Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act

Bill: 113-hr-1423
Sponsor: Rep. Lankford, James [R-OK-5]
Introduced: 2013-04-09 in the House
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Census and government statistics
Congressional oversight
Executive agency funding and structure
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Performance measurement

Summary:
action_date: 2013-04-09
text: 
Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act - Requires the head of each federal agency, on an annual basis, to: (1) identify and describe every program administered by such agency; (2) determine the total administrative costs and expenditures for services for each program; (3) estimate the number of clients served by each program and the beneficiaries who received assistance under each program; (4) estimate the number of full-time federal and contract employees who administer each program; and (5) identify federal programs with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds. 
 
Requires each agency head to publish on the agency website, not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, the information required by this Act, the latest performance reviews of each agency program, improper payment rates, the total amount of undisbursed grant funding remaining in grant accounts, and recommendations for consolidating duplicative or overlapping programs, eliminating waste and inefficiency, and terminating lower priority, outdated, and unnecessary programs and initiatives. 
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, to publish on the OMB website a report that contains: (1) an identification of programs across agencies with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds; and (2) recommendations to consolidate duplicative programs, eliminate waste and inefficiency, and terminate lower priority, outdated, and unnecessary programs and initiatives.
 
Amends the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 to require the Comptroller General (GAO) to maintain and provide regular annual updates to a publicly available website that tracks the status of agency responses to recommendations by the Comptroller General for identifying duplicative government programs. 
 
Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the disclosure of classified information. 

action_date: 2014-02-21
text: 
Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act - Requires the head of each federal agency, on an annual basis, to: (1) identify and describe every program administered by such agency; (2) determine the total administrative costs and expenditures for services for each program; (3) estimate the number of clients served by each program and the beneficiaries who received assistance under each program; (4) estimate the number of full-time federal and contract employees who administer each program; and (5) identify federal programs with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds, including any funding of duplication or overlap identified by internal review, an Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), or other report. 
 
Requires each agency head to publish on the agency website, not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, the information required by this Act, the latest performance reviews of each agency program, improper payment rates, the total amount of undisbursed grant funding remaining in grant accounts, and recommendations for consolidating duplicative or overlapping programs, eliminating waste and inefficiency, and terminating lower priority, outdated, and unnecessary programs and initiatives. 
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, to publish on the OMB website a report that contains: (1) an identification of programs across agencies with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds; and (2) recommendations to consolidate duplicative programs, eliminate waste and inefficiency, and terminate lower priority, outdated, and unnecessary programs and initiatives. Requires the Director to maintain a database of information used to create such report and obtained through meeting requirements of the Statutory Pay-As-You Go Act of 2010 for identifying duplicative federal programs.
 
Amends the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 to require the Comptroller General (GAO) to maintain and provide regular annual updates to a publicly available website that tracks the status of agency responses to recommendations by the Comptroller General for identifying duplicative government programs. 
 
Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the disclosure of classified information. 
 
Requires the OMB Director to implement this Act not later than one year after its enactment.

action_date: 2014-02-25
text: 
Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act - (Sec. 2) Sets forth additional information relating to a federal program that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is required to include on its website and update at least annually, including: (1) the total administrative cost of the program and the expenditures for services for the program for the previous fiscal year; (2) an estimate of the number of clients served by the program and beneficiaries who received assistance under the program for the previous fiscal year; (3) an estimate, for the previous fiscal year, of the number of full-time federal employees who administer the program and the number of full-time employees whose salary is paid in part or in full by the federal government through a grant or contract or other form of financial assistance; (4) an identification of the specific statute that authorizes the program and whether such authorization is expired; (5) any finding of duplication or overlap; and (6) any program performance reviews for such program. 
 
Requires the OMB Director, not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, to publish on the OMB website the total amount of undisbursed grant funding remaining in grant accounts for which the period of availability to the grantee has expired. 
 
(Sec. 3) Amends the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 to require the Comptroller General (GAO) to maintain and provide regular annual updates to a publicly available website that tracks the status of agency responses to recommendations by the Comptroller General for identifying duplicative government programs. 
 
(Sec. 4) Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the disclosure of classified information. 
 
(Sec. 5) Requires the OMB Director to implement this Act not later than one year after its enactment. Prohibits the authorization of additional funds to carry out the requirements of this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2014-02-26
text: Received in the Senate.
action_date: 2014-02-25
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1902-1903)
action_date: 2014-02-25
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H1902-1903)
action_date: 2014-02-25
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1423.
action_date: 2014-02-25
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1902-1904)
action_date: 2014-02-25
text: Mr. Lankford moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. (consideration: CR H1902)
action_date: 2014-02-21
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 263.
action_date: 2014-02-21
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 113-355.
action_date: 2014-02-21
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 113-355.
action_date: 2013-07-24
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2013-07-24
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2013-04-09
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
action_date: 2013-04-09
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2013-04-09
text: Introduced in House