Paperwork Reduction Act: Burden Increases and Unauthorized Information
Collections (Testimony, 04/15/99, GAO/T-GGD-99-78).

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the implementation of
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

GAO noted that: (1) GAO's reports and testimonies all indicate that
federal paperwork burden estimates have increased dramatically since the
PRA was first enacted in 1980, although some of that increase is due to
changes in measurement techniques; (2) agencies' burden estimates have
continued to increase since 1995 despite congressional expectations for
reductions in federal paperwork burden; (3) the increase in the
governmentwide paperwork estimate appears largely attributable to
continued increases in the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) estimates;
(4) however, IRS said these increases are due to increased economic
activity and new statutory requirements--factors it does not control;
(5) in addition, GAO believes that the Office of Management and Budget's
(OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has not fully
satisfied all of the responsibilities that the PRA assigns to that
office; (6) regarding the data that OMB provided to the House Committee
on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural
Resources and Regulatory Affairs, GAO believes it indicates a troubling
disregard by agencies for the requirement that they obtain OMB approval
before collecting information from the public; (7) using OMB's measure
of the costs associated with federal paperwork, GAO estimates that
agencies have imposed at least $3 billion in unauthorized burden in
recent years; and (8) OMB can do more to encourage agencies that are not
complying with the PRA to come into compliance, and GAO offers some
options in that regard.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-GGD-99-78
     TITLE:  Paperwork Reduction Act: Burden Increases and Unauthorized 
             Information Collections
      DATE:  04/15/99
   SUBJECT:  Statutory law
             Reporting requirements
             Data collection
             Noncompliance
             Statistical methods
             Congressional/executive relations

             

Paperwork Reduction Act: Burden Increases and Unauthorized Information
Collections (Testimony, 04/15/99, GAO/T-GGD-99-78).

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO discussed the implementation of
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).

GAO noted that: (1) GAO's reports and testimonies all indicate that
federal paperwork burden estimates have increased dramatically since the
PRA was first enacted in 1980, although some of that increase is due to
changes in measurement techniques; (2) agencies' burden estimates have
continued to increase since 1995 despite congressional expectations for
reductions in federal paperwork burden; (3) the increase in the
governmentwide paperwork estimate appears largely attributable to
continued increases in the Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) estimates;
(4) however, IRS said these increases are due to increased economic
activity and new statutory requirements--factors it does not control;
(5) in addition, GAO believes that the Office of Management and Budget's
(OMB) Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs has not fully
satisfied all of the responsibilities that the PRA assigns to that
office; (6) regarding the data that OMB provided to the House Committee
on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, Natural
Resources and Regulatory Affairs, GAO believes it indicates a troubling
disregard by agencies for the requirement that they obtain OMB approval
before collecting information from the public; (7) using OMB's measure
of the costs associated with federal paperwork, GAO estimates that
agencies have imposed at least $3 billion in unauthorized burden in
recent years; and (8) OMB can do more to encourage agencies that are not
complying with the PRA to come into compliance, and GAO offers some
options in that regard.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-GGD-99-78
     TITLE:  Paperwork Reduction Act: Burden Increases and Unauthorized 
             Information Collections
      DATE:  04/15/99
   SUBJECT:  Statutory law
             Reporting requirements
             Data collection
             Noncompliance
             Statistical methods
             Congressional/executive relations