116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 736 
AN ACT 
To require the Director of the Government Publishing Office 
to establish and maintain an online portal accessible 
to the public that allows the public to obtain electronic 
copies of all congressionally mandated reports in one 
place, 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 ‘‘Access to Congression-
ally Mandated Reports Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED REPORT.— 
The term ‘‘congressionally mandated report’’— 
(A) means a report that is required by 
statute to be submitted to either House of Con-
gress or any committee of Congress or sub-
committee thereof; and 
(B) does not include a report required 
under part B of subtitle II of title 36, United 
States Code. 
(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Government Publishing Office. 
(3) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’ has the meaning given that term under sec-
tion 102 of title 40, United States Code, but does 
not include the Government Accountability Office. 
(4) OPEN FORMAT.—The term ‘‘open format’’ 
means a file format for storing digital data based on 
an underlying open standard that— 
(A) is not encumbered by any restrictions 
that would impede reuse; and
(B) is based on an underlying open data 
standard that is maintained by a standards or-
ganization. 
(5) REPORTS ONLINE PORTAL.—The term ‘‘re-
ports online portal’’ means the online portal estab-
lished under section (3)(a). 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF ONLINE PORTAL FOR CON-
GRESSIONALLY MANDATED REPORTS. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH ONLINE POR-
TAL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
establish and maintain an online portal accessible by 
the public that allows the public to obtain electronic 
copies of all congressionally mandated reports in one 
place. The Director may publish other reports on the 
online portal. 
(2) EXISTING FUNCTIONALITY.—To the extent 
possible, the Director shall meet the requirements 
under paragraph (1) by using existing online portals 
and functionality under the authority of the Direc-
tor. 
(3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this Act, 
the Director shall consult with the Clerk of the 
House of Representatives, the Secretary of the Sen-
(iv) Each congressional committee or 
subcommittee receiving the report, if appli-
cable. 
(v) The statute requiring the report. 
(vi) Subject tags. 
(vii) A unique alphanumeric identifier 
for the report that is consistent across re-
port editions. 
(viii) The serial number, Super-
intendent of Documents number, or other 
identification number for the report, if ap-
plicable. 
(ix) Key words. 
(x) Full text search. 
(xi) Any other relevant information 
specified by the Director. 
(D) The date on which the report was re-
quired to be submitted, and on which the report 
was submitted, to the reports online portal. 
(E) To the extent practicable, a permanent 
means of accessing the report electronically. 
(2) A means for bulk download of all congres-
sionally mandated reports. 
(3) A means for downloading individual reports 
as the result of a search.
(4) An electronic means for the head of each 
Federal agency to submit to the reports online por-
tal each congressionally mandated report of the 
agency, as required by section 4. 
(5) In tabular form, a list of all congressionally 
mandated reports that can be searched, sorted, and 
downloaded by— 
(A) reports submitted within the required 
time; 
(B) reports submitted after the date on 
which such reports were required to be sub-
mitted; and 
(C) reports not submitted. 
(c) NONCOMPLIANCE BY FEDERAL AGENCIES.— 
(1) REPORTS NOT SUBMITTED.—If a Federal 
agency does not submit a congressionally mandated 
report to the Director, the Director shall to the ex-
tent practicable— 
(A) include on the reports online portal— 
(i) the information required under 
clauses (i), (ii), (iv), and (v) of subsection 
(b)(1)(C); and 
(ii) the date on which the report was 
required to be submitted; and
(B) include the congressionally mandated 
report on the list described in subsection 
(b)(5)(C). 
(2) REPORTS NOT IN OPEN FORMAT.—If a Fed-
eral agency submits a congressionally mandated re-
port that is not in an open format, the Director shall 
include the congressionally mandated report in an-
other format on the reports online portal. 
(d) DEADLINE.—The Director shall ensure that in-
formation required to be published on the online portal 
under this Act with respect to a congressionally mandated 
report or information required under subsection (c) is pub-
lished— 
(1) not later than 30 calendar days after the in-
formation is received from the Federal agency in-
volved; or 
(2) in the case of information required under 
subsection (c), not later than 30 calendar days after 
the deadline under this Act for the Federal agency 
involved to submit information with respect to the 
congressionally mandated report involved. 
(e) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN REPORTS.— 
(1) EXCEPTION DESCRIBED.—A congressionally 
mandated report which is required by statute to be 
submitted to a committee of Congress or a sub-
committee thereof, including any transmittal letter 
associated with the report, shall not be submitted to 
or published on the reports online portal if the chair 
of a committee or subcommittee to which the report 
is submitted notifies the Director in writing that the 
report is to be withheld from submission and publi-
cation under this Act. 
(2) NOTICE ON PORTAL.—If a report is with-
held from submission to or publication on the re-
ports online portal under paragraph (1), the Direc-
tor shall post on the portal— 
(A) a statement that the report is withheld 
at the request of a committee or subcommittee 
involved; and 
(B) the written notification specified in 
paragraph (1). 
(f) FREE ACCESS.—The Director may not charge a 
fee, require registration, or impose any other limitation 
in exchange for access to the reports online portal. 
(g) UPGRADE CAPABILITY.—The reports online por-
tal shall be enhanced and updated as necessary to carry 
out the purposes of this Act. 
SEC. 4. FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES. 
(a) SUBMISSION OF ELECTRONIC COPIES OF RE-
PORTS.—Not earlier than 30 calendar days or later than
45 calendar days after the date on which a congressionally 
mandated report is submitted to either House of Congress 
or to any committee of Congress or subcommittee thereof, 
the head of the Federal agency submitting the congres-
sionally mandated report shall submit to the Director the 
information required under subparagraphs (A) through 
(D) of section 3(b)(1) with respect to the congressionally 
mandated report. Nothing in this Act shall relieve a Fed-
eral agency of any other requirement to publish the con-
gressionally mandated report on the online portal of the 
Federal agency or otherwise submit the congressionally 
mandated report to Congress or specific committees of 
Congress, or subcommittees thereof. 
(b) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 240 calendar days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 
the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation 
with the Director, shall issue guidance to agencies on the 
implementation of this Act. 
(c) STRUCTURE OF SUBMITTED REPORT DATA.— 
The head of each Federal agency shall ensure that each 
congressionally mandated report submitted to the Director 
complies with the open format criteria established by the 
Director in the guidance issued under subsection (b).
(d) POINT OF CONTACT.—The head of each Federal 
agency shall designate a point of contact for congression-
ally mandated reports. 
SEC. 5. CHANGING OR REMOVING REPORTS. 
(a) LIMITATION ON AUTHORITY TO CHANGE OR RE-
MOVE REPORTS.—Except as provided in subsection (b), 
the head of the Federal agency concerned may change or 
remove a congressionally mandated report submitted to be 
published on the reports online portal only if— 
(1) the head of the Federal agency consults 
with each committee of Congress or subcommittee 
thereof to which the report is required to be sub-
mitted (or, in the case of a report which is not re-
quired to be submitted to a particular committee of 
Congress or subcommittee thereof, to each com-
mittee with jurisdiction over the agency, as deter-
mined by the head of the agency in consultation with 
the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the 
President pro tempore of the Senate) prior to chang-
ing or removing the report; and 
(2) a joint resolution is enacted to authorize the 
change in or removal of the report. 
(b) EXCEPTIONS.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 
the head of the Federal agency concerned—
(1) may make technical changes to a report 
submitted to or published on the online portal; and 
(2) may remove a report from the online portal 
if the report was submitted to or published on the 
online portal in error. 
SEC. 6. RELATIONSHIP TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMA-
TION ACT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act shall be con-
strued to— 
(1) require the disclosure of information, 
records, or reports that are exempt from public dis-
closure under section 552 of title 5, United States 
Code; or 
(2) impose any affirmative duty on the Director 
to review congressionally mandated reports sub-
mitted for publication to the reports online portal 
for the purpose of identifying and redacting such in-
formation or records. 
(b) REDACTION OF INFORMATION.—The head of a 
Federal agency may redact information required to be dis-
closed under this Act if the information would be properly 
withheld from disclosure under section 552 of title 5, 
United States Code, and shall—
(1) redact information required to be disclosed 
under this Act if disclosure of such information is 
prohibited by law; 
(2) redact information being withheld under 
this subsection prior to submitting the information 
to the Director; 
(3) redact only such information properly with-
held under this subsection from the submission of 
information or from any congressionally mandated 
report submitted under this Act; 
(4) identify where any such redaction is made 
in the submission or report; and 
(5) identify the exemption under which each 
such redaction is made. 
SEC. 7. IMPLEMENTATION. 
(a) REPORTS SUBMITTED TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—This Act shall apply with re-
spect to any congressionally mandated report 
which— 
(A) is required by statute to be submitted 
to the House of Representatives or Senate at 
any time before, on, or after the date of the en-
actment of this Act; or 
(B) is included by the Clerk of the House 
of Representatives or the Secretary of the Sen-
ate (as the case may be) on the list of reports 
received by the House of Representatives or 
Senate (as the case may be) at any time before 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(2) TRANSITION RULE FOR PREVIOUSLY SUB-
MITTED REPORTS.—The Director shall ensure that 
any congressionally mandated report described in 
paragraph (1) which was required to be submitted to 
Congress by a statue enacted before the date of the 
enactment of this Act is published on the online por-
tal under this Act not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) REPORTS SUBMITTED TO COMMITTEES.—In the 
case of congressionally mandated reports which are re-
quired by statute to be submitted to a committee of Con-
gress or a subcommittee thereof, this Act shall apply with 
respect to— 
(1) any such report which is first required to be 
submitted by a statute which is enacted on or after 
the date of the enactment of this Act; and 
(2) to the maximum extent practical, any con-
gressionally mandated report which was required to 
be submitted by a statute enacted before the date of 
enactment of this act unless—
(A) the chair of the committee, or sub-
committee thereof, to which the report was re-
quired to be submitted notifies the Director in 
writing that the report is to be withheld from 
publication; and 
(B) the Director publishes the notification 
on the online portal. 
SEC. 8. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS. 
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, 
shall be determined by reference to the latest statement 
titled ‘‘Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation’’ for this 
Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional Record 
by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, pro-
vided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
vote on passage. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 17, 2019. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 736 
AN ACT 
To require the Director of the Government Pub-
lishing Office to establish and maintain an online 
portal accessible to the public that allows the 
public to obtain electronic copies of all congres-
sionally mandated reports in one place, and for 
other purposes.