[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 78 (Monday, May 6, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2850-H2852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1700
ELIMINATE USELESS REPORTS ACT OF 2024
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
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agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting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,
as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 2073
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 ``Eliminate Useless Reports
Act of 2024''.
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) Plan or report.--The term `plan or report' means any
plan or report submitted
[[Page H2851]]
to Congress, any committee of Congress, or subcommittee
thereof, by not less than 1 agency--
``(A) in accordance with Federal law; or
``(B) at the direction or request of a congressional
report.
``(3) Recurring plan or report.--The term `recurring plan
or report' means a plan or report submitted on a recurring
basis.
``(4) Relevant congressional committee.--The term `relevant
congressional committee'--
``(A) means a congressional committee to which a recurring
plan or report is required to be submitted; and
``(B) does not include any plan or report that is required
to be submitted solely to the Committee on Armed Services of
the House of Representatives or the Senate.
``(b) Agency Identification of Unnecessary Reports.--
``(1) In general.--The head of each agency shall include in
the budget justification materials of the agency the
following:
``(A) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the following:
``(i) A list of each recurring plan or report submitted by
the agency.
``(ii) An identification of whether the recurring plan or
report listed in clause (i) was included in the most recent
report issued by the Clerk of the House of Representatives
concerning the reports that any agency is required by law or
directed or requested by a committee report to make to
Congress, any committee of Congress, or subcommittee thereof.
``(iii) If applicable, the unique alphanumeric identifier
for the recurring plan or report as required by section
7243(b)(1)(C)(vii) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263).
``(iv) The identification of any recurring plan or report
the head of the agency determines to be outdated or
duplicative.
``(B) With respect to each recurring plan or report
identified in subparagraph (A)(iv), the following:
``(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 or
request in a congressional report that requires or requests
the submission of the recurring plan or report.
``(iii) A list of the relevant congressional committees for
the recurring plan or report.
``(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.
``(4) Plan and report submissions conformity to the access
to congressionally mandated reports act.--With respect to an
agency recommendation, citation, or justification made under
subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (1) or a recommendation
by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under
paragraph (3), the agency or Director, as applicable, shall
also provide this information to the Director of the
Government Publishing Office in conformity with the agency
submission requirements under section 7244(a) of the James M.
Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2023 (Public Law 117-263; chapter 41 of title 44 note) in
conformity with guidance issued by the Director of the Office
of Management and Budget under section 7244(b) of such Act.
``(c) Rule of Construction on Agency Requirements.--Nothing
in this section shall be construed to exempt 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).
(c) Conformity to the Access to Congressionally Mandated
Reports Act.--
(1) Amendment.--Subsections (a) and (b) of section 7244 of
the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263; chapter 41 of title 44,
United States Code, note), are amended to read as follows:
``(a) Submission of Electronic Copies of Reports.--Not
earlier than 30 days or later than 60 days after the date on
which a congressionally mandated report is submitted to
either House of Congress or to any committee of Congress or
subcommittee thereof, the head of the Federal agency
submitting the congressionally mandated report shall submit
to the Director the information required under subparagraphs
(A) through (D) of section 7243(b)(1) with respect to the
congressionally mandated report. Notwithstanding section
7246, nothing in this subtitle shall relieve a Federal agency
of any other requirement to publish the congressionally
mandated report on the online portal of the Federal agency or
otherwise submit the congressionally mandated report to
Congress or specific committees of Congress, or subcommittees
thereof.
``(b) Guidance.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this subsection and periodically thereafter
as appropriate, the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget, in consultation with the Director, shall issue
guidance to agencies on the implementation of this subtitle
as well as the requirements of section 1125(b) of title 31,
United States Code.''.
(2) Updated omb guidance.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the
Office of Management and Budget shall issue updated guidance
to agencies to ensure that the requirements under subsections
(a) and (b) of section 1125 of title 31, United States Code,
as amended by this Act, for agency submissions of
recommendations and justifications for plans and reports to
sunset, modify, consolidate, or reduce the frequency of the
submission of are also submitted as a separate attachment in
conformity with the agency submission requirements of
electronic copies of reports submitted by agencies under
section 7244(a) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117-263;
chapter 41 of title 44, United States Code, note) for
publication on the online portal established under section
7243 of such Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.
General Leave
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kansas?
There was no objection.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, every year numerous laws require Federal agencies to
produce thousands of reports, with a single report costing tens of
thousands of taxpayer dollars.
While many reports help inform Congress and the public, some are
outdated or duplicative.
With nearly 100 agencies issuing annual reports as required under
law, there is a great opportunity for cost savings and improving
government efficiency by addressing outdated reports.
Agencies are already required to compile lists of the reports they
generate, but this information is not included in an agency's annual
budget document which Congress scrutinizes on an annual basis.
The Eliminate the Useless Reports Act requires each agency to
identify and reduce the frequency of duplicative or outdated reports in
its regular budget justification documents.
This bill would increase government efficiency and save taxpayer
dollars by eliminating unnecessary reports.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Robert Garcia and Grothman for
their leadership on this issue and Budget Committee Chairman Arrington
for
[[Page H2852]]
his collaboration with the House Oversight Committee for advancing this
bill today.
I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan commonsense
bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
rise today in support of S. 2073. I thank my colleague from California,
Ranking Member Robert Garcia, for introducing the House companion to
the Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2023. I am proud to support this
bipartisan legislation. The accumulation of outdated and redundant
reports is something that the Oversight Committee has tried to deal
with several times over the past few decades.
The Eliminate Useless Reports Act takes an innovative approach. It
would establish clear procedures for Federal agencies to request the
elimination or modification of duplicative or outdated reports in their
annual budget justifications. This would ensure that the correct
committee of jurisdiction with the appropriate expertise considers this
request. This bill would better inform Congress and the executive
branch and ensure that agencies are not wasting time or resources on
redundant or archaic reports.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I will get this done in less than 5
minutes. As has been pointed out, anybody around here a while knows
that frequently when a bill passes we include requirements that an
agency provide reports.
Another way for a Congressman to pass a bill is just to pass a
freestanding bill that requires another report. Obviously, these
reports aren't cheap. There is a great deal of hours spent as the
agencies compile the reports. It is time to have a look at these
reports and see how many are necessary and how many we can do away
with.
The President's most recent budget request identified 53 reports that
were outdated or duplicative. Some examples: Department of Commerce
report on business licensing activities in Iraq. This report was signed
into law in 2003 during the start of the Iraq war. As our presence
there diminished, the need for regular reporting on Iraq-bound business
licenses has outlived its uselessness.
There is the Department of Labor report on a community college and
career training grant. This is another report that is outdated. The
authorization of the appropriations has expired, and no funds have been
appropriated for this program since 2014; nevertheless, the requirement
for the report lives on.
There is the annual FTC report on the market concentration of the
ethanol industry. The FTC has submitted the report every year since
2005, but each and every year the ethanol market has not been overly
concentrated, entry into the market is easy, and the present
circumstances do not justify a presumption that a single ethanol
producer could set prices. In other words, the usefulness of the report
is no longer in existence.
The Eliminate Useless Reports Act simply requires each agency to
identify and recommend eliminating, modifying, or reducing the
frequency of duplicative reports. Recommendations from agencies will be
considered by the relevant committees so they can take appropriate
legislative steps.
This bill would increase the efficiency of identifying outdated or
duplicative reports.
Mr. Speaker, I am happy to co-lead the House version in a nice
bipartisan effort with my Oversight Subcommittee colleague, Congressman
Robert Garcia from California.
I am also thankful for the bipartisan Senate cosponsors to this bill,
Senators Ossoff and Lankford.
I urge adoption of Senate bill S. 2073, an important bipartisan step
toward improving the efficiency of the Federal Government.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for S. 2073, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this
bill that will increase government efficiency, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 2073, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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