[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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