IB 

Union Calendar No. 133 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2392 

[Report No. 111–239] 

To improve the effectiveness of the Government’s collection, analysis, and 

dissemination of business information by using modern interactive data 

technologies. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 13, 2009 

Mr. ISSA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Oversight and Government Reform 

JULY 30, 2009 

Additional sponsor: Mr. TOWNS

JULY 30, 2009 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 13, 2009] 

A BILL 

To improve the effectiveness of the Government’s collection, 

analysis, and dissemination of business information by 

using modern interactive data technologies. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Government Information 

3 Transparency Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DATA STANDARD REQUIREMENTS. 

5 (a) REQUIREMENT.—The Director of the Office of 

6 Management and Budget shall adopt a single data standard 

7 for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of business 

8 and financial information for use by private sector entities 

9 in accordance with section 3 for information required to 

10 be reported to the Federal Government, and a single data 

11 standard for use by agencies within the Federal Government 

12 in accordance with section 4 for Federal financial informa13 tion. 

14 (b) CHARACTERISTICS OF DATA STANDARDS.—The 

15 single data standards required by subsection (a) shall— 

16 (1) be common across all agencies, to the max17 imum extent practicable; 

18 (2) be a widely accepted, open source, non-pro19 prietary, searchable, computer-readable format for 

20 business and financial data; 

21 (3) be consistent with and implement— 

22 (A) United States generally accepted ac23 counting principles or Federal financial account24 ing standards (as appropriate); 

25 (B) industry best practices; and 

26 (C) Federal regulatory requirements; 


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1 (4) improve the transparency, consistency, and 

2 usability of business and financial information; and 

3 (5) be capable of being continually upgraded to 

4 be of maximum use as technologies and content evolve 

5 over time. 

6 SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF SINGLE DATA STANDARD FOR 

7 PRIVATE SECTOR. 

8 (a) OMB GUIDANCE.—Not later than 180 days after 

9 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 

10 Office of Management and Budget shall issue guidance to 

11 agencies on the use and implementation of the single data 

12 standard required by section 2 for information required to 

13 be reported to agencies by the private sector. 

14 (b) AGENCY REQUIREMENTS.— 

15 (1) REQUIREMENT.—To the maximum extent 

16 practicable and consistent with the guidance provided 

17 by the Office of Management and Budget under sub18 section (a), the head of each agency shall require the 

19 use of the single data standard required by section 2 

20 for business and financial information reported to the 

21 agency by private sector companies. 

22 (2) IMPLEMENTATION.—The head of the agency 

23 shall begin implementing the requirement of para24 graph (1) within one year after the date of the enact25 ment of this Act. 


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1 SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION OF SINGLE DATA STANDARD FOR 

2 FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. 

3 (a) OMB DEVELOPMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 

5 Office of Management and Budget shall develop the single 

6 data standard required by section 2 for use by agencies 

7 within the Federal Government for Federal financial infor8 mation. 

9 (b) OMB GUIDANCE.—Not later than 18 months after 

10 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue 

11 guidance to agencies on the use and implementation of the 

12 single data standard developed under subsection (a). 

13 SEC. 5. PUBLIC ACCESS TO DATA. 

14 The head of each agency shall ensure that information 

15 collected using the single data standards required under this 

16 Act is accessible to the general public in that format to the 

17 extent permitted by law. 

18 SEC. 6. REPORT. 

19 Within one year after the date of the enactment of this 

20 Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 

21 shall submit to the Committee on Oversight and Govern22 ment Reform of the House of Representatives and the Com23 mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 

24 the Senate a report on the status of the implementation of 

25 this Act. 


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1 SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ means any ex4 ecutive department, military department, Government 

5 corporation, Government controlled corporation, inde6 pendent establishment, or other establishment in the 

7 executive branch of the Government (including the 

8 Executive Office of the President), or any independent 

9 regulatory agency, but does not include— 

10 (A) the Government Accountability Office; 

11 (B) the Federal Election Commission; 

12 (C) the governments of the District of Co13 lumbia and of the territories and possessions of 

14 the United States, and their various subdivi15 sions; or 

16 (D) Government-owned contractor-operated 

17 facilities, including laboratories engaged in na18 tional defense research and production activities. 

19 (2) EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, MILITARY DEPART20 MENT, GOVERNMENT CORPORATION, GOVERNMENT

21 CONTROLLED CORPORATION, INDEPENDENT ESTAB22 LISHMENT.—The terms ‘‘Executive department’’, 

23 ‘‘military department’’, ‘‘Government corporation’’, 

24 ‘‘Government controlled corporation’’, and ‘‘inde25 pendent establishment’’ have the meanings given those 

26 terms by chapter 1 of title 5, United States Code. 


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1 (3) INDEPENDENT REGULATORY AGENCY.—The 

2 term ‘‘independent regulatory agency’’ has the mean3 ing given that term by section 3502(5) of title 44, 

4 United States Code. 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS

hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 133 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2392 

[Report No. 111–239] 

A BILL 

To improve the effectiveness of the Government’s 

technologies. information by using modern interactive data collection, analysis, and dissemination of business 

JULY 30, 2009 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 


hsrobinson on PROD1PC76 with BILLS