I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5301 

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list of outdated or duplicative reporting requirements in annual budget 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 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 29, 2023 

Mr. ROBERT GARCIA of California (for himself and Mr. GROTHMAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 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 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to include a list of outdated or duplicative reporting 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 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SUNSETS FOR AGENCY REPORTS. 

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

3 States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub5 section (d); 

6 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in7 serting the following: 

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

9 ‘‘(1) BUDGET JUSTIFICATION MATERIALS.— 

10 The term ‘budget justification materials’ has the 

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

12 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency 

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

14 282). 

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

16 ‘recurring plan or report’— 

17 ‘‘(A) means any plan or report submitted 

18 to Congress by not less than 1 agency on a re19 curring basis— 

20 ‘‘(i) in accordance with Federal law; 

21 or 

22 ‘‘(ii) at the direction of a congres23 sional report; and 

24 ‘‘(B) does not include any plan or report 

25 that is required to be submitted to the Com26 mittee on Armed Services of the Senate. 


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1 ‘‘(3) RELEVANT CONGRESSIONAL COM2 MITTEE.—The term ‘relevant congressional com3 mittee’ means a congressional committee to which a 

4 recurring plan or report is required to be submitted. 

5 ‘‘(b) AGENCY IDENTIFICATION OF UNNECESSARY

6 REPORTS.— 

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

8 shall include in the budget justification materials of 

9 the agency— 

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

11 each recurring plan or report submitted by the 

12 agency that the head of the agency determines 

13 to be outdated or duplicative; 

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

15 report described in subparagraph (A)— 

16 ‘‘(i) a recommendation on whether to 

17 sunset, modify, consolidate, or reduce the 

18 frequency of the submission of the recur19 ring plan or report; 

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

21 law or directive in a congressional report 

22 that requires or requests the submission of 

23 the recurring plan or report; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) a list of the relevant congres2 sional committees for the recurring plan or 

3 report; and 

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

5 to each recommendation described in subpara6 graph (B)(i) relating to a recurring plan or re7 port— 

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

9 the recommendation, which may include an 

10 estimate of the resources expended by the 

11 agency to prepare and submit the recur12 ring plan or report; and 

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

14 the agency of the purpose of the recurring 

15 plan or report. 

16 ‘‘(2) AGENCY CONSULTATION.— 

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

18 required under paragraph (1)(A), if, in submit19 ting a recurring plan or report, an agency is re20 quired to coordinate or consult with another 

21 agency or entity, the head of the agency sub22 mitting the recurring plan or report shall con23 sult with the head of each agency or entity with 

24 whom consultation or coordination is required. 


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1 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION IN LIST.—If, after a con2 sultation under subparagraph (A), the head of 

3 each agency or entity consulted under that sub4 paragraph agrees that a recurring plan or re5 port is outdated or duplicative, the head of the 

6 agency required to submit the recurring plan or 

7 report shall— 

8 ‘‘(i) include the recurring plan or re9 port in the list described in paragraph 

10 (1)(A); and 

11 ‘‘(ii) identify each agency or entity 

12 with which the head of the agency is re13 quired to coordinate or consult in submit14 ting the recurring plan or report. 

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

16 agency or entity consulted under subparagraph 

17 (A) does not agree that a recurring plan or re18 port is outdated or duplicative, the head of the 

19 agency required to submit the recurring plan or 

20 report shall not include the recurring plan or 

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

22 ‘‘(3) GOVERNMENT-WIDE OR MULTI-AGENCY

23 PLAN AND REPORT SUBMISSIONS.—With respect to 

24 a recurring plan or report required to be submitted 


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1 by not less than 2 agencies, the Director of the Of2 fice of Management and Budget shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) determine whether the requirement to 

4 submit the recurring plan or report is outdated 

5 or duplicative; and 

6 ‘‘(B) make recommendations to Congress 

7 accordingly. 

8 ‘‘(c) DISPOSITION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to a rec10 ommendation on a recurring plan or report included 

11 in budget justification materials by the head of an 

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

13 ranking member of each relevant congressional com14 mittee may— 

15 ‘‘(A) in coordination with any other rel16 evant congressional committee, as necessary, 

17 agree or disagree with the recommendation or 

18 postpone a decision on the recommendation; 

19 and 

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

21 recommendation of the disposition of the rec22 ommendation under subparagraph (A). 

23 ‘‘(2) LEGISLATIVE STEPS.—If a relevant con24 gressional committee agrees with an agency rec25 ommendation submitted under subsection 


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

2 may take the necessary legislative steps to accom3 plish the recommendation, which may include con4 sulting with the agency that submits the recurring 

5 plan or report that is the subject of the rec6 ommendation to prepare appropriate legislation. 

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

8 section shall be construed to relieve the head of an 

9 agency from a requirement to submit a recurring 

10 plan or report.’’; and 

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

12 striking ‘‘in the budget of the United States Govern13 ment, as provided by section 1105(a)(37)’’ and in14 serting ‘‘in the budget justification materials of each 

15 agency’’. 

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

17 31, United States Code, is amended by striking paragraph 

18 (39). 

Æ 


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