[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agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting 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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