What This Bill Does
This bill requires the top operating officer (called the Chief Operating Officer) at each federal agency to create a list of programs that are not needed, do not work well or overlap with other programs. The bill also directs these agencies to share these lists with Congress and the public.
Who It Affects
Federal agencies and their Chief Operating Officers. Congress members who receive the lists. The public who can access the published lists.
Key Provisions
• Each federal agency's Chief Operating Officer must compile a list of programs that are unnecessary, no longer active, or duplicate other programs within 20 days after the President submits the yearly budget to Congress (Sec. 2(b)(1)(A))
• Agencies must identify programs that another agency could run more effectively or programs that could work better if combined with other programs (Sec. 2(b)(1)(B) and (C))
• Agencies must publish their lists in the program inventory system and send them to relevant congressional committees, the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the House Appropriations Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability (Sec. 2(b)(2) and (b)(3))
• Agency heads may submit recommendations to Congress for legal changes needed to eliminate or combine the programs they identified (Sec. 2(c))
What Changes
Federal agencies will be required to regularly identify and publicly report on their programs that waste money or duplicate existing programs. Congress will receive official lists from every agency showing where money may be wasted.
Important Definitions
The bill does not define "agency," "program," or "program activity" in new language. Instead, it refers to existing definitions elsewhere in federal law.
Effective Date
The changes become effective 120 days after the bill becomes law (Sec. 2(d)).
II
Calendar No. 82
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 666
[Report No. 118–36]
To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the Chief Operating
Officer of each agency to compile a list of unnecessary programs, and
for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 7, 2023
Ms. HASSAN (for herself and Mr. BRAUN) introduced the following bill; which
was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs
MAY 30, 2023
Reported by Mr. PETERS, without amendment
A BILL
To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the Chief
Operating Officer of each agency to compile a list of
unnecessary programs, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Identifying and Elimi-
4
nating Wasteful Programs Act’’.
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•S 666 RS
SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION AND ELIMINATION OF UNNECES-
1
SARY AGENCY PROGRAMS OR PROGRAM AC-
2
TIVITIES.
3
(a) TRANSPARENCY OF PROGRAMS, PRIORITY GOALS,
4
AND RESULTS.—Section 1122(a)(3)(D) of title 31, United
5
States Code, is amended—
6
(1) by redesignating clauses (vi) and (vii) as
7
clauses (vii) and (viii), respectively;
8
(2) by inserting after clause (v) the following:
9
‘‘(vi) to the extent practicable and
10
consistent with guidance issued by the Di-
11
rector of the Office of Management and
12
Budget, budget justification materials de-
13
scribed in section 3(b)(2)(B) of the Fed-
14
eral Funding Accountability and Trans-
15
parency Act of 2006 (31 U.S.C. 6101
16
note);’’; and
17
(3) in clause (vii), as so redesignated, by strik-
18
ing ‘‘accountability; and’’ and inserting ‘‘account-
19
ability, including information included in the list
20
compiled under section 1127(b)(1); and’’.
21
(b) IDENTIFICATION
OF
UNNECESSARY
AGENCY
22
PROGRAMS OR PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—Chapter 11 of title
23
31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end
24
the following:
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•S 666 RS
‘‘§ 1127. Identification of unnecessary agency pro-
1
grams or program activities
2
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
3
‘‘(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘agency’ has the
4
meaning given the term in section 1108(a).
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‘‘(2) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ has the
6
meaning given the term in section 1122(a)(1).
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‘‘(3) PROGRAM ACTIVITY.—The term ‘program
8
activity’ has the meaning given the term in section
9
1115(h).
10
‘‘(b) AGENCY IDENTIFICATION
OF UNNECESSARY
11
PROGRAMS OR PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—Not later than 20
12
days after the date on which the President submits the
13
budget of the United States Government under section
14
1105(a) each year, and based on guidance provided by the
15
Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the
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Chief Operating Officer of each agency shall—
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‘‘(1) compile a list that identifies any program
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or program activity of the agency that—
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‘‘(A) is unnecessary, defunct, or unneces-
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sarily duplicative of another program or pro-
21
gram activity of the agency;
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‘‘(B) another agency could administer
23
more effectively; or
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•S 666 RS
‘‘(C) could operate more effectively if the
1
program or activity were consolidated with
2
other programs or activities;
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‘‘(2) publish the list compiled under paragraph
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(1) in—
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‘‘(A) with respect to each list compiled be-
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fore the date of the implementation described in
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section 9601(b)(3) of title XCVI of the William
8
M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Author-
9
ization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (31 U.S.C.
10
1122 note) of the program inventory described
11
in section 1122(a)(2)(B)(i) of this title, the
12
pilot
program
described
in
section
13
9601(b)(2)(B) of title XCVI of that Act; and
14
‘‘(B) with respect to each successive list,
15
the program inventory described in section
16
1122(a)(2)(B)(i); and
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‘‘(3) submit the list compiled under paragraph
18
(1) to—
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‘‘(A) the relevant congressional committees
20
of jurisdiction of the agency;
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‘‘(B) the Committee on Appropriations of
22
the Senate;
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‘‘(C) the Committee on Homeland Security
24
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
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•S 666 RS
‘‘(D) the Committee on Appropriations of
1
the House of Representatives; and
2
‘‘(E) the Committee on Oversight and Ac-
3
countability of the House of Representatives.
4
‘‘(c) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Based on guidance issued
5
by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget,
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the head of an agency may submit to Congress rec-
7
ommendations for statutory changes to eliminate or con-
8
solidate programs or program activities identified under
9
subsection (b)(1).’’.
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(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections
11
for chapter 11 of title 31, United States Code, is amended
12
by adding at the end the following:
13
‘‘1127. Identification of unnecessary agency programs or program activities.’’.
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by
14
this section shall take effect on the date that is 120 days
15
after the date of enactment of this Act.
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Calendar No. 82
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 666
[Report No. 118–36]
A BILL
To amend title 31, United States Code, to require
the Chief Operating Officer of each agency to
compile a list of unnecessary programs, and for
other purposes.
MAY 30, 2023
Reported without amendment
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