Text of US SB 2073 (2024)

II 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2073 To amend title 31, United States Code, to require agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget justifications, and for other purposes.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 Secu- rity and Governmental Affairs A BILL To amend title 31, United States Code, to require agencies to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget justifications, and for other purposes.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 Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Eliminate Useless Re- 4 ports Act of 2023’’. 5 SEC. 2. SUNSETS FOR AGENCY REPORTS. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1125 of title 31, United 7 States Code, is amended— 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Jul 13, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2073.IS S2073 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •S 2073 IS (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub- 1 section (d); 2 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in- 3 serting the following: 4 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 5 ‘‘(1) BUDGET JUSTIFICATION MATERIALS.— 6 The term ‘budget justification materials’ has the 7 meaning given the term in section 3(b)(2) of the 8 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency 9 Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note; Public Law 109– 10 282). 11 ‘‘(2) RECURRING PLAN OR REPORT.—The term 12 ‘recurring plan or report’— 13 ‘‘(A) means any plan or report submitted 14 to Congress by not less than 1 agency on a re- 15 curring basis— 16 ‘‘(i) in accordance with Federal law; 17 or 18 ‘‘(ii) at the direction of a congres- 19 sional report; and 20 ‘‘(B) does not include any plan or report 21 that is required to be submitted to the Com- 22 mittee on Armed Services of the Senate. 23 ‘‘(3) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COM- 24 MITTEE.—The term ‘relevant congressional com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Jul 13, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2073.IS S2073 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •S 2073 IS mittee’ means a congressional committee to which a 1 recurring plan or report is required to be submitted. 2 ‘‘(b) AGENCY IDENTIFICATION OF UNNECESSARY 3 REPORTS.— 4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The head of each agency 5 shall include in the budget justification materials of 6 the agency— 7 ‘‘(A) subject to paragraph (2), a list of 8 each recurring plan or report submitted by the 9 agency that the head of the agency determines 10 to be outdated or duplicative; 11 ‘‘(B) with respect to each recurring plan or 12 report described in subparagraph (A)— 13 ‘‘(i) a recommendation on whether to 14 sunset, modify, consolidate, or reduce the 15 frequency of the submission of the recur- 16 ring plan or report; 17 ‘‘(ii) a citation to each provision of 18 law that requires or requests the submis- 19 sion of the recurring plan or report; and 20 ‘‘(iii) a list of the relevant congres- 21 sional committees for the recurring plan or 22 report; and 23 ‘‘(C) a justification explaining, with respect 24 to each recommendation described in subpara- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Jul 13, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2073.IS S2073 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •S 2073 IS graph (B)(i) relating to a recurring plan or re- 1 port— 2 ‘‘(i) why the head of the agency made 3 the recommendation, which may include an 4 estimate of the resources expended by the 5 agency to prepare and submit the recur- 6 ring plan or report; and 7 ‘‘(ii) the understanding of the head of 8 the agency of the purpose of the recurring 9 plan or report. 10 ‘‘(2) AGENCY CONSULTATION.— 11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In preparing the list 12 required under paragraph (1)(A), if, in submit- 13 ting a recurring plan or report, an agency is re- 14 quired to coordinate or consult with another 15 agency or entity, the head of the agency sub- 16 mitting the recurring plan or report shall con- 17 sult with the head of each agency or entity with 18 whom consultation or coordination is required. 19 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION IN LIST.—If, after a con- 20 sultation under subparagraph (A), the head of 21 each agency or entity consulted under that sub- 22 paragraph agrees that a recurring plan or re- 23 port is outdated or duplicative, the head of the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Jul 13, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2073.IS S2073 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •S 2073 IS agency required to submit the recurring plan or 1 report shall— 2 ‘‘(i) include the recurring plan or re- 3 port in the list described in paragraph 4 (1)(A); and 5 ‘‘(ii) identify each agency or entity 6 with which the head of the agency is re- 7 quired to coordinate or consult in submit- 8 ting the recurring plan or report. 9 ‘‘(C) DISAGREEMENT.—If the head of any 10 agency or entity consulted under subparagraph 11 (A) does not agree that a recurring plan or re- 12 port is outdated or duplicative, the head of the 13 agency required to submit the recurring plan or 14 report shall not include the recurring plan or 15 report in the list described in paragraph (1)(A). 16 ‘‘(c) DISPOSITION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.— 17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a rec- 18 ommendation on a recurring plan or report included 19 in budget justification materials by the head of an 20 agency under subsection (b)(1)(B)(i), the chair and 21 ranking member of each relevant congressional com- 22 mittee may— 23 ‘‘(A) in coordination with any other rel- 24 evant congressional committee, as necessary, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Jul 13, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2073.IS S2073 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •S 2073 IS agree or disagree with the recommendation or 1 postpone a decision on the recommendation; 2 and 3 ‘‘(B) notify each agency that submits a 4 recommendation of the disposition of the rec- 5 ommendation under subparagraph (A). 6 ‘‘(2) LEGISLATIVE STEPS.—If a relevant con- 7 gressional committee agrees with an agency rec- 8 ommendation submitted under subsection 9 (b)(1)(B)(i), the relevant congressional committee 10 may take the necessary legislative steps to accom- 11 plish the recommendation, which may include con- 12 sulting with the agency that submits the recurring 13 plan or report that is the subject of the rec- 14 ommendation to prepare appropriate legislation. 15 ‘‘(3) AGENCY REQUIREMENTS.—Nothing in this 16 section shall be construed to relieve the head of an 17 agency from a requirement to submit a recurring 18 plan or report.’’; and 19 (3) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by 20 striking ‘‘in the budget of the United States Govern- 21 ment, as provided by section 1105(a)(37)’’ and in- 22 serting ‘‘in the budget justification materials of each 23 agency’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Jul 13, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2073.IS S2073 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 7 •S 2073 IS (b) BUDGET CONTENTS.—Section 1105(a) of title 1 31, United States Code, is amended by striking paragraph 2 (39). 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:25 Jul 13, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S2073.IS S2073 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB