The House this week will consider legislation calling for the federal government to consolidate and increase the amount of information provided to the public related to its programs, and seeking to improve the process for making Freedom of Information Act requests, among a number of other bills.

Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act

The Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act (H.R. 598) would direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to post on its website a description of each federal program, including the program’s funding level, the number of people served by or benefiting from the program, and number of federal employees and contract staff involved. The bill also would require OMB to provide links to reviews of each program, such as reports issued by agency inspectors general and the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

“The American people deserve to know how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent, and the federal government should be accountable for its spending,”

said Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), who introduced the bill in January with Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN). “[T]his bipartisan bill will help identify the outdated programs that should be streamlined or eliminated to save taxpayer money.”

Agencies currently are required to produce information on program management, budgets, strategic plans, and annual performance under current law. However, H.R. 598 would expand the definition of a “federal program” and direct OMB to list all programs in one place.

“Congress has made several attempts to shed light on wasteful and duplicative programs and increase information about federal program performances, but many of these efforts have fallen short of fully reaching the intended outcome of the enacted laws,” committee report to accompany H.R. 598 says.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) has introduced a companion bill (S. 282) in the Senate, which was approved by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee last June and currently awaits action by the full Senate.

Freedom of Information Act Requests

Also on the House floor calendar for this week is the FOIA Oversight and Implementation Act of 2015 (H.R. 653), or the FOIA Act. It would require several changes to the current process of allowing individuals to obtain records from federal agencies, including establishing a single website for making FOIA requests and creating a Chief FOIA Officers Council to review and improve the process. The legislation also would:

Direct agencies to make records available in an electronic format

Reduce the number of exemptions agencies can use to withhold information from the public

Clarify procedures for handling frequently requested documents and charging fees

Require courts to pay some attorney fees and other litigation costs related to FOIA disputes

“Enacted in 1966, FOIA was designed to enable anyone to request, without explanation or justification, copies of existing, identifiable, and unpublished records from the executive branch,”

a Senate report explained. “[OMB] issues guidelines to agencies on what fees to charge for providing information, while the Department of Justice (DOJ) oversees agency compliance with FOIA. In 2013, federal agencies received more than 730,000 FOIA requests.”

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), former chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, introduced H.R. 653 last February followed by committee approval in March. It currently has 55 cosponsors.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has introduced a companion bill (S. 337) in his chamber. S. 337 currently awaits Senate floor consideration.