Eliminate Useless Reports Act of 2024
Floor Speech
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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the rules and pass the bill (S. 2073) to amend title 31, United States Code, to require agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget justifications, and for other purposes, as amended.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 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.
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 his collaboration with the House Oversight Committee for advancing this bill today.
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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.
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