Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act

Summary: Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act  This bill requires the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to establish and maintain a website that provides the public free electronic access to all congressionally mandated reports within 30 calendar days after submission to Congress.  Each federal agency shall publish congressionally mandated reports on such website. A report submitted for publication may only be changed or removed, with the exception of technical changes, by the agency concerned with the express, written consent of the chairman of each congressional committee to which the report is submitted. Each agency: (1) must redact from such a report any information that may not be publicly released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), (2) may withhold information otherwise required to be disclosed pursuant to this bill only if the agency reasonably foresees that disclosure would harm an interest protected by FOIA exemptions or if disclosure is prohibited by law, and (3) shall consider whether partial disclosure of information is possible whenever full disclosure is not and take reasonable steps necessary to segregate and release nonexempt information. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Access to Congressionally Mandated 
Reports Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WEBSITE FOR CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED REPORTS.

    (a) Requirement To Establish Website.--Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
Government Publishing Office shall establish and maintain a website 
accessible by the public that allows the public to obtain electronic 
copies of all congressionally mandated reports in one place. The 
Director of the Government Publishing Office may publish other reports 
on such website.
    (b) Content and Function.--The Director of the Government 
Publishing Office shall ensure that the website required under 
subsection (a) includes the following:
            (1) With respect to each congressionally mandated report, 
        each of the following:
                    (A) A citation to the statute or conference report 
                requiring the report.
                    (B) An electronic copy of the report, including any 
                transmittal letter associated with the report, in an 
                open format that is platform independent and that is 
                available to the public without restrictions, including 
                restrictions that would impede the re-use of the 
                information in the report.
                    (C) The ability to retrieve a report, to the extent 
                practicable, through searches based on each, and any 
                combination, of the following:
                            (i) The title of the report.
                            (ii) The reporting Federal agency.
                            (iii) The date of publication.
                            (iv) Each congressional committee receiving 
                        the report, if applicable.
                            (v) Subject tags.
                            (vi) The serial number, Superintendent of 
                        Documents number, or other identification 
                        number for the report, if applicable.
                            (vii) The statute or conference report 
                        requiring the report.
                            (viii) Key words.
                            (ix) Full text search.
                            (x) Any other relevant information 
                        specified by the Director of the Government 
                        Publishing Office.
                    (D) The time and date when the report was required 
                to be submitted, and when the report was submitted, to 
                the website.
                    (E) Access to the report not later than 30 calendar 
                days after its submission to Congress.
                    (F) To the extent practicable, a permanent means of 
                accessing the report electronically.
            (2) A means for bulk download of all congressionally 
        mandated reports or a selection of reports retrieved using a 
        search.
            (3) A means for the head of each Federal agency to publish 
        on the website each congressionally mandated report of the 
        agency, as required by section 3.
            (4) A list form for all congressionally mandated reports 
        that can be searched, sorted, and downloaded by--
                    (A) reports submitted within the required time;
                    (B) reports submitted after the date on which such 
                reports were required to be submitted; and
                    (C) reports not submitted.
    (c) Free Access.--The Director of the Government Publishing Office 
may not charge a fee, require registration, or impose any other 
limitation in exchange for access to the website required under 
subsection (a).
    (d) Upgrade Capability.--The website required under subsection (a) 
shall be enhanced and updated as necessary to carry out the purposes of 
this Act.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES.

    (a) Submission of Electronic Copies of Reports.--The head of each 
Federal agency shall publish congressionally mandated reports of the 
agency on the website required under section 2(a)--
            (1) in an open format that is platform independent, machine 
        readable, and available to the public without restrictions 
        (except the redaction of information described under section 
        5), including restrictions that would impede the re-use of the 
        information in the reports; and
            (2) in accordance with the guidance issued under subsection 
        (c).
    (b) Submission of Additional Information.--The head of each Federal 
agency shall submit to the Director of the Government Publishing Office 
the information required under subparagraphs (A) through (D) of section 
2(b)(1) with respect to each congressionally mandated report published 
pursuant to subsection (a).
    (c) Guidance.--Not later than eight months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget, in consultation with the Director of the Government Publishing 
Office, shall issue guidance to agencies on the implementation of this 
Act.

SEC. 4. REMOVING AND ALTERING REPORTS.

    A report submitted to be published to the website required under 
section 2(a) may only be changed or removed, with the exception of 
technical changes, by the head of the Federal agency concerned with the 
express, written consent of the chairman of each congressional 
committee to which the report is submitted.

SEC. 5. RELATIONSHIP TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

    (a) In General.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require 
the disclosure of information or records that are exempt from public 
disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United States Code, or to 
impose any affirmative duty on the Director of the Government 
Publishing Office to review congressionally mandated reports submitted 
for publication to the website established under section 2(a) for the 
purpose of identifying and redacting such information or records.
    (b) Redaction of Report.--With respect to each congressionally 
mandated report, the relevant head of each Federal agency shall redact 
any information that may not be publicly released under section 552(b) 
of title 5, United States Code, before submission for publication on 
the website established under section 2(a), and shall--
            (1) redact only such information from the report;
            (2) identify where any such redaction is made in the 
        report; and
            (3) identify the exemption under which each such redaction 
        is made.
    (c) Withholding Information.--
            (1) In general.--A Federal agency--
                    (A) may withhold information otherwise required to 
                be disclosed pursuant to this Act only if--
                            (i) the Federal agency reasonably foresees 
                        that disclosure would harm an interest 
                        protected by an exemption described in section 
                        552(b) of title 5, United States Code; or
                            (ii) disclosure is prohibited by law; and
                    (B) shall--
                            (i) consider whether partial disclosure of 
                        information is possible whenever the Federal 
                        agency determines that a full disclosure of a 
                        requested record is not possible; and
                            (ii) take reasonable steps necessary to 
                        segregate and release nonexempt information.
            (2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection 
        requires disclosure of information that is otherwise prohibited 
        from disclosure by law, or otherwise exempted from disclosure 
        under section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Congressionally mandated report.--The term 
        ``congressionally mandated report'' means a report that is 
        required to be submitted to either House of Congress or any 
        committee of Congress by statute or by a conference report that 
        accompanies legislation enacted into law.
            (2) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' has the 
        meaning given that term under section 102 of title 40, United 
        States Code, but does not include the Government Accountability 
        Office.

SEC. 7. IMPLEMENTATION.

    Except as provided in section 3(c), this Act shall be implemented 
not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and 
shall apply with respect to congressionally mandated reports submitted 
to Congress on or after the date occurring one year after such date of 
enactment.