title 28, United States 
     Code, is amended--
       (A) by striking subsection (w); and
       (B) by redesignating subsections (x) and (y) as subsections 
     (w) and (x), respectively.
       (2) Technical and conforming amendment.--Section 376(h)(2) 
     of title 28, United States Code, is amended by striking 
     ``subsection (x)'' and inserting ``subsection (w)''.
       (c) ONDCP Annual Report Requirement.--Section 203 of the 
     Office of National Drug Control Policy Reauthorization Act of 
     2006 (21 U.S.C. 1708a) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``of each year'' and 
     inserting ``, 2013, and every 3 years thereafter,''; and
       (2) in subsection (b), in the matter preceding paragraph 
     (1), by striking ``at a frequency of not less than once per 
     year--'' and inserting ``not later than December 31, 2013, 
     and every 3 years thereafter--''.
       (d) USERRA GAO Report.--Section 105(g)(1) of the Veterans' 
     Benefits Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-275; 38 U.S.C. 4301 
     note) is amended by striking ``, and annually thereafter 
     during the period when the demonstration project is 
     conducted,''.
       (e) Semipostal Program Reports by the General Accounting 
     Office.--Section 2 of the Semipostal Authorization Act 
     (Public Law 106-253; 114 Stat. 636; 39 U.S.C. 416 note) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking subsection (c); and
       (2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections 
     (c) and (d), respectively.
       (f) Earned Import Allowance Program Review by GAO.--Section 
     231A(b)(4) of the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act (19 
     U.S.C. 2703a(b)(4)) is amended--
       (1) by striking subparagraph (C); and
       (2) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (C).
       (g) American Battle Monuments Commission's Financial 
     Statements and Audits.--Section 2103(h) of title 36, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``of paragraph (2) of 
     this subsection'' and inserting ``of section 3515 of title 
     31'';
       (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ``(1)''; and
       (3) by striking paragraph (2).
       (h) Senate Preservation Fund Audits.--Section 3(c)(6) of 
     the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2004 (2 U.S.C. 
     2108(c)(6)) is amended by striking ``annual audits of the 
     Senate Preservation Fund'' and inserting ``periodic audits of 
     the Senate Preservation

[[Page H6772]]

     Fund, which shall be conducted at least once every 3 years, 
     unless the Chairman or the Ranking Member of the Committee on 
     Rules and Administration of the Senate or the Secretary of 
     the Senate requests that an audit be conducted at an earlier 
     date,''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Government Accountability Office is a 
great aide to the United States Congress. They help by auditing and 
examining government programs and reporting its findings to Congress. 
They serve a valuable position in the work that we do.
  The GAO is responsible for 102 recurring annual statutory mandates 
and receives over 700 additional requests each year. It's quite a 
demand on the resources that we've given them.
  This bill eliminates or decreases the recurrence of several GAO 
reports and auditing requirements for eight Federal programs or 
commissions. In recent years, we've been asking GAO to do more with 
less, as we should; but GAO will become more efficient by reducing 
obligations that once served an important purpose but now needlessly 
consume its limited resources. Eliminating these mandates will also 
allow GAO to more quickly respond to Congressional requests for 
assistance. GAO handpicked these reports as overly burdensome with 
modest benefits, and the related committees of jurisdiction concur.
  Senator Carper introduced Senate bill S. 3315, the GAO Mandates 
Revision Act, in June of this year, and the measure passed the United 
States Senate by unanimous consent in September. We urge all of our 
colleagues to support this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of the bill before us today. S. 3315 amends certain 
statutes which require the Government Accountability Office to submit 
annual audits or reports to Congress. While the annual reporting 
requirements previously mandated are no longer necessary, this bill 
will require GAO to report its findings to Congress on issues covered 
by the reports every 3 years. This requirement will provide GAO with a 
more streamlined approach in reporting to Congress and will reduce the 
unnecessary costs and time spent to conduct annual audits or reports on 
these particular issues.
  It is important to know that all the committees affected by this 
legislation have been consulted and have agreed to these changes. At a 
time when constituents are rightly demanding a more efficient 
government, now is the time to enact this legislation.
  I thank the majority for bringing this bill to the floor and the 
Senate for passing the underlying measure. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage 
of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no speakers, and I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, we urge passage of S. 3315 introduced by 
Senator Carper. It is a good, commonsense piece of legislation. The 
committees of jurisdiction concur. It is bipartisan in its approach. We 
urge its passage.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Utah (Mr. Chaffetz) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, S. 3315.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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