[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 208 (Monday, December 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S6027]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ELIMINATE USELESS REPORTS ACT OF 2023
Mr. SCHUMER. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 194, S. 2073.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The senior assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2073) to amend title 31, United States Code, to
require agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative
reporting requirements in annual budget justifications, and
for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill,
which had been reported from the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs with an amendment to strike all after the enacting
clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Eliminate Useless Reports
Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. SUNSETS FOR AGENCY REPORTS.
(a) In General.--Section 1125 of title 31, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (d);
(2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and inserting the
following:
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Budget justification materials.--The term `budget
justification materials' has the meaning given the term in
section 3(b)(2) of the Federal Funding Accountability and
Transparency Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note; Public Law
109-282).
``(2) Recurring plan or report.--The term `recurring plan
or report'--
``(A) means any plan or report submitted to Congress by not
less than 1 agency on a recurring basis--
``(i) in accordance with Federal law; or
``(ii) at the direction of a congressional report; and
``(B) does not include any plan or report that is required
to be submitted to the Committee on Armed Services of the
Senate.
``(3) Relevant congressional committee.--The term `relevant
congressional committee' means a congressional committee to
which a recurring plan or report is required to be submitted.
``(b) Agency Identification of Unnecessary Reports.--
``(1) In general.--The head of each agency shall include in
the budget justification materials of the agency--
``(A) subject to paragraph (2), a list of each recurring
plan or report submitted by the agency that the head of the
agency determines to be outdated or duplicative;
``(B) with respect to each recurring plan or report
described in subparagraph (A)--
``(i) a recommendation on whether to sunset, modify,
consolidate, or reduce the frequency of the submission of the
recurring plan or report;
``(ii) a citation to each provision of law or directive in
a congressional report that requires or requests the
submission of the recurring plan or report; and
``(iii) a list of the relevant congressional committees for
the recurring plan or report; and
``(C) a justification explaining, with respect to each
recommendation described in subparagraph (B)(i) relating to a
recurring plan or report--
``(i) why the head of the agency made the recommendation,
which may include an estimate of the resources expended by
the agency to prepare and submit the recurring plan or
report; and
``(ii) the understanding of the head of the agency of the
purpose of the recurring plan or report.
``(2) Agency consultation.--
``(A) In general.--In preparing the list required under
paragraph (1)(A), if, in submitting a recurring plan or
report, an agency is required to coordinate or consult with
another agency or entity, the head of the agency submitting
the recurring plan or report shall consult with the head of
each agency or entity with whom consultation or coordination
is required.
``(B) Inclusion in list.--If, after a consultation under
subparagraph (A), the head of each agency or entity consulted
under that subparagraph agrees that a recurring plan or
report is outdated or duplicative, the head of the agency
required to submit the recurring plan or report shall--
``(i) include the recurring plan or report in the list
described in paragraph (1)(A); and
``(ii) identify each agency or entity with which the head
of the agency is required to coordinate or consult in
submitting the recurring plan or report.
``(C) Disagreement.--If the head of any agency or entity
consulted under subparagraph (A) does not agree that a
recurring plan or report is outdated or duplicative, the head
of the agency required to submit the recurring plan or report
shall not include the recurring plan or report in the list
described in paragraph (1)(A).
``(3) Government-wide or multi-agency plan and report
submissions.--With respect to a recurring plan or report
required to be submitted by not less than 2 agencies, the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall--
``(A) determine whether the requirement to submit the
recurring plan or report is outdated or duplicative; and
``(B) make recommendations to Congress accordingly.
``(c) Disposition of Recommendations.--
``(1) In general.--With respect to a recommendation on a
recurring plan or report included in budget justification
materials by the head of an agency under subsection
(b)(1)(B)(i), the chair and ranking member of each relevant
congressional committee may--
``(A) in coordination with any other relevant congressional
committee, as necessary, agree or disagree with the
recommendation or postpone a decision on the recommendation;
and
``(B) notify each agency that submits a recommendation of
the disposition of the recommendation under subparagraph (A).
``(2) Legislative steps.--If a relevant congressional
committee agrees with an agency recommendation submitted
under subsection (b)(1)(B)(i), the relevant congressional
committee may take the necessary legislative steps to
accomplish the recommendation, which may include consulting
with the agency that submits the recurring plan or report
that is the subject of the recommendation to prepare
appropriate legislation.
``(3) Agency requirements.--Nothing in this section shall
be construed to relieve the head of an agency from a
requirement to submit a recurring plan or report.''; and
(3) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by striking ``in
the budget of the United States Government, as provided by
section 1105(a)(37)'' and inserting ``in the budget
justification materials of each agency''.
(b) Budget Contents.--Section 1105(a) of title 31, United
States Code, is amended by striking paragraph (39).
Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
substitute amendment be agreed to; the bill, as amended, be considered
read a third time and passed; and the motion to reconsider be
considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or
debate.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, was
agreed to.
The bill (S. 2073), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed.
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