II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4477 

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list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget 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 23, 2022 

Mr. OSSOFF (for himself and Mr. PORTMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 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to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting 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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Eliminate Useless Re5 ports Act of 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SUNSETS FOR AGENCY REPORTS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1125 of title 31, United 

8 States Code, is amended— 


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1 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub2 section (d); 

3 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in4 serting the following: 

5 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 ‘‘(1) BUDGET JUSTIFICATION MATERIALS.— 

7 The term ‘budget justification materials’ has the 

8 meaning given the term in section 3(b)(2) of the 

9 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency 

10 Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101 note; Public Law 109– 

11 282). 

12 ‘‘(2) RECURRING PLAN OR REPORT.—The term 

13 ‘recurring plan or report’ mean any plan or report 

14 submitted to Congress by not less than 1 agency on 

15 a recurring basis— 

16 ‘‘(A) in accordance with Federal law; or 

17 ‘‘(B) at the direction of a congressional re18 port. 

19 ‘‘(3) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COM20 MITTEE.—In this section, the term ‘relevant con21 gressional committee’ means a congressional com22 mittee to which a recurring plan or report is re23 quired to be submitted. 

24 ‘‘(b) AGENCY IDENTIFICATION OF UNNECESSARY

25 REPORTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The head of each agency 

2 shall include in the budget justification materials of 

3 the agency— 

4 ‘‘(A) subject to paragraph (2), a list of 

5 each recurring plan or report submitted by the 

6 agency that the head of the agency determines 

7 to be outdated or duplicative; 

8 ‘‘(B) with respect to each recurring plan or 

9 report described in subparagraph (A)— 

10 ‘‘(i) a recommendation on whether to 

11 sunset, modify, consolidate, or reduce the 

12 frequency of the submission of the recur13 ring plan or report; 

14 ‘‘(ii) a citation to each provision of 

15 law that requires or requests the submis16 sion of the recurring plan or report; and 

17 ‘‘(iii) a list of the relevant congres18 sional committees for the recurring plan or 

19 report; and 

20 ‘‘(C) a justification explaining, with respect 

21 to each recommendation described in subpara22 graph (B)(i) relating to a recurring plan or re23 port— 

24 ‘‘(i) why the head of the agency made 

25 the recommendation, which may include an 


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1 estimate of the resources expended by the 

2 agency to prepare and submit the recur3 ring plan or report; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the understanding of the head of 

5 the agency of the purpose of the recurring 

6 plan or report. 

7 ‘‘(2) AGENCY CONSULTATION.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In preparing the list 

9 required under paragraph (1)(A), if, in submit10 ting a recurring plan or report, an agency is re11 quired to coordinate or consult with another 

12 agency or entity, the head of the agency sub13 mitting the recurring plan or report shall con14 sult with the head of each agency or entity with 

15 whom consultation or coordination is required. 

16 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION IN LIST.—If, after a con17 sultation under subparagraph (A), the head of 

18 each agency or entity consulted under that sub19 paragraph agrees that a recurring plan or re20 port is outdated or duplicative, the head of the 

21 agency required to submit the recurring plan or 

22 report shall— 

23 ‘‘(i) include the recurring plan or re24 port in the list described in paragraph 

25 (1)(A); and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) identify each agency or entity 

2 with which the head of the agency is re3 quired to coordinate or consult in submit4 ting the recurring plan or report. 

5 ‘‘(C) DISAGREEMENT.—If the head of any 

6 agency or entity consulted under subparagraph 

7 (A) does not agree that a recurring plan or re8 port is outdated or duplicative, the head of the 

9 agency required to submit the recurring plan or 

10 report shall not include the recurring plan or 

11 report in the list described in paragraph (1)(A). 

12 ‘‘(c) DISPOSITION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a rec14 ommendation on a recurring plan or report included 

15 in budget justification materials by the head of an 

16 agency under subsection (b)(1)(B)(i), the chair and 

17 ranking member of each relevant congressional com18 mittee may— 

19 ‘‘(A) in coordination with any other rel20 evant congressional committee, as necessary, 

21 agree or disagree with the recommendation or 

22 postpone a decision on the recommendation; 

23 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) notify each agency that submits a 

2 recommendation of the disposition of the rec3 ommendation under subparagraph (A). 

4 ‘‘(2) LEGISLATIVE STEPS.—If a relevant con5 gressional committee agrees with an agency rec6 ommendation submitted under subsection 

7 (b)(1)(B)(i), the relevant congressional committee 

8 may take the necessary legislative steps to accom9 plish the recommendation, which may include con10 sulting with the agency that submits the recurring 

11 plan or report that is the subject of the rec12 ommendation to prepare appropriate legislation. 

13 ‘‘(3) AGENCY REQUIREMENTS.—Nothing in this 

14 section shall be construed to relieve the head of an 

15 agency from a requirement to submit a recurring 

16 plan or report.’’; and 

17 (3) in subsection (d), as so redesignated, by 

18 striking ‘‘the budget of the United States Govern19 ment, as provided by section 1105(a)(37)’’ and in20 serting ‘‘in the budget justification materials of each 

21 agency’’. 

22 (b) BUDGET CONTENTS.—Section 1105(a) of title 

23 31, United States Code, is amended by striking paragraph 

24 (39). 

Æ 


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