Taxpayer Right-to-Know Act - (Sec. 2) Defines "program" for purposes of this Act as an organized set of activities by one or more agencies directed toward a common purpose or goal.
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 (GAO) 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.
(Sec. 3) Requires: (1) the OMB Director, not later than 120 days after the enactment of this Act, to prescribe regulations or other guidance to implement this Act; and (2) the implementation of this Act not later than 1 year after its enactment.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2113 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2113
To provide taxpayers with an annual report disclosing the cost and
performance of Government programs and areas of duplication among them,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 12, 2014
Mr. Coburn (for himself, Ms. Ayotte, Mr. Begich, Mr. Burr, Mr.
Chambliss, Ms. Collins, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Flake, Mr. Hatch, Mr.
Inhofe, Mr. Johnson of Wisconsin, Mr. McCain, Mrs. McCaskill, Mr. Paul,
Mr. Portman, Mr. Risch, Mr. Scott, Mr. Vitter, and Mr. Warner)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide taxpayers with an annual report disclosing the cost and
performance of Government programs and areas of duplication among them,
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 ``Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act''.
SEC. 2. COST AND PERFORMANCE OF GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS.
(a) Amendment.--Section 1122(a) of title 31, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Additional information.--
``(A) In general.--Information for each program
described under paragraph (1) shall include the
following (which shall be updated not less frequently
than annually):
``(i) The total administrative expenses for
the program for the previous fiscal year.
``(ii) The expenditures for services for
the program for the previous fiscal year.
``(iii) An estimate of the number of
clients served by the program and beneficiaries
who received assistance under the program (if
applicable) for the previous fiscal year.
``(iv) An estimate of, for the previous
fiscal year--
``(I) the number of full-time
Federal employees who administer the
program; and
``(II) the number of full-time
employees whose salary is paid in part
or full by the Federal Government
through a grant or contract, a subaward
of a grant or contract, a cooperative
agreement, or another form of financial
award or assistance who administer or
assist in administering the program.
``(v) An identification of the specific
statute that authorizes the program, including
whether such authorization is expired.
``(vi) Any finding of duplication or
overlap identified by internal review, an
Inspector General, the Government
Accountability Office, or other report to the
agency about the program.
``(vii) Any program performance reviews
(including program performance reports required
under section 1116).
``(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Administrative expenses.--The term
`administrative expenses'--
``(I) has the meaning given that
term by the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget under section
504(b)(2) of the Energy and Water
Development and Related Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2010 (31 U.S.C.
1105 note); and
``(II) includes, with respect to an
agency--
``(aa) costs incurred by
the agency and costs incurred
by grantees, subgrantees, and
other recipients of funds from
a grant program or other
program administered by the
agency; and
``(bb) expenses related to
personnel salaries and
benefits, property management,
travel, program management,
promotion, reviews and audits,
case management, and
communication about, promotion
of, and outreach for programs
and program activities
administered by the agency.
``(ii) Services.--The term `services'--
``(I) has the meaning given that
term by the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget; and
``(II) shall be limited to only
activities, assistance, and aid that
provide a direct benefit to a
recipient, such as the provision of
medical care, assistance for housing or
tuition, or financial support
(including grants and loans).''.
(b) Expired Grant Funding.--Not later than February 1 of each
fiscal year, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall
publish on the public website of the Office of Management and Budget
the total amount of undisbursed grant funding remaining in grant
accounts for which the period of availability to the grantee has
expired.
SEC. 3. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO
IDENTIFICATION, CONSOLIDATION, AND ELIMINATION OF
DUPLICATIVE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS.
Section 21 of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (31 U.S.C.
712 note) is amended--
(1) by striking ``The Comptroller General'' and inserting
the following:
``(a) In General.--The Comptroller General''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Updates.--The Comptroller General shall maintain on a
publicly available website (which shall include regular updates, not
less frequently than annually) the status of responses by Departments
and Congress to suggested actions that the Comptroller General has
previously identified in annual reports under subsection (a). The
status of the suggested actions shall be tracked for an appropriate
period to be determined by the Comptroller General.''.
SEC. 4. CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.
Nothing in this Act shall, or the amendments made by this Act, be
construed to require the disclosure of classified information.
SEC. 5. REGULATIONS AND IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) Regulations.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget shall prescribe regulations to implement this Act, and the
amendments made by this Act.
(b) Implementation.--This Act, and the amendments made by this Act,
shall be implemented not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(c) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No additional funds are
authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act, or the amendments
made by this Act.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Carper under authority of the order of the Senate of 08/05/2014 with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 113-243.
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Carper under authority of the order of the Senate of 08/05/2014 with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 113-243.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 531.
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