Library / Laws / 113th / s / S. 2113 / Reported in Senate
II
Calendar No. 531
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2113
[Report No. 113–243]
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 12, 2014Mr. Coburn (for himself, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Begich, Mr. Burr, Mr. Chambliss, Ms. Collins, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Flake, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Paul, Mr. Portman, Mr. Risch, Mr. Scott, Mr. Vitter, Mr. Warner, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Coats, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Lee, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Thune, Mr. Toomey, Mr. Wicker, and Mr. King) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
August 26, 2014Reported, under authority of the order of the Senate of August 5 (legislative day, August 1), 2014,
by Mr. Carper, with an amendmentStrike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic
A BILL
To provide taxpayers with an annual report disclosing the cost and performance of Government
programs and areas of duplication among them, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act.
2.
Cost and performance of Government programs
(a)
Amendment
Section 1122(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(3)
Additional information
(A)
In general
Information for each program described under paragraph (1) shall include the following (which shall
be updated not less frequently than annually):
(i) The total administrative expenses for the program for the previous fiscal year.
(ii) The expenditures for services for the program for the previous fiscal year.
(iii) An estimate of the number of clients served by the program and beneficiaries who received
assistance under the program (if applicable) for the previous fiscal year.
(iv) An estimate of, for the previous fiscal year—
(I) the number of full-time Federal employees who administer the program; and
(II) the number of full-time employees whose salary is paid in part or full by the Federal Government
through a grant or contract, a subaward of a grant or contract, a
cooperative agreement, or another form of financial award or assistance
who administer or assist in administering the program.
(v) An identification of the specific statute that authorizes the program, including whether such
authorization is expired.
(vi) Any finding of duplication or overlap identified by internal review, an Inspector General, the
Government Accountability Office, or other report to the agency about the
program.
(vii) Any program performance reviews (including program performance reports required under section
1116).
(B)
Definitions
In this paragraph:
(i)
Administrative expenses
The term administrative expenses—
(I) has the meaning given that term by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget under
section
504(b)(2) of the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2010 (31 U.S.C. 1105 note); and
(II) includes, with
respect to an agency—
(aa) costs incurred by the agency and costs incurred by grantees, subgrantees, and other
recipients of funds from a grant program or other program administered by
the agency; and
(bb) expenses related to personnel salaries and benefits, property management, travel, program
management, promotion, reviews and audits, case management, and
communication about, promotion of, and outreach for programs and program
activities administered by the agency.
(ii)
Services
The term services—
(I) has the meaning given that term by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and
(II) shall be
limited to only activities, assistance, and aid that provide a direct
benefit to a recipient, such as the provision of medical care, assistance
for housing or tuition, or financial support (including grants and loans).
.
(b)
Expired grant funding
Not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
shall publish on the public website of the Office of Management and Budget
the total amount of undisbursed grant funding remaining in grant accounts
for which the period of availability to the grantee has expired.
3.
Government Accountability Office requirements relating to identification, consolidation, and
elimination of duplicative Government programs
Section 21 of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (31 U.S.C. 712 note) is amended—
(1) by striking The Comptroller General and inserting the following:
(a)
In general
The Comptroller General
; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
(b)
Updates
The Comptroller General shall maintain on a publicly available website (which shall include regular
updates, not less frequently than annually) the status of responses
by Departments and Congress to suggested actions that the Comptroller
General has previously identified in annual reports under subsection (a).
The status of the suggested actions shall be tracked for an appropriate
period to be determined by the Comptroller General.
.
4.
Classified information
Nothing in this Act shall, or the amendments made by this Act, be construed to require the
disclosure of classified information.
5.
Regulations and implementation
(a)
Regulations
Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall prescribe regulations to implement this Act,
and the amendments made by this Act.
(b)
Implementation
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall be implemented not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act.
(c)
No additional funds authorized
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act, or the amendments
made by this Act.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act.
2.
Cost and performance of Government programs
(a)
In general
Section 1122(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively;
(2) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so redesignated, the following:
(1)
Definition of program
For purposes of this subsection, the term program means an organized set of activities by 1 or more agencies directed toward a common
purpose or goal.
;
(3) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated—
(A) by striking In general.—Not later than October 1, 2012, the Office of Management and Budget shall and inserting Website and program inventory.—The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall;
(B) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the following:
(C) include on the website—
(i) a program inventory that shall identify each program of the Federal Government, which shall
include—
(I) any activity that is commonly referred to as a program;
(II) any activity specifically created by law, or referenced in law, as a program;
(III) each program that has an application process;
(IV) each program for which financial awards are made on a competitive basis; and
(V) any activity identified as a program activity in a budget request; and
(ii) for each program identified in the program inventory, the information required under paragraph (3).
;
(4) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated—
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking described under paragraph (1) and inserting identified in the program inventory required under paragraph (2);
(B) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the following:
(A) the program activities that are considered a program by the agency;
;
(C) in subparagraph (B), by striking and at the end;
(D) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and
(E) by adding at the end the following:
(D) an identification of the specific statute that authorizes the program and any regulations
specific to the program;
(E) for any program that provides grants or other financial assistance to individuals or entities, for
the most recent fiscal year—
(i) an estimate of the number of individuals served by the program and beneficiaries who received
financial assistance under the program; and
(ii) an estimate of—
(I) the number of full-time equivalents who administer the program; and
(II) the number of full-time equivalents whose salary is paid in part or full by the Federal Government
through a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or another form of
financial award or assistance who administer or assist in any way in
administering the program;
(F) links to any evaluation, assessment, or program performance reviews by the agency, an Inspector
General, or
the Government Accountability Office (including program performance
reports required under section
1116) released during the preceding 5 years; and
(G) to the extent available, financial information for each program required to be reported under
section 3(b) of the
Federal Funding
Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note), or a
direct link to such information for a specific program on the website
established under section 2 of that Act.
.
(b)
Guidance
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget—
(1) shall issue guidance to agencies to identify how the program activities used in budget or
appropriations accounts correspond with programs identified in the program
inventory required under section
1122(a)(2)(A) of title 31, United States Code, as amended by subsection
(a); and
(2) may issue guidance to agencies on more closely aligning program activities to the programs in the
program inventory for purposes of the budget of the President submitted to
Congress under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code.
3.
Regulations and implementation
(a)
Regulations
Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall prescribe regulations or other guidance to
implement this Act,
and the amendments made by this Act.
(b)
Implementation
This Act, and the amendments made by this Act, shall be implemented not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act.
August 26, 2014Reported with an amendment