I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1974 
To require the Public Printer to establish and maintain a website accessible 
to the public that allows the public to obtain electronic copies of all 
congressionally mandated reports in one place, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 24, 2011 
Mr. QUIGLEY (for himself, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. TOWNS, Ms. NOR-
TON, Mr. COOPER, and Mr. LYNCH) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 
and in addition to the Committee on House Administration, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Public Printer to establish and maintain 
a website accessible to the public that allows the public 
to obtain electronic copies of all congressionally man-
dated 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’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF WEBSITE FOR CONGRESSION-
ALLY MANDATED REPORTS. 
(a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH WEBSITE.—Not 
later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Public Printer shall establish and maintain a 
website accessible by the public that allows the public to 
obtain electronic copies of all congressionally mandated re-
ports in one place. The Public Printer may publish other 
reports on such website. 
(b) CONTENT AND FUNCTION.—The Public Printer 
shall ensure that the website required under subsection (a) 
includes the following: 
(1) With respect to each congressionally man-
dated report, each of the following: 
(A) A citation to the statute or conference 
report requiring the report. 
(B) An electronic copy of the report, in-
cluding any transmittal letter associated with 
the report, in an open format that is platform 
independent and that is available to the public 
without restrictions, including restrictions that 
would impede the re-use of the information in 
the report. 
(C) The ability to retrieve a report, to the 
extent practicable, through searches based on 
each, and any combination, of the following: 
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(i) The title of the report. 
(ii) The reporting Federal agency. 
(iii) The date of publication. 
(iv) Each congressional committee re-
ceiving the report, if applicable. 
(v) Subject tags. 
(vi) 
The 
serial 
number, 
Super-
intendent of Documents number, or other 
identification number for the report, if ap-
plicable. 
(vii) The statute or conference report 
requiring the report. 
(viii) Key words. 
(ix) Full text search. 
(x) Any other relevant information 
specified by the Public Printer. 
(D) The time and date when the report 
was required to be submitted, and when the re-
port was submitted, to the website. 
(E) Access to the report not later than 30 
calendar days after its submission to Congress. 
(F) To the extent practicable, a permanent 
means of accessing the report electronically. 
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(2) A means for bulk download of all congres-
sionally mandated reports or a selection of reports 
retrieved using a search. 
(3) A means for the head of each Federal agen-
cy to publish on the website each congressionally 
mandated report of the agency, as required by sec-
tion 3. 
(4) A list form for 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) FREE ACCESS.—The Public Printer may not 
charge a fee, require registration, or impose any other lim-
itation in exchange for access to the website required 
under subsection (a). 
(d) UPGRADE CAPABILITY.—The website required 
under subsection (a) shall be enhanced and updated as 
necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. 
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SEC. 3. FEDERAL AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES. 
(a) SUBMISSION OF ELECTRONIC COPIES OF RE-
PORTS.—The head of each Federal agency shall publish 
congressionally mandated reports of the agency on the 
website required under section 2(a)— 
(1) in an open format that is platform inde-
pendent, machine readable, and available to the pub-
lic without restrictions (except the redaction of infor-
mation described under section 5), including restric-
tions that would impede the re-use of the informa-
tion in the reports; and 
(2) in accordance with the guidance issued 
under subsection (c). 
(b) SUBMISSION OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.— 
The head of each Federal agency shall submit to the Pub-
lic Printer the information required under subparagraphs 
(A) through (D) of section 2(b)(1) with respect to each 
congressionally mandated report published pursuant to 
subsection (a). 
(c) GUIDANCE.—Not later than eight months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with 
the Public Printer, shall issue guidance to agencies on the 
implementation of this Act. 
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