Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act

Bill: 114-hr-598
Sponsor: Rep. Walberg, Tim [R-MI-7]
Introduced: 2015-01-28 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: 2015-01-28
text: 

Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act
 
 
Requires that the website of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) include a program inventory that identifies each program of the federal government, which shall include: (1) any activity that is commonly referred to as a program; (2) any activity specifically created by law, or referenced in law, as a program; (3) each program that has an application process; (4) each program for which financial awards are made on a competitive basis; and (5) any activity identified as a program activity in a budget request. 
 
Requires, for each program identified in such program inventory: (1) an identification of the specific statute that authorizes the program and any program regulations; (2) an estimate of the number of individuals served by any program that provides grants or financial assistance and the beneficiaries who received financial assistance under the program; (3) an estimate of the number of full-time employees who administer the program and the number of such employees whose salary is paid, in full or part, by the federal government; (4) links to any evaluation, assessment, or program performance reviews by the agency, an Inspector General, or the Government Accountability Office, released during the preceding five years; and (5) financial information for each program required to be reported under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.
 
Requires the OMB Director to issue guidance to assist agencies in identifying how the program activities used in budget or appropriations accounts correspond with programs identified in the program inventory required by this Act. Authorizes the Director to issue guidance to agencies on how to more closely align programs in the program inventory for purposes of the President's annual budget submission to Congress. 
 
Requires the OMB Director to: (1) publish on the OMB website the total amount of undisbursed grant funding remaining in grant accounts with expired availability, and (2) prescribe regulations or other guidance to implement this Act.

action_date: 2015-10-20
text: 

Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act

 
(Sec. 2) This Act requires that the website of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) include a program inventory that identifies each program of the federal government for which there is more than $1 million in annual budget authority. Such inventory shall include: (1) any activity that is commonly referred to as a program, and (2) any activity that is referenced in law as a program after June 30, 2018. For each program identified in such inventory, the bill requires:
 
 
 an identification of the program activities that are aggregated, disaggregated, or consolidated as part of identifying programs; 
 
 for each such program activity, the amount of funding for the current fiscal year and the previous two fiscal years; 
 
the amount of funding for each program using the pro rata share of the program activities that are aggregated, disaggregated, or consolidated as part of the identifying programs; 
 
 an identification of the statutes that authorize the program and any major regulations specific to the program; 
 
 a description and estimate of the number of individuals served by a program and beneficiaries who received financial assistance under a program;
 
a description of the federal employees who administer the program and other individuals whose salary is paid in part or full by the federal government through a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or another form of financial award or assistance;
 
 links to any evaluation, assessment, or program performance reviews by the agency, an Inspector General, or the Government Accountability Office released during the preceding five years; and 
 
 financial and other information for each program required to be reported under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.
 
 
The OMB shall: (1) archive and preserve the information included in the program inventory; and (2) not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, publish on a public 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) This section requires the OMB, not later than June 30, 2017, to: (1) prescribe guidance to implement this Act, and (2) issue guidance to assist agencies in identifying how the program activities used in budget or appropriations accounts correspond with programs identified in the program inventory required by this Act. The OMB may: (1) issue guidance to agencies to ensure that programs are presented at a similar level of detail across agencies and are not duplicative or overlapping; (2) exempt from the requirements of this Act, based on an analysis of the costs of implementation, agencies that are not required to have a chief financial officer and that have less than $10 million in budget authority; and (3) extend the Act's implementation deadline by not more than one year. 
 
This Act must be implemented not later than June 30, 2018. 

action_date: 2016-01-11
text: 

Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act

 
(Sec. 2) This bill requires that the website of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) include a program inventory that identifies each program of the federal government for which there is more than $1 million in annual budget authority. Such inventory shall include: (1) any activity that is commonly referred to as a program by a federal agency, and (2) any activity that is referenced in law as a program after June 30, 2019. 
 
For programs identified in such inventory for which there is more than $1 million and not more than $10 million in annual budget authority (smaller programs), the inventory must include: 
 
 
an identification of the program activities that are aggregated, disaggregated, or consolidated as part of identifying programs; 
 
for each such program activity, the amount of funding for the current fiscal year and the previous two fiscal years; 
 
an identification of the statutes that authorize the program and any major regulations specific to the program; 
 
a description of the individuals served by a program and beneficiaries who received financial assistance under a program for the most recent fiscal year; and 
 
links to any evaluation, assessment, or program performance reviews by the agency, an Inspector General, or the Government Accountability Office released during the preceding five years.
 
 
For programs identified in such inventory for which there is more than $10 million in annual budget authority (larger programs), the inventory must include:
 
 
an identification of the program activities that are aggregated, disaggregated, or consolidated as part of identifying programs;
 
for each program activity, the amount of funding for the current fiscal year and the previous two fiscal years; 
 
an estimate of the amount of funding for the program; 
 
an identification of the statutes that authorize the program and any major regulations specific to the program; 
 
a description and estimate of the number of individuals served by a program and beneficiaries who received financial assistance under a program for the most recent fiscal year; 
 
a description of the federal employees who administer the program and other individuals whose salary is paid in full or in part by the federal government through a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or another form of financial award or assistance; 
 
links to any evaluation, assessment, or program performance reviews by the agency, an Inspector General, or the Government Accountability Office released during the preceding five years; and 
 
financial and other information for each program activity required to be reported under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. 
 
 
The OMB shall: (1) archive and preserve the information included in the program inventory; and (2) not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, publish on a public 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) The bill requires the OMB, not later than June 30, 2018, to: (1) prescribe guidance to implement this Act, and (2) issue guidance to assist agencies in identifying how the program activities used in budget or appropriations accounts correspond with programs identified in the program inventory required by this Act. The OMB may: (1) issue guidance to agencies to ensure that programs are presented at a similar level of detail across agencies and are not duplicative or overlapping; (2) exempt from the requirements of this Act, based on an analysis of the costs of implementation, agencies that are not required to have a chief financial officer and that have not more than $10 million in budget authority; and (3) extend the Act's implementation deadline by not more than one year. 
 
Implementation of the requirements in this bill must be completed not later than June 30, 2019. 
 
(Sec. 4) No additional funds may be authorized to carry out the requirements in this bill.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-01-19
text: Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 350.
action_date: 2016-01-12
text: Received in the Senate.
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 413 - 0 (Roll no. 34). (text: CR H246-247)
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 413 - 0 (Roll no. 34).(text: CR H246-247)
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H257-258)
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 598.
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H246-247)
action_date: 2016-01-11
text: Mr. Chaffetz moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
action_date: 2015-10-20
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 227.
action_date: 2015-10-20
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 114-298.
action_date: 2015-10-20
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 114-298.
action_date: 2015-07-22
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2015-07-22
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2015-02-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H765)
action_date: 2015-01-28
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
action_date: 2015-01-28
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-01-28
text: Introduced in House