Paperwork Reduction Act Hearings: Information Dissemination

The Legislative Enactments

The original Paperwork Reduction Act was enacted in 1980 (P.L. 96-511, Dec. 11, 1980), was amended in 1986 (P.L. 99-500, Title VIII, Part A), and was completely revised, reauthorized, and recodified in 1995 (P.L. 104-13, May 22, 1995).

The 1980 Act addressed information dissemination to a very limited extent. It stated that two of its purposes were to minimize the cost of disseminating information and to ensure that dissemination of information was consistent with applicable laws relating to confidentiality. With regard to statistical policy and coordination, the Director was made responsible for coordinating the functions of the Federal Government with regard to statistical information presentation and dissemination, and for developing and implementing government-wide policies, principles, standards, and guidelines concerning statistical information presentation and dissemination. Each agency was made responsible for periodically reviewing its information management activities, including managerial activities involving the dissemination of information.

The 1986 amendments to the 1980 Act contained additional provisions regarding information dissemination and quality/utility. One the purposes of the Act was now stated to be “to maximize the usefulness of information collected and disseminated by the Federal Government”. The term “information resources management” was defined to include agency dissemination of information. The responsibilities of the Director for promulgating information policies, principles, standards, and guidelines was extended to agency dissemination of information. Agencies were made responsible for implementing government-wide and agency information policies, principles, standards, and guidelines with respect to dissemination of information, and for periodically evaluating, and, as needed, improving, the accuracy, completeness, and reliability of data and records contained within the Federal information systems.

The 1995 revision, codification, and reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act consolidated much of what was in the 1980 Act and the 1986 amendments, and made some refinements in the area of information dissemination and utility/quality. The Act added several new statements of purpose: improving the quality and use of Federal information to strengthen decisionmaking, accountability, and openness in Government and society; providing for the dissemination of public information in a manner that promotes the utility of the information to the public; and ensuring the integrity, quality, and utility of the Federal statistical system. OMB’s responsibility to provide direction to all agencies on information dissemination policy was retained, but the language was revised slightly and reformatted.

OMB and Agency Implementation

OMB complied with its information dissemination and information utility/quality responsibilities under the 1980, 1986, and 1995 enactments by issuing Circular A-130 in 1985, and revising it in 1993, 1996, and 2000. It complied with the implementing directives of sec. 515 of Title V of the consolidated appropriations Act for FY 2001 by issuing government-wide guidelines on Sept. 28, 2001 and Feb. 22, 2002. All federal agencies issued their agency-specific guidelines consistent with the OMB guidelines by approximately Sept. 30, 2002. (There had not previously been agency-specific guidelines that were promulgated through notice and comment procedures.)

Hearings Addressing the Paperwork Reduction Act

October 21, 1981 hearing before the House Subcomm. on Legislation and National Security of the Comm. on Government Operations.

April 14, 1982 hearing before the Senate Subcomm. on Federal Expenditures, Research, and Rules of the Comm. on Government Affairs.

April 27, 1983 hearing before the House Subcomm. on Legislation and National Security of the Comm. on Government Operations.

May 6, 1983 hearing before the Senate Subcomm. on Information Management and Regulatory Affairs of the Comm. on Government Affairs.

April 4, 1984 hearing before the Senate Subcomm. on Information Management and Regulatory Affairs of the Comm. on Government Affairs.

June 14, 1988 hearing before the Senate Subcomm. on Government Information and Regulation of the Comm. on Government Affairs on the nomination of S. Jay Plager to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

June 12 and 16, 1989, hearings before the Senate Subcomm. on Government Information and Regulation of the Comm. on Government Affairs on Reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act (S. Hrg. 101-166).

September 7, 1989 hearing before the Senate Comm. on Small Business on Implementation of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (S. Hrg. 101-315).

February 21 and 22, 1990 hearings before the Senate Subcomm. on Government Information and Regulation of the Comm. on Government Affairs on Reauthorization of OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (S. Hrg. 101-588).

October 23, 1990 hearing before the Senate Subcomm. on Government Information and Regulation of the Comm. on Government Affairs on the nomination of James F. Blumstein to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (S. Hrg. 101-1176).

June 25, 1991 hearing before the Senate Comm. on Small Business on Restraining Paperwork Burdens on Small Business: Implementation of the ‘Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980' and Recommendations to Make it More Effective (S. Hrg. 102-592).

October 30, 1991 hearing before the Senate Subcomm. on Government Information and Regulation of the Comm. on Government Affairs on the nominations of Francis S. Hodsoll to be OMB’s Deputy Director for Management and Edward J. Mazur to be OMB’s Controller, Office of Federal Financial Management (S. Hrg. 102-821).

May 19, 1994 hearing before the Senate Comm. on Government Affairs on and S. 560 (“Paperwork Reduction Act of 1993") and S. 681 (“Paperwork Reduction Reauthorization Act of 1993").

January 27, 1995 hearing before the House Comm. on Small Business on oversight of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

February 7, 1995 hearing before the House Subcomm. on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs of the Comm. on Government Reform and Oversight on implementation and reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act.

June 5, 1996 hearing before the Senate Comm. on Small Business on oversight of the small business agenda, including implementation of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

April 12, 2000 hearing before the House Subcomm. on National Economic Growth, Natural Resources, and Regulatory Affairs of the Comm. on Government Reform on “Reinventing Paperwork?: The Clinton-Gore Administration’s Record on Paperwork Reduction” (H.R. Hrg. 106-193).

(Note: There are probably also hearings subsequent to the Dec. 2000 enactment of section 515 which address the Act.)