I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1515 
To increase access to agency guidance documents. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 24, 2025 
Mr. COMER (for himself and Mr. KHANNA) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
A BILL 
To increase access to agency guidance documents. 
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 ‘‘Guidance Out Of 
Darkness Act’’ or the ‘‘GOOD Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
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(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-
et. 
(3) GUIDANCE DOCUMENT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘guidance 
document’’— 
(i) means an agency statement of gen-
eral applicability (other than a rule that 
has the force and effect of law promul-
gated in accordance with the notice and 
comment procedures under section 553 of 
title 5, United States Code) that— 
(I) does not have the force and 
effect of law; and 
(II) is designated by an agency 
official as setting forth— 
(aa) a policy on a statutory, 
regulatory, or technical issue; or 
(bb) an interpretation of a 
statutory or regulatory issue; and 
(ii) may include— 
(I) a memorandum; 
(II) a notice; 
(III) a bulletin; 
(IV) a directive; 
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(V) a news release; 
(VI) a letter; 
(VII) a blog post; 
(VIII) a no-action letter; 
(IX) a speech by an agency offi-
cial; and 
(X) any combination of the items 
described in subclauses (I) through 
(IX). 
(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—The term 
‘‘guidance document’’— 
(i) shall be construed broadly to effec-
tuate the purpose and intent of this Act; 
and 
(ii) shall not be limited to the items 
described in subparagraph (A)(ii). 
SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS ON THE 
INTERNET. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to section 5, on the date 
on which an agency issues a guidance document, the agen-
cy shall publish the guidance document in accordance with 
the requirements under section 4. 
(b) PREVIOUSLY ISSUED GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS.— 
Subject to section 5, not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, each agency shall publish, 
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in accordance with the requirements under section 4, any 
guidance document issued by that agency that is in effect 
on that date. 
SEC. 4. SINGLE LOCATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—All guidance documents published 
under section 3 by an agency shall be published in a single 
location on an internet website designated by the Director 
under subsection (d). 
(b) AGENCY INTERNET WEBSITES.—Each agency 
shall, for guidance documents published by the agency 
under section 3, publish a hyperlink on the internet 
website of the agency that provides access to the guidance 
documents at the location described in subsection (a). 
(c) ORGANIZATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The guidance documents de-
scribed in subsection (a) shall be— 
(A) categorized as guidance documents; 
and 
(B) further divided into subcategories as 
appropriate. 
(2) 
AGENCY
INTERNET
WEBSITES.—The 
hyperlinks described in subsection (b) shall be 
prominently displayed on the internet website of the 
agency. 
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(d) DESIGNATION.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall designate 
an internet website on which guidance documents shall be 
published under section 3. 
SEC. 5. DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION EXEMPT FROM 
DISCLOSURE UNDER FOIA. 
If a guidance document issued by an agency is a doc-
ument that is exempt from disclosure under section 552(b) 
of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the 
‘‘Freedom of Information Act’’), or contains information 
that is exempt from disclosure under that section, that 
document or information, as the case may be, shall not 
be subject to the requirements under this Act. 
SEC. 6. RESCINDED GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS. 
On the date on which a guidance document issued 
by an agency is rescinded, or, in the case of a guidance 
document that is rescinded pursuant to a court order, not 
later than the date on which the order is entered, the 
agency shall, at the location described in section 4(a)— 
(1) maintain the rescinded guidance document; 
and 
(2) indicate— 
(A) that the guidance document is re-
scinded; 
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(B) if the guidance document was re-
scinded pursuant to a court order, the case 
number of the case in which the order was en-
tered; and 
(C) the date on which the guidance docu-
ment was rescinded. 
SEC. 7. RULES OF CONSTRUCTION. 
(a) VALIDITY OF GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS.—Nothing 
in this Act shall be construed to mean that noncompliance 
with any provision of this Act affects or otherwise impacts 
the validity of any guidance document. 
(b) CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW OF GUIDANCE DOCU-
MENTS.—Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect 
or otherwise impact whether a guidance document is sub-
ject to congressional review under chapter 8 of title 5, 
United States Code. 
SEC. 8. REPORT ON AGENCY COMPLIANCE. 
Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit to the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Home-
land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a 
report on agency compliance with this Act. 
Æ 
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