I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3141 
To require a Federal agency to include language in certain educational and 
advertising materials indicating that such materials are produced and 
disseminated at taxpayer expense, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 29, 2017 
Mr. LONG (for himself and Mr. FARENTHOLD) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To require a Federal agency to include language in certain 
educational and advertising materials indicating that 
such materials are produced and disseminated at tax-
payer expense, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Taxpayer Trans-
parency Act of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR PRINTED MATERIALS AND AD-
VERTISEMENTS BY FEDERAL AGENCIES. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO IDENTIFY FUNDING SOURCE 
FOR COMMUNICATION FUNDED BY FEDERAL AGENCY.— 
Each communication funded by a Federal agency that is 
an advertisement, or that provides information about any 
Federal Government program, benefit, or service, shall 
clearly state— 
(1) in the case of a printed communication, in-
cluding mass mailings, signs, and billboards, that 
the communication is printed or published at tax-
payer expense; and 
(2) in the case of a communication transmitted 
through radio, television, the internet, or any means 
other than the means referred to in paragraph (1), 
that the communication is produced or disseminated 
at taxpayer expense. 
(b) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) PRINTED
COMMUNICATION.—Any printed 
communication described in subsection (a)(1) shall— 
(A) be of sufficient type size to be clearly 
readable by the recipient of the communication; 
(B) to the extent feasible, be contained in 
a printed box set apart from the other contents 
of the communication; and 
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(C) to the extent feasible, be printed with 
a reasonable degree of color contrast between 
the background and the printed statement. 
(2) RADIO, TELEVISION, AND INTERNET COM-
MUNICATION.— 
(A) AUDIO
COMMUNICATION.—Any audio 
communication described in subsection (a)(2) 
shall include an audio statement that commu-
nicates the information required under that 
subsection in a clearly spoken manner. 
(B) VIDEO
COMMUNICATION.—Any video 
communication described in subsection (a)(2) 
shall include a statement with the information 
referred to under that subsection— 
(i) that is conveyed in a clearly spo-
ken manner; 
(ii) that is conveyed by a voice-over or 
screen view of the person making the state-
ment; and 
(iii) to the extent feasible, that also 
appears in writing at the end of the com-
munication in a clearly readable manner 
with a reasonable degree of color contrast 
between the background and the printed 
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statement, for a period of at least 4 sec-
onds. 
(C) E-MAIL COMMUNICATION.—Any e-mail 
communication described in subsection (a)(2) 
shall include the information required under 
that subsection, displayed in a manner that— 
(i) is of sufficient type size to be 
clearly readable by the recipient of the 
communication; 
(ii) is set apart from the other con-
tents of the communication; and 
(iii) includes a reasonable degree of 
color contrast between the background and 
the printed statement. 
(c) IDENTIFICATION OF OTHER FUNDING SOURCE 
FOR CERTAIN COMMUNICATIONS.—In the case of a com-
munication funded entirely by user fees, by any other 
source that does not include Federal funds, or by a com-
bination of such fees or other source, a Federal agency 
may apply the requirements of subsections (a) and (b) by 
substituting ‘‘by the United States Government’’ for ‘‘at 
taxpayer expense’’. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘Executive 
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agency’’ in section 133 of title 41, United States 
Code. 
(2) MASS
MAILING.—The term ‘‘mass mail-
ing’’— 
(A) means any mailing or distribution of 
499 or more newsletters, pamphlets, or other 
printed matter with substantially identical con-
tent, whether such matter is deposited singly or 
in bulk, or at the same time or different times; 
and 
(B) does not include any mailing— 
(i) in direct response to a communica-
tion from a person to whom the matter is 
mailed; or 
(ii) of a news release to the commu-
nications media. 
(e) SOURCE OF FUNDS.—The funds used by a Fed-
eral agency to carry out this Act shall be derived from 
amounts made available to the agency for advertising, or 
for providing information about any Federal Government 
program, benefit, or service. 
(f) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall apply only 
to communications printed or otherwise produced after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
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SEC. 3. GUIDANCE FOR IMPLEMENTATION. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget shall develop and issue guidance on im-
plementing the requirements of this Act. 
SEC. 4. JUDICIAL REVIEW AND ENFORCEABILITY. 
(a) JUDICIAL REVIEW.—There shall be no judicial re-
view of compliance or noncompliance with any provision 
of this Act. 
(b) ENFORCEABILITY.—No provision of this Act shall 
be construed to create any right or benefit, substantive 
or procedural, enforceable by any administrative or judi-
cial action. 
Æ 
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