IB 

Union Calendar No. 503 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1974 

[Report No. 112–663, Part I] 

To require the Public Printer to establish and maintain a website accessible 

to the public that allows the public to obtain electronic copies of all 

congressionally mandated reports in one place, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 24, 2011 

Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. COOPER, and Mr. LYNCH) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 

and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 

Reported from the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform with an 

amendment 

[Insert the part printed in italic] 

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012 

Referral to the Committee on House Administration extended for a period 

ending not later than October 1, 2012 

OCTOBER 1, 2012 

Additional sponsors: Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. YARMUTH, 

Mr. KIND, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. WELCH, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. WALDEN, Mr. 

SCHOCK, Mr. POLIS, and Mr. AMASH

OCTOBER 1, 2012 

The Committee on House Administration discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 

printed 


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•HR 1974 RH

A BILL 

To require the Public Printer to establish and maintain 

a website accessible to the public that allows the public 

to obtain electronic copies of all congressionally mandated reports in one place, and for other purposes. 


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•HR 1974 RH

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 ‘‘Access to Congression5 ally Mandated Reports Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WEBSITE FOR CONGRESSION7 ALLY MANDATED REPORTS. 

8 (a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH WEBSITE.—Not 

9 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 

10 Act, the Public Printer shall establish and maintain a 

11 website accessible by the public that allows the public to 

12 obtain electronic copies of all congressionally mandated re13 ports in one place. The Public Printer may publish other 

14 reports on such website. 

15 (b) CONTENT AND FUNCTION.—The Public Printer 

16 shall ensure that the website required under subsection (a) 

17 includes the following: 

18 (1) With respect to each congressionally man19 dated report, each of the following: 

20 (A) A citation to the statute or conference 

21 report requiring the report. 

22 (B) An electronic copy of the report, in23 cluding any transmittal letter associated with 

24 the report, in an open format that is platform 

25 independent and that is available to the public 


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•HR 1974 RH

1 without restrictions, including restrictions that 

2 would impede the re-use of the information in 

3 the report. 

4 (C) The ability to retrieve a report, to the 

5 extent practicable, through searches based on 

6 each, and any combination, of the following: 

7 (i) The title of the report. 

8 (ii) The reporting Federal agency. 

9 (iii) The date of publication. 

10 (iv) Each congressional committee re11 ceiving the report, if applicable. 

12 (v) Subject tags. 

13 (vi) The serial number, Super14 intendent of Documents number, or other 

15 identification number for the report, if ap16 plicable. 

17 (vii) The statute or conference report 

18 requiring the report. 

19 (viii) Key words. 

20 (ix) Full text search. 

21 (x) Any other relevant information 

22 specified by the Public Printer. 

23 (D) The time and date when the report 

24 was required to be submitted, and when the re25 port was submitted, to the website. 


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1 (E) Access to the report not later than 30 

2 calendar days after its submission to Congress. 

3 (F) To the extent practicable, a permanent 

4 means of accessing the report electronically. 

5 (2) A means for bulk download of all congres6 sionally mandated reports or a selection of reports 

7 retrieved using a search. 

8 (3) A means for the head of each Federal agen9 cy to publish on the website each congressionally 

10 mandated report of the agency, as required by sec11 tion 3. 

12 (4) A list form for all congressionally mandated 

13 reports that can be searched, sorted, and 

14 downloaded by— 

15 (A) reports submitted within the required 

16 time; 

17 (B) reports submitted after the date on 

18 which such reports were required to be sub19 mitted; and 

20 (C) reports not submitted. 

21 (c) FREE ACCESS.—The Public Printer may not 

22 charge a fee, require registration, or impose any other lim23 itation in exchange for access to the website required 

24 under subsection (a). 


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1 (d) UPGRADE CAPABILITY.—The website required 

2 under subsection (a) shall be enhanced and updated as 

3 necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. 

4 SEC. 3. FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES. 

5 (a) SUBMISSION OF ELECTRONIC COPIES OF RE6 PORTS.—The head of each Federal agency shall publish 

7 congressionally mandated reports of the agency on the 

8 website required under section 2(a)— 

9 (1) in an open format that is platform inde10 pendent, machine readable, and available to the pub11 lic without restrictions (except the redaction of infor12 mation described under section 5), including restric13 tions that would impede the re-use of the informa14 tion in the reports; and 

15 (2) in accordance with the guidance issued 

16 under subsection (c). 

17 (b) SUBMISSION OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.— 

18 The head of each Federal agency shall submit to the Pub19 lic Printer the information required under subparagraphs 

20 (A) through (D) of section 2(b)(1) with respect to each 

21 congressionally mandated report published pursuant to 

22 subsection (a). 

23 (c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than eight months after 

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

25 Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with 


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1 the Public Printer, shall issue guidance to agencies on the 

2 implementation of this Act. 

3 SEC. 4. RELATIONSHIP TO REQUIREMENTS TO SUBMIT RE4 PORTS TO CONGRESS. 

5 (a) COMPLIANCE WITH STATUTORY REQUIREMENT

6 TO SUBMIT REPORTS.—Notwithstanding any other provi7 sion of law, a Federal agency is deemed to have complied 

8 with a statutory requirement to submit a report to Con9 gress if the agency completes each of the following, with 

10 respect to such report: 

11 (1) Publishes a complete and unredacted copy 

12 on the website required under section 2(a). 

13 (2) Notifies the Clerk of the House of Rep14 resentatives, the Secretary of the Senate, and each 

15 congressional committee to which a report must be 

16 submitted of the report’s availability on the website. 

17 (b) REMOVING AND ALTERING REPORTS.—A report 

18 submitted to be published to the website required under 

19 section 2(a) may only be changed or removed, with the 

20 exception of technical changes, by the Federal agency with 

21 the express, written consent of each congressional com22 mittee to which the report must be submitted. 


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1 SEC. 5. RELATIONSHIP TO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 

2 ACT. 

3 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the 

4 disclosure of information or records that are exempt from 

5 public disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United 

6 States Code. If any information in a congressionally man7 dated report may not be publicly released under section 

8 552(b) of title 5, United States Code, the Federal agency 

9 concerned shall redact from the report submitted to be 

10 published on the website established under section 2 only 

11 such information, shall indicate where such redactions 

12 were made in the report, and shall identify the exemption 

13 under which each such redaction is made. 

14 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this Act: 

16 (1) CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED REPORT.— 

17 The term ‘‘congressionally mandated report’’ means 

18 a report that is required to be submitted to either 

19 House of Congress or any committee of Congress by 

20 statute or by a conference report that accompanies 

21 legislation enacted into law. 

22 (2) FEDERAL AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 

23 agency’’ has the meaning given that term under sec24 tion 102 of title 40, United States Code, but does 

25 not include the Government Accountability Office. 


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1 SEC. 7. IMPLEMENTATION. 

2 Except as provided in section 3(c), this Act shall be 

3 implemented not later than one year after the date of the 

4 enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to con5 gressionally mandated reports submitted to Congress on 

6 or after the date occurring one year after such date of 

7 enactment. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 503 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1974 

[Report No. 112–663, Part I] 

A BILL 

To require the Public Printer to establish and 

and for other purposes. congressionally mandated reports in one place, allows the public to obtain electronic copies of all maintain a website accessible to the public that 

OCTOBER 1, 2012 

The Committee on House Administration discharged; 

the State of the Union and ordered to be printed committed to the Committee of the Whole House on 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with BILLS