I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1380 

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 

MARCH 21, 2013 

Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Mr. AMASH, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. COOPER, Ms. 

NORTON, Mr. YARMUTH, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. CAROLYN

B. MALONEY of New York, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. KIND, and Mr. POLIS) 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 

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. 

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’’. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1380 IH

1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WEBSITE FOR CONGRESSION2 ALLY MANDATED REPORTS. 

3 (a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH WEBSITE.—Not 

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

5 Act, the Public Printer shall establish and maintain a 

6 website accessible by the public that allows the public to 

7 obtain electronic copies of all congressionally mandated re8 ports in one place. The Public Printer may publish other 

9 reports on such website. 

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

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

12 includes the following: 

13 (1) With respect to each congressionally man14 dated report, each of the following: 

15 (A) A citation to the statute or conference 

16 report requiring the report. 

17 (B) An electronic copy of the report, in18 cluding any transmittal letter associated with 

19 the report, in an open format that is platform 

20 independent and that is available to the public 

21 without restrictions, including restrictions that 

22 would impede the re-use of the information in 

23 the report. 

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

25 extent practicable, through searches based on 

26 each, and any combination, of the following: 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1380 IH

1 (i) The title of the report. 

2 (ii) The reporting Federal agency. 

3 (iii) The date of publication. 

4 (iv) Each congressional committee re5 ceiving the report, if applicable. 

6 (v) Subject tags. 

7 (vi) The serial number, Superinten8 dent of Documents number, or other iden9 tification number for the report, if applica10 ble. 

11 (vii) The statute or conference report 

12 requiring the report. 

13 (viii) Key words. 

14 (ix) Full text search. 

15 (x) Any other relevant information 

16 specified by the Public Printer. 

17 (D) The time and date when the report 

18 was required to be submitted, and when the re19 port was submitted, to the website. 

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

21 calendar days after its submission to Congress. 

22 (F) To the extent practicable, a permanent 

23 means of accessing the report electronically. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1380 IH

1 (2) A means for bulk download of all congres2 sionally mandated reports or a selection of reports 

3 retrieved using a search. 

4 (3) A means for the head of each Federal agen5 cy to publish on the website each congressionally 

6 mandated report of the agency, as required by sec7 tion 3. 

8 (4) A list form for all congressionally mandated 

9 reports that can be searched, sorted, and down10 loaded by— 

11 (A) reports submitted within the required 

12 time; 

13 (B) reports submitted after the date on 

14 which such reports were required to be sub15 mitted; and 

16 (C) reports not submitted. 

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

18 charge a fee, require registration, or impose any other lim19 itation in exchange for access to the website required 

20 under subsection (a). 

21 (d) UPGRADE CAPABILITY.—The website required 

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

23 necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1380 IH

1 SEC. 3. FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES. 

2 (a) SUBMISSION OF ELECTRONIC COPIES OF RE3 PORTS.—The head of each Federal agency shall publish 

4 congressionally mandated reports of the agency on the 

5 website required under section 2(a)— 

6 (1) in an open format that is platform inde7 pendent, machine readable, and available to the pub8 lic without restrictions (except the redaction of infor9 mation described under section 5), including restric10 tions that would impede the re-use of the informa11 tion in the reports; and 

12 (2) in accordance with the guidance issued 

13 under subsection (c). 

14 (b) SUBMISSION OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.— 

15 The head of each Federal agency shall submit to the Pub16 lic Printer the information required under subparagraphs 

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

18 congressionally mandated report published pursuant to 

19 subsection (a). 

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

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

22 Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with 

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

24 implementation of this Act. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1380 IH

1 SEC. 4. REMOVING AND ALTERING REPORTS. 

2 A report submitted to be published to the website re3 quired under section 2(a) may only be changed or re4 moved, with the exception of technical changes, by the 

5 head of the Federal agency concerned with the express, 

6 written consent of the chairman of each congressional 

7 committee to which the report is submitted. 

8 SEC. 5. RELATIONSHIP TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA9 TION ACT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act shall be con11 strued to require the disclosure of information or records 

12 that are exempt from public disclosure under section 552 

13 of title 5, United States Code, or to impose any affirmative 

14 duty on the Public Printer to review congressionally man15 dated reports submitted for publication to the website es16 tablished under section 2(a) for the purpose of identifying 

17 and redacting such information or records. 

18 (b) REDACTION OF REPORT.—With respect to each 

19 congressionally mandated report, the relevant head of each 

20 Federal agency shall redact any information that may not 

21 be publicly released under section 552(b) of title 5, United 

22 States Code, before submission for publication on the 

23 website established under section 2(a), and shall— 

24 (1) redact only such information from the re25 port; 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1380 IH

1 (2) identify where any such redaction is made 

2 in the report; and 

3 (3) identify the exemption under which each 

4 such redaction is made. 

5 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act: 

7 (1) CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED REPORT.— 

8 The term ‘‘congressionally mandated report’’ means 

9 a report that is required to be submitted to either 

10 House of Congress or any committee of Congress by 

11 statute or by a conference report that accompanies 

12 legislation enacted into law. 

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

14 agency’’ has the meaning given that term under sec15 tion 102 of title 40, United States Code, but does 

16 not include the Government Accountability Office. 

17 SEC. 7. IMPLEMENTATION. 

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

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

20 enactment of this Act and shall apply with respect to con21 gressionally mandated reports submitted to Congress on 

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

23 enactment. 

Æ 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS