[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     require agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative 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.

                          ____________________