[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2073 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
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list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 21, 2023
Mr. Ossoff (for himself and Mr. Lankford) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget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
2023''.
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) Recurring plan or report.--The term `recurring plan
or report'--
``(A) means any plan or report submitted to
Congress by not less than 1 agency on a recurring
basis--
``(i) in accordance with Federal law; or
``(ii) at the direction of a congressional
report; and
``(B) does not include any plan or report that is
required to be submitted to the Committee on Armed
Services of the Senate.
``(3) Relevant congressional committee.--The term `relevant
congressional committee' means a congressional committee to
which a recurring plan or report is required to be submitted.
``(b) Agency Identification of Unnecessary Reports.--
``(1) In general.--The head of each agency shall include in
the budget justification materials of the agency--
``(A) subject to paragraph (2), a list of each
recurring plan or report submitted by the agency that
the head of the agency determines to be outdated or
duplicative;
``(B) with respect to each recurring plan or report
described in subparagraph (A)--
``(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
that requires or requests the submission of the
recurring plan or report; and
``(iii) a list of the relevant
congressional committees for the recurring plan
or report; and
``(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).
``(c) Disposition of Recommendations.--
``(1) In general.--With respect to a recommendation on a
recurring plan or report included in budget justification
materials by the head of an agency under subsection
(b)(1)(B)(i), the chair and ranking member of each relevant
congressional committee may--
``(A) in coordination with any other relevant
congressional committee, as necessary, agree or
disagree with the recommendation or postpone a decision
on the recommendation; and
``(B) notify each agency that submits a
recommendation of the disposition of the recommendation
under subparagraph (A).
``(2) Legislative steps.--If a relevant congressional
committee agrees with an agency recommendation submitted under
subsection (b)(1)(B)(i), the relevant congressional committee
may take the necessary legislative steps to accomplish the
recommendation, which may include consulting with the agency
that submits the recurring plan or report that is the subject
of the recommendation to prepare appropriate legislation.
``(3) Agency requirements.--Nothing in this section shall
be construed to relieve 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).
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