,i  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #biai  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,august #a1 #bjac    
,mrs4 ,lummis 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,cohen1
 ,mr4 ,garcia1 and ,mr4 ,collins of     
,georgia7 introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend   
titles #e and #bh1 ,united ,states      
,code1 to require annual reports to     
,congress on1 and the maintenance of    
databases on1 awards of fees and other  
expenses to prevailing parties in       
certain administrative proceedings and  
court cases to which the ,united ,states
 is a party1 and for other purposes4    
#a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited
 as the ,open ,book on ,equal ,access to
 ,justice ,act4  #b4 ,modification of   
equal access to justice provisions  7a7 
,agency proceedings ,section #ejd of    
title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 is     
amended--  7#a7 in subsection 7c77#a71  
by striking 1 ,united ,states ,code2    
7#b7 by redesignating subsection 7f7 as 

subsection 7i72 and  7#c7 by striking   
subsection 7e7 and inserting the        
following3  7e7 7#a7 ,the ,chairman of  
the ,administrative ,conference of the  
,united ,states1 after consultation with
 the ,chief ,counsel for ,advocacy of   
the ,small ,business ,administration1   
shall report to the ,congress1 not later
 than ,march #ca of each year1 on the   
amount of fees and other expenses       
awarded during the preceding fiscal year
 pursuant to this section4 ,the report  
shall describe the number1 nature1 and  
amount of the awards1 the claims        
involved in the controversy1 and any    
other relevant information that may aid 
the ,congress in evaluating the scope   
and impact of such awards4 ,the report  
shall be made available to the public   
online4  7#b7 7,a7 ,the report required 
by paragraph 7#a7 shall account for all 
payments of fees and other expenses     
awarded under this section that are made
 pursuant to a settlement agreement1    
regardless of whether the settlement    

agreement is sealed or otherwise subject
 to nondisclosure provisions4  7,b7 ,the
 disclosure of fees and other expenses  
required under subparagraph 7,a7 does   
not affect any other information that is
 subject to nondisclosure provisions in 
the settlement agreement4  7f7 ,the     
,chairman of the ,administrative        
,conference shall create and maintain   
online a searchable database containing 
the following information with respect  
to each award of fees and other expenses
 under this section3  7#a7 ,the case    
name and number of the adversary        
adjudication1 if available1 hyperlinked 
to the case1 if available4  7#b7 ,the   
name of the agency involved in the      
adversary adjudication4  7#c7 ,a        
description of the claims in the        
adversary adjudication4  7#d7 ,the name 
of each party to whom the award was     
made4  7#e7 ,the amount of the award4   
7#f7 ,the basis for the finding that the
 position of the agency concerned was   
not substantially justified4  7g7 ,the  

online searchable database described in 
subsection 7f7 may not reveal any       
information the disclosure of which is  
prohibited by law or court order4  7h7  
,the head of each agency shall provide  
to the ,chairman of the ,administrative 
,conference in a timely manner all      
information requested by the ,chairman  
to comply with the requirements of      
subsections 7e71 7f71 and 7g74  4  7b7  
,court cases ,section #bdab7;d7 of title
 #bh1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended 
by adding at the end the following3     
7#e7 7,a7 ,the ,chairman of the         
,administrative ,conference of the      
,united ,states shall submit to the     
,congress1 not later than ,march #ca of 
each year1 a report on the amount of    
fees and other expenses awarded during  
the preceding fiscal year pursuant to   
this subsection4 ,the report shall      
describe the number1 nature1 and amount 
of the awards1 the claims involved in   
each controversy1 and any other relevant
 information that may aid the ,congress 

in evaluating the scope and impact of   
such awards4 ,the report shall be made  
available to the public online4  7,b7   
7i7 ,the report required by subparagraph
 7,a7 shall account for all payments of 
fees and other expenses awarded under   
this subsection that are made pursuant  
to a settlement agreement1 regardless of
 whether the settlement agreement is    
sealed or otherwise subject to          
nondisclosure provisions4  7ii7 ,the    
disclosure of fees and other expenses   
required under clause 7i7 does not      
affect any other information that is    
subject to nondisclosure provisions in  
the settlement agreement4  7,c7 ,the    
,chairman of the ,administrative        
,conference shall include and clearly   
identify in the annual report under     
subparagraph 7,a71 for each case in     
which an award of fees and other        
expenses is included in the report--    
7i7 any amounts paid from section #acjd 
of title #ca for a judgment in the case2
  7ii7 the amount of the award of fees  

and other expenses2 and  7iii7 the      
statute under which the plaintiff filed 
suit4  7#f7 ,the ,chairman of the       
,administrative ,conference shall create
 and maintain online a searchable       
database containing the following       
information with respect to each award  
of fees and other expenses under this   
subsection3  7,a7 ,the case name and    
number1 hyperlinked to the case1 if     
available4  7,b7 ,the name of the agency
 involved in the case4  7,c7 ,the name  
of each party to whom the award was     
made4  7,d7 ,a description of the claims
 in the case4  7,e7 ,the amount of the  
award4  7,f7 ,the basis for the finding 
that the position of the agency         
concerned was not substantially         
justified4  7#g7 ,the online searchable 
database described in paragraph 7#f7 may
 not reveal any information the         
disclosure of which is prohibited by law
 or court order4  7#h7 ,the head of each
 agency shall provide to the ,chairman  
of the ,administrative ,conference of   

the ,united ,states in a timely manner  
all information requested by the        
,chairman to comply with the            
requirements of paragraphs 7#e71 7#f71  
and 7#g71 including the ,attorney       
,general of the ,united ,states and the 
,director of the ,administrative ,office
 of the ,united ,states ,courts4  4  7c7
 ,clerical amendments ,section #bdab of 
title #bh1 ,united ,states ,code1 is    
amended--  7#a7 in subsection 7d77#c71  
by striking ,united ,states ,code12 and 
7#b7 in subsection 7e7--  7,a7 by       
striking of section #bdab of title #bh1 
,united ,states ,code1 and inserting of 
this section2 and  7,b7 by striking of  
such title and inserting of this title4 
7d7 ,effective date  7#a7 ,in general   
,the amendments made by subsections 7a7 
and 7b7 shall first apply with respect  
to awards of fees and other expenses    
that are made on or after the date of   
the enactment of this ,act4  7#b7       
,initial reports ,the first reports     
required by section #ejd7;e7 of title   

#e1 ,united ,states ,code1 and section  
#bdab7;d77#e7 of title #bh1 ,united     
,states ,code1 shall be submitted not   
later than ,march #ca of the calendar   
year following the first calendar year  
in which a fiscal year begins after the 
date of the enactment of this ,act4     
7#c7 ,online databases ,the online      
databases required by section #ejd7;f7  
of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 and 
section #bdab7;d77#f7 of title #bh1     
,united ,states ,code1 shall be         
established as soon as practicable after
 the date of the enactment of this ,act1
 but in no case later than the date on  
which the first reports under section   
#ejd7;e7 of title #e1 ,united ,states   
,code1 and section #bdab7;d77#e7 of     
title #bh1 ,united ,states ,code1 are   
required to be submitted under paragraph
 7#b7 of this subsection4