[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5301 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.5301
One Hundred Eighteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and twenty-four
An Act
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list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget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.
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.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.