Congressional Reports: Efforts To Eliminate or Modify Reporting Requirements Need To Be Improved
AFMD-88-4
Published: Apr 19, 1988. Publicly Released: Apr 19, 1988.
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Highlights
GAO reviewed the procedures that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and five executive branch agencies used to compile and present a legislative proposal for modifying or eliminating 240 congressional reporting requirements.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of Management and Budget | To improve efforts to eliminate or modify congressional reporting requirements, the Director, OMB, should direct agency and OMB officials to discuss information needs with the appropriate congressional committees prior to formulating a legislative proposal to eliminate or modify reporting requirements, and consider these needs in developing the proposals. |
Closed – Implemented
An OMB official indicated that OMB intends to comply with this recommendation when proposing such actions in the future. The official stated that OMB had followed this recommendation and a couple of reporting bills already. He also indicated that he was not familiar with the requirements of 31 U.S.C. 720 and felt that the OMB response had closed the matter, as GSA was also taking action.
|
| Office of Management and Budget | To improve efforts to eliminate or modify congressional reporting requirements, the Director, OMB, should direct agency and OMB officials to provide adequate justification for each recommended change, to assist Congress in determining whether the proposed eliminations or modifications will ensure that congressional information needs will be met in an efficient, effective, and economical manner. |
Closed – Implemented
An OMB official indicated that OMB intended to comply with this recommendation when proposing such actions in the future. The official stated that OMB had followed this recommendation for a couple reporting bills already. He also indicated that he was not familiar with the requirements of 31 U.S.C. 720 and felt that the OMB response had closed the matter, since GSA was also taking action.
|
| General Services Administration | The Administrator of General Services should amend the Code of Federal Regulations to include congressional reporting requirements in executive agencies' recurring evaluation of reporting needs. |
Closed – Not Implemented
The General Services Administration (GSA) will be issuing regulations to require executive agencies to perform recurring evaluations of congressional reports. The initial regulation was expanded by GSA and rejected by OMB. GSA resubmitted a new proposal, but OMB asked GSA for an extension on its reply. No action has been taken.
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Topics
Congressional oversightexecutive relationsFederal regulationsModificationsProposed legislationReporting requirementsReports managementFinancial managementExecutive agenciesInformation resources management