,,ii #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #chcf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #ae1 #bjbb ,ms4 ,ernst introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,homeland ,security and ,governmental ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to establish within the ,executive ,office of the ,president the ,taxpayer ,watchdog ,office4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as ,the ,watchdog ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,agency ,the term agency means-- 7,a7 an ,executive agency1 as defined in section #aje of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code2 and 7,b7 an independent regulatory agency1 as defined in section #cejb of title #dd1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,director ,the term ,director means the ,director of ,openness in ,government appointed under section #c7;b74 7#c7 ,federal transparency laws ,the term ,federal transparency laws means transparency laws of the ,federal ,government1 including-- 7,a7 section #eeb of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,b7 section #eeb;b of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,c7 the ,federal ,funding ,accountability and ,transparency ,act of #bjjf 7#ca ,u4,s4,c4 #faja note72 7,d7 the program inventory of each ,federal agency required under section #aabb7;a7 of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,e7 section #bcgd;b of title #aj1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,f7 section #aacai of title ,i of the ,infrastructure ,investment and ,jobs ,act 7,public ,law #aag-eh72 and 7,g7 any requirement included in an annual appropriations ,act for a grant recipient of ,federal funds to include in statements1 press releases1 requests for proposals1 bid solicitations1 or other documents describing projects or programs funded in whole or in part with ,federal money-- 7i7 the percentage of the total costs of the program or project which will be financed with ,federal money2 7ii7 the dollar amount of ,federal funds for the project or program2 or 7iii7 the percentage and dollar amount of the total costs of the project or program that will be financed by non-governmental sources4 7#d7 ,office ,the term ,office means the ,taxpayer ,watchdog ,office established under section #c7;a74 #c4 ,establishment of ,taxpayer ,watchdog ,office 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established within the ,executive ,office of the ,president the ,taxpayer ,watchdog ,office4 7b7 ,director ,the ,director shall be the head of the ,office and shall be appointed by the ,president4 7c7 ,staff resources ,the ,director of the ,office of ,management and ,budget shall ensure that the ,office has sufficient staff resources to enable the ,director to fulfill the duties described in section #d4 #d4 ,duties of the ,office 7a7 ,oversight 7#a7 ,implementation of ,government ,transparency ,laws ,the ,director shall oversee the implementation of ,federal transparency laws4 7#b7 ,complaints ,the ,director shall accept and review complaints about a failure of an agency to comply with a ,federal transparency law4 7#c7 ,evaluation ,the ,director shall develop a standard compliance and performance scoring methodology using a #ajj-point scale and shall evaluate and grade each agency according to the scale by considering-- 7,a7 the compliance of the agency with ,federal transparency laws1 including the accuracy1 thoroughness1 and timeliness of the agency in providing the public the information required by those laws2 and 7,b7 any other action taken by the agency to increase openness in the ,federal ,government4 7#d7 ,cooperation 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,director may collect necessary information from agencies to determine whether an agency is in compliance with ,federal transparency laws4 7,b7 ,agency cooperation ,each agency shall cooperate with the ,office to provide information necessary to complete the evaluation required under paragraph 7#c74 7b7 ,information to the ,public ,the ,director shall-- 7#a7 with respect to information to which the public is required to be provided access under ,federal transparency laws-- 7,a7 compile and maintain on a searchable public website an up-to-date summary of the information and the manner in which the information may be accessed2 and 7,b7 compile a summary of the legal limitations to accessing the information1 including limitations relating to personal privacy1 national security1 law enforcement1 and privileged communications2 and 7#b7 compile case law on the interpretation of ,federal transparency laws4 7c7 ,report and ,recommendations 7#a7 ,annual report ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and annually thereafter1 the ,director shall make available to the public a report-- 7,a7 listing-- 7i7 each ,federal transparency law2 and 7ii7 the compilation of information relating to ,federal transparency laws required under subsection 7b77#a72 7,b7 summarizing the evaluations required under subsection 7a77#c72 7,c7 detailing how the ,federal transparency laws apply to-- 7i7 each agency2 and 7ii7 each entity receiving ,federal financial assistance1 including grants1 subgrants1 loans1 contracts1 and tax expenditures2 7,d7 providing statistics on the timeliness and completeness of agency reporting and disclosure of information required to be provided or disclosed under ,federal transparency laws2 and 7,e7 including any agency response to the evaluation in the report4 7#b7 ,recommendations ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and not less frequently than every #b years thereafter1 the ,director shall submit to the ,president1 the heads of agencies1 and ,congress recommendations for improvements to increase transparency in the activities and missions of1 and supported by1 the ,federal ,government4 #e4 ,officers and ,employees ,the ,director may appoint and terminate such officers and employees as may be necessary to enable the ,office to perform the duties of the ,office4 #f4 ,funding ,the ,office shall be funded through the ,office of ,management and ,budget4