Title: Taxpayer Transparency Act of 2017
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Taxpayer Transparency Act of 2017
This bill requires each communication funded by a federal agency that is an advertisement, or that provides information about any federal program, benefit, or service, to clearly state: (1) in the case of a printed communication, including mass mailings, signs, and billboards, that the communication is printed or published at taxpayer expense; and (2) in the case of a communication transmitted through radio, television, or the Internet, that the communication is produced or disseminated at taxpayer expense. Such notification must state that a communication is provided by the U.S. government, rather than at taxpayer expense, if the communication is funded entirely by user fees or by other sources that do not include federal funds.
The bill requires any such printed communication to be of sufficient size to be clearly readable, to be contained in a printed box set apart from the other contents of the communication, and to be printed with a reasonable degree of color contrast between the background and the printed statement. The bill sets forth similar requirements for audio, video, and email communications.
The Office of Management and Budget must develop and issue guidance on implementing the requirements of this bill.
The bill prohibits judicial review of compliance with this bill.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3141 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 taxpayer expense, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Taxpayer Transparency Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS FOR PRINTED MATERIALS AND ADVERTISEMENTS 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, including mass 
        mailings, signs, and billboards, that the communication is 
        printed or published at taxpayer 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
                    (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 communication.--
                    (A) Audio communication.--Any audio communication 
                described in subsection (a)(2) shall include an audio 
                statement that communicates 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 spoken 
                        manner;
                            (ii) that is conveyed by a voice-over or 
                        screen view of the person making the statement; 
                        and
                            (iii) to the extent feasible, that also 
                        appears in writing at the end of the 
                        communication in a clearly readable manner with 
                        a reasonable degree of color contrast between 
                        the background and the printed statement, for a 
                        period of at least 4 seconds.
                    (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 contents 
                        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 communication funded entirely by user 
fees, by any other source that does not include Federal funds, or by a 
combination 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 agency'' in section 133 of 
        title 41, United States Code.
            (2) Mass mailing.--The term ``mass mailing''--
                    (A) means any mailing or distribution of 499 or 
                more newsletters, pamphlets, or other printed matter 
                with substantially identical content, 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 communication 
                        from a person to whom the matter is mailed; or
                            (ii) of a news release to the 
                        communications media.
    (e) Source of Funds.--The funds used by a Federal 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.

SEC. 3. GUIDANCE FOR IMPLEMENTATION.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall develop 
and issue guidance on implementing the requirements of this Act.

SEC. 4. JUDICIAL REVIEW AND ENFORCEABILITY.

    (a) Judicial Review.--There shall be no judicial review 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 judicial action.
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