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‘‘(A) an apportionment is not made in the 
required time period provided in section 
1513(b) of title 31, United States Code; 
‘‘(B) an approved apportionment received 
by the department or agency conditions the 
availability of an appropriation on further ac-
tion; or 
‘‘(C) an approved apportionment received 
by the department or agency may hinder the 
prudent obligation of such appropriation or the 
execution of a program, project, or activity by 
such department or agency; 
and such notification shall contain information iden-
tifying the bureau, account name, appropriation 
name, and Treasury Appropriation Fund Symbol or 
fund account. 
‘‘(b) APPROVING OFFICIALS.— 
‘‘(1) DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY.—Not later 
than 15 days after the date of enactment of this sec-
tion, any delegation of apportionment authority pur-
suant to section 1513(b) of title 31, United States 
Code that is in effect as of such date shall be sub-
mitted for publication in the Federal Register. Any 
delegation of such apportionment authority after the 
date of enactment of this section shall, on the date 
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of such delegation, be submitted for publication in 
the Federal Register. The Office of Management 
and Budget shall publish such delegations in a for-
mat that qualifies such publications as an Open 
Government Data Asset (as defined in section 3502 
of title 44, United States Code) on a public internet 
website, which shall be continuously updated with 
the position of each Federal officer or employee to 
whom apportionment authority has been delegated. 
‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 5 
days after any change in the position of the approv-
ing official with respect to such delegated apportion-
ment authority for any account is made, the Office 
shall submit a report to the Committees on Appro-
priations of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate, the Committees on the Budget of the House 
of Representatives and the Senate, and any other 
appropriate congressional committee explaining why 
such change was made.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974 set forth in section 1(b) of such Act, as 
amended by section 501(b), is further amended by adding 
after the item relating to section 1018 the following: 
‘‘1019. Reporting.’’. 
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SEC. 503. UPDATED AUTHORITIES FOR AND REPORTING BY 
THE COMPTROLLER GENERAL. 
(a) Section 1015 of the Impoundment Control Act 
of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 686) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), in the matter following 
paragraph (2), by striking the last sentence; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) REVIEW.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General 
shall review compliance with this part and shall sub-
mit to the Committees on the Budget, Appropria-
tions, and Oversight and Reform of the House of 
Representatives, the Committees on the Budget, Ap-
propriations, and Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs of the Senate, and any other appro-
priate congressional committee of the House of Rep-
resentatives and Senate a report, and any relevant 
information related to the report, on any noncompli-
ance with this part. 
‘‘(2) INFORMATION, 
DOCUMENTATION, 
AND 
VIEWS.—The President or the head of the relevant 
department or agency of the United States shall pro-
vide information, documentation, and views to the 
Comptroller General, as is determined by the Comp-
troller General to be necessary to determine such 
compliance, not later than 20 days after the date on 
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which the request from the Comptroller General is 
received, or if the Comptroller General determines 
that a shorter or longer period is appropriate based 
on the specific circumstances, within such shorter or 
longer period. 
‘‘(3) ACCESS.—To carry out the responsibilities 
of this part, the Comptroller General shall also have 
access to interview the officers, employees, contrac-
tors, and other agents and representatives of a de-
partment, agency, or office of the United States at 
any reasonable time as the Comptroller General may 
request.’’. 
(b) Section 1001 of the Impoundment Control Act 
of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 681) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking the ‘‘or’’ at 
the end of the paragraph; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) affecting or limiting in any way the au-
thorities provided to the Comptroller General under 
chapter 7 of title 31, United States Code.’’. 
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SEC. 504. ADVANCE CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION AND 
LITIGATION. 
Section 1016 of the Impoundment Control Act of 
1974 (2 U.S.C. 687) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SUITS BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL 
‘‘SEC. 1016. If, under this chapter, budget authority 
is required to be made available for obligation and such 
budget authority is not made available for obligation or 
information, documentation, views, or access are required 
to be produced and such information, documentation, 
views, or access are not produced, the Comptroller General 
is expressly empowered, through attorneys of the Comp-
troller General’s own selection, to bring a civil action in 
the United States District Court for the District of Colum-
bia to require such budget authority to be made available 
for obligation or such information, documentation, views, 
or access to be produced, and such court is expressly em-
powered to enter in such civil action, against any depart-
ment, agency, officer, or employee of the United States, 
any decree, judgment, or order which may be necessary 
or appropriate to make such budget authority available for 
obligation or compel production of such information, docu-
mentation, views, or access. No civil action shall be 
brought by the Comptroller General to require budget au-
thority be made available under this section until the expi-
ration of 15 calendar days following the date on which 
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an explanatory statement by the Comptroller General of 
the circumstances giving rise to the action contemplated 
is filed with the Speaker of the House of Representatives 
and the President of the Senate, except that expiration 
of such period shall not be required if the Comptroller 
General finds (and incorporates the finding in the explana-
tory statement filed) that the delay would be contrary to 
the public interest.’’. 
SEC. 505. PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE 
IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL ACT OF 1974. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Impoundment Control Act of 
1974 (2 U.S.C. 681 et seq.), as amended by section 
502(a), is further amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘PENALTIES FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY 
‘‘SEC. 1020. (a) ADMINISTRATIVE DISCIPLINE.—An 
officer or employee of the Executive Branch of the United 
States Government violating this part shall be subject to 
appropriate administrative discipline including, when cir-
cumstances warrant, suspension from duty without pay or 
removal from office. 
‘‘(b) REPORTING VIOLATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the event of a violation 
of section 1001, 1012, 1013, or 1018 of this part, 
or in the case that the Comptroller General issues 
a legal decision concluding that a department, agen-
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cy, or office of the United States violated this part, 
the President or the head of the relevant department 
or agency as the case may be, shall report imme-
diately to Congress all relevant facts and a state-
ment of actions taken. A copy of each report shall 
also be transmitted to the Comptroller General and 
the relevant inspector general on the same date the 
report is transmitted to the Congress. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—Any such report shall include 
a summary of the facts pertaining to the violation, 
the title and Treasury Appropriation Fund Symbol 
of the appropriation or fund account, the amount in-
volved for each violation, the date on which the vio-
lation occurred, the position of any individuals re-
sponsible for the violation, a statement of the admin-
istrative discipline imposed and any further action 
taken with respect to any officer or employee in-
volved in the violation, a statement of any additional 
action taken to prevent recurrence of the same type 
of violation, and any written response by any officer 
or employee identified by position as involved in the 
violation. In the case that the Comptroller General 
issues a legal decision concluding that a department, 
agency, or office of the United States violated this 
part and the relevant department, agency, or office 
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does not agree that a violation has occurred, the re-
port provided to Congress, the Comptroller General, 
and relevant inspector general will explain its posi-
tion.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974 set forth in section 1(b) of such Act, as 
amended by section 502(b), is further amended by adding 
after the item relating to section 1019 the following: 
‘‘1020. Penalties for failure to comply.’’. 
Subtitle B—Strengthening 
Transparency and Reporting 
PART 1—FUNDS MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING 
TO THE CONGRESS 
SEC. 511. EXPIRED BALANCE REPORTING IN THE PRESI-
DENT’S BUDGET. 
Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(40) for the budgets for each of fiscal years 
2023 through 2027, a report on— 
‘‘(A) unobligated expired balances as of the 
beginning of the current fiscal year and the be-
ginning of each of the preceding 2 fiscal years 
by agency and the applicable Treasury Appro-
priation Fund Symbol or fund account; and 
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‘‘(B) an explanation of unobligated expired 
balances in any Treasury Appropriation Fund 
Symbol or fund account that exceed the lesser 
of 5 percent of total appropriations made avail-
able for that account or $100,000,000.’’. 
SEC. 512. CANCELLED BALANCE REPORTING IN THE PRESI-
DENT’S BUDGET. 
Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, as 
amended by section 511, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(41) for the budgets for each of fiscal years 
2023 through 2027, a report on— 
‘‘(A) cancelled balances (pursuant to sec-
tion 1552(a)) for the preceding 3 fiscal years by 
agency and Treasury Appropriation Fund Sym-
bol or fund account; 
‘‘(B) an explanation of cancelled balances 
in any Treasury Appropriation Fund Symbol or 
fund account that exceed the lesser of 5 percent 
of total appropriations made available for that 
account or $100,000,000; and 
‘‘(C) a tabulation, by Treasury Appropria-
tion Fund Symbol or fund account and appro-
priation, of all balances of appropriations avail-
able for an indefinite period in an appropriation 
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account available for an indefinite period that 
do not meet the criteria for closure under sec-
tion 1555, but for which either— 
‘‘(I) the head of the agency concerned 
or the President has determined that the 
purposes for which the appropriation was 
made have been carried out; or 
‘‘(ii) no disbursement has been made 
against the appropriation— 
‘‘(I) in the prior year and the 
preceding fiscal year; or 
‘‘(II) in the prior year and which 
the budget estimates zero disburse-
ments in the current year.’’. 
SEC. 513. LAPSE IN APPROPRIATIONS—REPORTING IN THE 
PRESIDENT’S BUDGET. 
Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, as 
amended by section 512, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(42) a report on— 
‘‘(A) any obligation or expenditure made 
by a department or agency affected in whole or 
in part by any lapse in appropriations of 5 con-
secutive days or more during the preceding fis-
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cal year for which amounts were not available; 
and 
‘‘(B) with respect to any such obligation or 
expenditure— 
‘‘(I) the amount so obligated or ex-
pended; 
‘‘(ii) the account affected; 
‘‘(iii) 
an 
explanation 
of 
the 
Antideficiency Act exception or other legal 
authority that permitted the department or 
agency, as the case may be, to incur such 
obligation or expenditure; and 
‘‘(iv) an explanation of any change in 
the application of any Antideficiency Act 
exception for a program, project, or activ-
ity from any explanations previously re-
ported on pursuant to this paragraph.’’. 
SEC. 514. TRANSFER AND OTHER REPURPOSING AUTHOR-
ITY REPORTING IN THE PRESIDENT’S BUDG-
ET. 
Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, as 
amended by section 513, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(43) for the budget for fiscal year 2023, a re-
port on— 
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‘‘(A) any transfer authority or other au-
thority to repurpose appropriations provided in 
a law other than an appropriation act; and 
‘‘(B) with respect to any such authority, 
the citation to the statute, the list of depart-
ments or agencies covered, an explanation of 
when such authority may be used, and an ex-
planation on any use of such authority in the 
preceding 3 fiscal years.’’. 
SEC. 515. AUTHORIZING CANCELLATIONS IN INDEFINITE 
ACCOUNTS BY APPROPRIATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter IV of chapter 15 of 
title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
section 1555 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 1555a. CANCELLATION OF APPROPRIATIONS AVAIL-
ABLE FOR INDEFINITE PERIODS WITHIN AN 
ACCOUNT. 
‘‘Any remaining balance (whether obligated or unobli-
gated) from an appropriation available for an indefinite 
period in an appropriation account available for an indefi-
nite period that does not meet the requirements for closure 
under section 1555 shall be canceled, and thereafter shall 
not be available for obligation or expenditure for any pur-
pose, if— 
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‘‘(1) the head of the agency concerned or the 
President determines that the purposes for which 
the appropriation was made have been carried out; 
and 
‘‘(2) no disbursement has been made against 
the appropriation for two consecutive fiscal years.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for subchapter IV of chapter 15 of title 31, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 1555 the following: 
‘‘1555a. Cancellation of appropriations available for indefinite periods within an 
account.’’. 
SEC. 516. WHITE HOUSE EMPLOYEE INFORMATION. 
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act and updated not less frequently than an-
nually thereafter, the Executive Office of the President 
shall make available on a publicly available website in an 
easily searchable and downloadable format the following 
information: 
(1) The annual salary of each White House em-
ployee, which shall be updated quarterly, and the fol-
lowing: 
(A) The number of employees who are paid 
at a rate of basic pay equal to or greater than 
the rate of basic pay then currently paid for 
level V of the Executive Schedule of section 
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5316 of title 5 and who are employed in the 
White House Office, the Executive Residence at 
the White House, the Office of the Vice Presi-
dent, the Domestic Policy Staff, or the Office of 
Administration, and the aggregate amount paid 
to such employees. 
(B) The number of employees employed in 
such offices who are paid at a rate of basic pay 
which is equal to or greater than the minimum 
rate of basic pay then currently paid for GS– 
16 of the General Schedule of section 5332 of 
title 5, United States Code, but which is less 
than the rate then currently paid for level V of 
the Executive Schedule of section 5316 of such 
title and the aggregate amount paid to such 
employees. 
(C) The number of employees employed in 
such offices who are paid at a rate of basic pay 
which is less than the minimum rate then cur-
rently paid for GS–16 of the General Schedule 
of section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, 
and the aggregate amount paid to such employ-
ees. 
(D) The number of individuals detailed 
under section 112 of title 3, United States 
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Code, for more than 30 days to each such of-
fice, the number of days in excess of 30 each 
individual was detailed, and the aggregate 
amount of reimbursement made as provided by 
the provisions of section 112 of such title. 
(E) The number of individuals whose serv-
ices as experts or consultants are procured 
under chapter 2 title 3, United States Code, for 
service in any such office, the total number of 
days employed, and the aggregate amount paid 
to procure such services. 
(2) The most recent financial disclosure state-
ment for each White House employee filed pursuant 
to the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. 
App.), which shall be updated annually. 
SEC. 517. MACHINE-READABLE FORMAT REQUIRED FOR 
AGENCY REPORTS. 
Any report required to be submitted to Congress by 
an executive agency shall be submitted in machine-read-
able format, unless each committee of Congress to whom 
the report is submitted waives the requirement. 
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PART 2—EMPOWERING CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW 
THROUGH NONPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL 
AGENCIES AND TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVES 
SEC. 521. REQUIREMENT TO RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR 
INFORMATION 
FROM 
THE 
COMPTROLLER 
GENERAL FOR BUDGET AND APPROPRIA-
TIONS LAW DECISIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 7 of title 
31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 722. REQUIREMENT TO RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR 
INFORMATION 
FROM 
THE 
COMPTROLLER 
GENERAL FOR BUDGET AND APPROPRIA-
TIONS LAW DECISIONS. 
‘‘(a) If an agency receives a written request for infor-
mation, documentation, or views from the Comptroller 
General relating to a decision or opinion on budget or ap-
propriations law, the agency shall provide the requested 
information, documentation, or views not later than 20 
days after receiving the written request, unless such writ-
ten request specifically provides otherwise. 
‘‘(b) If an agency fails to provide the requested infor-
mation, documentation, or views within the time required 
by this section— 
‘‘(1) the Comptroller General shall notify, in 
writing, the Committee on Oversight and Reform of 
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the House of Representatives, Committee on Home-
land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Sen-
ate, and any other appropriate congressional com-
mittee of such failure; and 
‘‘(2) the Comptroller General is hereby ex-
pressly empowered, through attorneys of the Comp-
troller General’s own selection, to bring a civil action 
in the United States District Court for the District 
of Columbia to require such information, documenta-
tion, or views to be produced, and such court is ex-
pressly empowered to enter in such civil action, 
against any department, agency, officer, or employee 
of the United States, any decree, judgment, or order 
which may be necessary or appropriate to require 
such production. 
‘‘(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed as af-
fecting or otherwise limiting the authorities provided to 
the Comptroller General in section 716 of this title.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for subchapter II of chapter 7 of title 31, United States 
Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to 
section 721 the following: 
‘‘722. Requirement to respond to requests for information from the Comptroller 
General for budget and appropriations law decisions.’’. 
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SEC. 
522. 
REPORTING 
REQUIREMENTS 
FOR 
ANTIDEFICIENCY ACT VIOLATIONS. 
(a) VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 1341 OR 1342.—Sec-
tion 1351 of title 31, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘If’’ and inserting ‘‘(a) If’’; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘or if the Comptroller General 
determines that an officer or employee of such entity 
violated section 1341(a) or 1342,’’ before ‘‘the head 
of the agency’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘the Comptroller General’’ and 
inserting ‘‘the Comptroller General and the Attorney 
General’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) Any such report shall include a statement of the 
provision violated, a summary of the facts pertaining to 
the violation, the title and Treasury Appropriation Fund 
Symbol of the appropriation or fund account, the amount 
involved for each violation, the date on which the violation 
occurred, the position of any officer or employee respon-
sible for the violation, a statement of the administrative 
discipline imposed and any further action taken with re-
spect to any officer or employee involved in the violation, 
a statement of any additional action taken to prevent re-
currence of the same type of violation, a statement of any 
determination that the violation was not knowing and will-
ful that has been made by the entity filing the report, and 
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any written response by any officer or employee identified 
by position as involved in the violation. In the case that 
the Comptroller General issues a legal decision concluding 
that section 1341(a) or 1342 was violated and the entity 
filing the report, does not agree that a violation has oc-
curred, the report provided to the President, the Congress, 
and the Comptroller General will explain its position.’’. 
(b) VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 1517.—Section 1517 of 
title 31, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘or if the Comptroller General 
determines that an officer or employee of such entity 
violated subsection (a),’’ before ‘‘the head of the ex-
ecutive agency’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘the Comptroller General’’ and 
inserting ‘‘the Comptroller General and the Attorney 
General’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) Any such report shall include a statement of the 
provision violated, a summary of the facts pertaining to 
the violation, the title and Treasury Appropriation Fund 
Symbol of the appropriation or fund account, the amount 
involved for each violation, the date on which the violation 
occurred, the position of any officer or employee respon-
sible for the violation, a statement of the administrative 
discipline imposed and any further action taken with re-
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spect to any officer or employee involved in the violation, 
a statement of any additional action taken to prevent re-
currence of the same type of violation, a statement of any 
determination that the violation was not knowing and will-
ful that has been made by the entity filing the report, and 
any written response by any officer or employee identified 
by position as involved in the violation. In the case that 
the Comptroller General issues a legal decision concluding 
that subsection (a) was violated and the entity filing the 
report does not agree that a violation has occurred, the 
report provided to the President, the Congress, and the 
Comptroller General will explain its position.’’. 
SEC. 523. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE REPORTING TO CON-
GRESS FOR ANTIDEFICIENCY ACT VIOLA-
TIONS. 
(a) VIOLATIONS OF SECTIONS 1341 OR 1342.—Sec-
tion 1350 of title 31, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘An officer’’ and inserting ‘‘(a) 
An officer’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b)(1) If a report is made under section 1351 of a 
violation of section 1341(a) or 1342, the Attorney General 
shall promptly review such report and investigate to the 
extent necessary to determine whether there are reason-
able grounds to believe that the responsible officer or em-
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ployee knowingly and willfully violated such section 
1341(a) or 1342, as applicable. If the Attorney General 
determines that there are such reasonable grounds, the 
Attorney General diligently shall investigate a criminal 
violation under this section. 
‘‘(2) The Attorney General shall submit to Congress 
and the Comptroller General on or before March 31 of 
each calendar year an annual report detailing separately 
for each reporting entity— 
‘‘(A) the number of reports under section 1351 
transmitted to the President during the preceding 
calendar year; 
‘‘(B) the number of reports reviewed in accord-
ance with paragraph (1) during the preceding cal-
endar year; 
‘‘(C) without identification of any individual of-
ficer or employee, a description of each investigation 
undertaken in accordance with paragraph (1) during 
the preceding calendar year and an explanation of 
the status of any such investigation; and 
‘‘(D) without identification of any individual of-
ficer or employee, an explanation of any update to 
the status of any review or investigation previously 
reported pursuant to this subsection.’’. 
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(b) VIOLATIONS OF SECTION 1517.—Section 1519 of 
title 31, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘An officer’’ and inserting ‘‘(a) 
An officer’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b)(1) If a report is made under section 1517(b) of 
a violation of section 1517(a), the Attorney General shall 
promptly review such report and investigate to the extent 
necessary to determine whether there are reasonable 
grounds to believe that the responsible officer or employee 
knowingly and willfully violated such section 1517(a). If 
the Attorney General determines that there are such rea-
sonable grounds, the Attorney General diligently shall in-
vestigate a criminal violation under this section. 
‘‘(2) The Attorney General shall submit to Congress 
and the Comptroller General on or before March 31 of 
each calendar year an annual report detailing separately 
for each reporting entity— 
‘‘(A) the number of reports under section 
1517(b) transmitted to the President during the pre-
ceding calendar year; 
‘‘(B) the number of reports reviewed in accord-
ance with paragraph (1) during the preceding cal-
endar year; 
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‘‘(C) without identification of any individual of-
ficer or employee, a description of each investigation 
undertaken in accordance with paragraph (1) during 
the preceding calendar year and an explanation of 
the status of any such investigation; and 
‘‘(D) without identification of any individual of-
ficer or employee, an explanation of any update to 
the status of any review or investigation previously 
reported pursuant to this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 524. PUBLICATION OF BUDGET OR APPROPRIATIONS 
LAW OPINIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUS-
TICE OFFICE OF LEGAL COUNSEL. 
(a) SCHEDULE OF PUBLICATION FOR FINAL OLC 
OPINIONS.—Each final opinion issued by the Office of 
Legal Counsel of the Department of Justice (final OLC 
opinion) shall be made available on its public website in 
a manner that is searchable, sortable, and downloadable 
in its entirety as soon as is practicable, but— 
(1) not later than 30 days after the opinion is 
issued or updated if such action takes place on or 
after the date of enactment of this Act; 
(2) not later than 1 year after the date of en-
actment of this Act for an opinion issued on or after 
January 20, 1993; 
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(3) not later than 2 years after the date of en-
actment of this Act for an opinion issued on or after 
January 20, 1981, and before or on January 19, 
1993; 
(4) not later than 3 years after the date of en-
actment of this Act for an opinion issued on or after 
January 20, 1969, and before or on January 19, 
1981; and 
(5) not later than 4 years after the date of en-
actment of this Act for all other opinions. 
(b) EXCEPTIONS
AND
LIMITATION
ON
PUBLIC 
AVAILABILITY OF FINAL OLC OPINIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A final OLC opinion or part 
thereof may be withheld only to the extent— 
(A) information contained in the opinion 
was— 
(I) specifically authorized to be kept 
secret, under criteria established by an Ex-
ecutive order, in the interest of national 
defense or foreign policy; 
(ii) properly classified, including all 
procedural and marking requirements, pur-
suant to such Executive order; 
(iii) the Attorney General determines 
that the national defense or foreign policy 
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interests protected outweigh the public’s 
interest in access to the information; and 
(iv) put through declassification re-
view within the past two years; 
(B) information contained in the opinion 
relates to the appointment of a specific indi-
vidual not confirmed to Federal office; 
(C) information contained in the opinion is 
specifically exempted from disclosure by statute 
(other than sections 552 and 552b of title 5, 
United States Code), if such statute— 
(I) requires that the material be with-
held in such a manner as to leave no dis-
cretion on the issue; or 
(ii) establishes particular criteria for 
withholding or refers to particular types of 
material to be withheld; 
(D) information in the opinion includes 
trade secrets and commercial or financial infor-
mation obtained from a person and privileged 
or confidential whose disclosure would likely 
cause substantial harm to the competitive posi-
tion of the person from whom the information 
was obtained; 
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(E) the President, in his or her sole and 
nondelegable determination, formally and per-
sonally claims in writing that executive privilege 
prevents the release of the information and dis-
closure would cause specific identifiable harm to 
an interest protected by an exception or the dis-
closure is prohibited by law; or 
(F) information in the opinion includes 
personnel and medical files and similar files the 
disclosure of which would constitute a clearly 
unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. 
(2) DETERMINATION TO WITHHOLD.—Any de-
termination under this subsection to withhold infor-
mation contained in a final OLC opinion shall be 
made by the Attorney General or a designee of the 
Attorney General. The determination shall be— 
(A) in writing; 
(B) made available to the public within the 
same timeframe as is required of a formal OLC 
opinion; 
(C) sufficiently detailed as to inform the 
public of what kind of information is being 
withheld and the reason therefore; and 
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(D) effective only for a period of 3 years, 
subject to review and reissuance, with each 
reissuance made available to the public. 
(3) FINAL OPINIONS.—For final OLC opinions 
for which the text is withheld in full or in substan-
tial part, a detailed unclassified summary of the 
opinion shall be made available to the public, in the 
same timeframe as required of the final OLC opin-
ion, that conveys the essence of the opinion, includ-
ing any interpretations of a statute, the Constitu-
tion, or other legal authority. A notation shall be in-
cluded in any published list of final OLC opinions 
regarding the extent of the withholdings. 
(4) NO LIMITATION ON FREEDOM OF INFORMA-
TION.—Nothing in this subsection shall be construed 
as limiting the availability of information under sec-
tion 552 of title 5, United States Code or construed 
as an exemption under paragraph (3) of subsection 
(b) of such section. 
(5) NO LIMITATION ON RELIEF.—A decision by 
the Attorney General to release or withhold informa-
tion pursuant to this title shall not preclude any ac-
tion or relief conferred by statutory or regulatory re-
gime that empowers any person to request or de-
mand the release of information. 
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(6) REASONABLY
SEGREGABLE
PORTIONS
OF 
OPINIONS TO BE PUBLISHED.—Any reasonably seg-
regable portion of an opinion shall be provided after 
withholding of the portions which are exempt under 
this section. The amount of information withheld, 
and the exemption under which the withholding is 
made, shall be indicated on the released portion of 
the opinion, unless including that indication would 
harm an interest protected by the exemption in this 
paragraph under which the withholding is made. If 
technically feasible, the amount of the information 
withheld, and the exemption under which the with-
holding is made, shall be indicated at the place in 
the opinion where such withholding is made. 
(c) METHOD OF PUBLICATION.—The Attorney Gen-
eral shall publish each final OLC opinion to the extent 
the law permits, including by publishing the opinions on 
a publicly accessible website that— 
(1) with respect to each opinion— 
(A) contains an electronic copy of the opin-
ion, including any transmittal letter associated 
with the opinion, in an open format that is plat-
form independent and that is available to the 
public without restrictions; 
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(B) provides the public the ability to re-
trieve an opinion, to the extent practicable, 
through searches based on— 
(I) the title of the opinion; 
(ii) the date of publication or revision; 
or 
(iii) the full text of the opinion; 
(C) identifies the time and date when the 
opinion was required to be published, and when 
the opinion was transmitted for publication; 
and 
(D) provides a permanent means of access-
ing the opinion electronically; 
(2) includes a means for bulk download of all 
final OLC opinions or a selection of opinions re-
trieved using a text-based search; 
(3) provides free access to the opinions, and 
does not charge a fee, require registration, or impose 
any other limitation in exchange for access to the 
website; and 
(4) is capable of being upgraded as necessary to 
carry out the purposes of this section. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) OLC OPINION.—The term ‘‘OLC opinion’’ 
means views on a matter of legal interpretation com-
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municated by the Office of Legal Counsel of the De-
partment of Justice to any other office or agency, or 
person in an office or agency, in the Executive 
Branch, including any office in the Department of 
Justice, the White House, or the Executive Office of 
the President, and rendered in accordance with sec-
tions 511–513 of title 28, United States Code, and 
relating to— 
(A) subtitles II, III, V, or VI of title 31, 
United States Code; 
(B) the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
Deficit Control Act of 1985; 
(C) the Congressional Budget and Im-
poundment Control Act of 1974; or 
(D) any appropriations Act, continuing 
resolution, or other provision of law providing 
or governing appropriations or budget author-
ity. 
(2) FINAL
OLC
OPINION.—The term ‘‘final 
OLC opinion’’ means an OLC opinion that— 
(A) the Attorney General, Assistant Attor-
ney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, or 
a Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the 
Office of Legal Counsel, has determined is 
final; or 
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(B) is cited in another Office of Legal 
Counsel opinion. 
SEC. 525. TREATMENT OF REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION 
FROM MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. 
Section 552(d) of title 5, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting ‘‘, or any member thereof,’’ after 
‘‘Congress’’. 
Subtitle 
C—Strengthening 
Con-
gressional Role in and Over-
sight of Emergency Declarations 
and Designations 
SEC. 531. IMPROVING CHECKS AND BALANCES ON THE USE 
OF THE NATIONAL EMERGENCIES ACT. 
(a) REQUIREMENTS RELATING
TO DECLARATION 
AND RENEWAL OF NATIONAL EMERGENCIES.—Title II of 
the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) 
is amended by striking sections 201 and 202 and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘SEC. 201. DECLARATIONS OF NATIONAL EMERGENCIES. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO DECLARE NATIONAL EMER-
GENCIES.—With respect to Acts of Congress authorizing 
the exercise, during the period of a national emergency, 
of any special or extraordinary power, the President is au-
thorized to declare such a national emergency by procla-
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mation. Such proclamation shall immediately be trans-
mitted to Congress and published in the Federal Register. 
‘‘(b) SPECIFICATION OF PROVISIONS OF LAW TO BE 
EXERCISED AND REPORTING.—No powers or authorities 
made available by statute for use during the period of a 
national emergency shall be exercised unless and until the 
President specifies the provisions of law under which the 
President proposes that the President or other officers will 
act in— 
‘‘(1) a proclamation declaring a national emer-
gency under subsection (a); or 
‘‘(2) one or more Executive orders relating to 
the emergency published in the Federal Register and 
transmitted to Congress. 
‘‘(c) PROHIBITION
ON SUBSEQUENT ACTIONS
IF 
EMERGENCIES NOT APPROVED.— 
‘‘(1) SUBSEQUENT DECLARATIONS.—If a joint 
resolution of approval is not enacted under section 
203 with respect to a national emergency before the 
expiration of the period described in section 202(a), 
or with respect to a national emergency proposed to 
be renewed under section 202(b), the President may 
not, during the remainder of the term of office of 
that President, declare a subsequent national emer-
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gency under subsection (a) with respect to substan-
tially the same circumstances. 
‘‘(2) EXERCISE OF AUTHORITIES.—If a joint 
resolution of approval is not enacted under section 
203 with respect to a power or authority specified by 
the President under subsection (b) with respect to a 
national emergency, the President may not, during 
the remainder of the term of office of that Presi-
dent, exercise that power or authority with respect 
to that emergency. 
‘‘(d) EFFECT OF FUTURE LAWS.—No law enacted 
after the date of the enactment of the Congressional 
Power of the Purse Act shall supersede this title unless 
it does so in specific terms, referring to this title, and de-
claring that the new law supersedes the provisions of this 
title. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any emergency powers in-
voked by the President pursuant to a national emer-
gency declared under this section shall relate to the 
nature of, and may be used only to address, that 
emergency. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
OR
FUNDING
WITH-
HELD.—No authority available to the President dur-
ing a national emergency declared under this section 
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may be used to provide authorization or funding for 
any program, project, or activity for which Congress, 
on or after the date of the events giving rise to the 
emergency declaration, has withheld authorization or 
funding. 
‘‘SEC. 202. EFFECTIVE PERIODS OF NATIONAL EMER-
GENCIES. 
‘‘(a) TEMPORARY EFFECTIVE PERIODS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Unless previously termi-
nated pursuant to Presidential order or Act of Con-
gress, a declaration of a national emergency shall re-
main in effect for 20 session days, in the case of the 
Senate, and 20 legislative days, in the case of the 
House, from the issuance of the proclamation under 
section 201(a) (not counting the day on which the 
proclamation was issued) and shall terminate when 
that period expires unless there is enacted into law 
a joint resolution of approval under section 203 with 
respect to the proclamation. 
‘‘(2) EXERCISE
OF
POWERS
AND
AUTHORI-
TIES.—Unless the declaration of national emergency 
has been terminated pursuant to Presidential order 
or Act of Congress, any emergency power or author-
ity made available under a provision of law specified 
pursuant to section 201(b) may be exercised pursu-
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ant to a declaration of a national emergency for 20 
session days, in the case of the Senate, and 20 legis-
lative days, in the case of the House, from the 
issuance of the proclamation or Executive order (not 
counting the day on which such proclamation or Ex-
ecutive order was issued). That power or authority 
may not be exercised after that period expires unless 
there is enacted into law a joint resolution of ap-
proval under section 203 approving— 
‘‘(A) the proclamation of the national 
emergency or the Executive order; and 
‘‘(B) the exercise of the power or authority 
specified by the President in such proclamation 
or Executive order. 
‘‘(b) RENEWAL OF NATIONAL EMERGENCIES.—A na-
tional emergency declared by the President under section 
201(a) or previously renewed under this subsection, and 
not already terminated pursuant to subsection (a) or (c), 
shall terminate on the date that is one year after the 
President transmitted to Congress the proclamation de-
claring the emergency or the enactment of a previous re-
newal pursuant to this subsection, unless— 
‘‘(1) the President publishes in the Federal 
Register and transmits to Congress an Executive 
order renewing the emergency; and 
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‘‘(2) there is enacted into law a joint resolution 
of approval renewing the emergency pursuant to sec-
tion 203 before the termination of the emergency or 
previous renewal of the emergency. 
‘‘(c) TERMINATION OF NATIONAL EMERGENCIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Any national emergency 
declared by the President under section 201(a) shall 
terminate on the earliest of— 
‘‘(A) the date provided for in subsection 
(a); 
‘‘(B) the date provided for in subsection 
(b); 
‘‘(C) the date specified in an Act of Con-
gress, including a joint resolution of termi-
nation defined in section 203, terminating the 
emergency; 
‘‘(D) the date specified in a proclamation 
of the President terminating the emergency; or 
‘‘(E) the date provided for in section 204. 
‘‘(2) EFFECT OF TERMINATION.—Effective on 
the date of the termination of a national emergency 
under paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) any powers or authorities exercised 
by reason of the emergency shall cease to be ex-
ercised; 
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