Ayotte, Warner Introduce Bill to Eliminate Unnecessary, Outdated Federal Reports

Press Release

U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) and Mark R. Warner (D-VA) - who both serve on the Senate Budget Committee - introduced bipartisan legislation today that would eliminate, modify or consolidate over 300 unnecessary, duplicative and outdated reporting requirements from more than two dozen federal government agencies.

The Government Reports Elimination Act of 2014 will help save staff time and other resources by eliminating unnecessary federal reports - such as a report on violations of the Dog and Cat Fur Act, which has had only one violation in five years, and a report on the Social Security Administration's printing activities, which is estimated to take 95 employees approximately 85 workdays but has likely never been utilized or even reviewed. Warner and Ayotte serve, respectively, as Chairman and Ranking Member (top Republican) of the Senate Budget Committee's Task Force on Government Performance.

"We need to streamline and modernize government wherever possible," said Senator Ayotte. "This bipartisan legislation is part of my ongoing effort to protect taxpayers by eliminating duplication and waste in federal programs and making government more efficient. I look forward to continuing my work with Senator Warner and with our Task Force to find places to save and make government smaller and smarter."

"All too frequently Congress adds more reporting requirements without checking to see if they overlap with existing ones. If these unnecessary but required reports are wasting staff time and resources and are sitting on a shelf collecting dust, then it's long past time for them to be eliminated or consolidated," said Senator Warner. "In the GPRA Modernization Act, we asked federal agencies to identify duplicative reporting and our legislation reflects their recommendations. Eliminating a handful of reports won't solve our budget shortfalls, but we should take every opportunity to ensure every taxpayer dollar is spent wisely. I will continue to work with Senator Ayotte and our other Task Force members on identifying other ways to create a more effective and efficient government."

As a Senate Budget Committee member, Senator Ayotte works to find savings throughout the federal government. For example, in June she introduced the Duplication Elimination Act (S.1231), bipartisan legislation that would create an expedited procedure for enacting Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations to eliminate duplication and overlap across the federal government. She is also a cosponsor of the Federal Data Center Consolidation Act of 2013 (S. 1611), which would require better reporting and initiation of plans to consolidate the thousands of federal data centers across the country that are underutilized - legislation that stands to achieve $3 billion in savings.

Additionally, Ayotte is a cosponsor of the Conference Accountability Act of 2013 (S. 1347), which would cap spending for a single federal conference at $500,000. The bill would also require quarterly reporting on paid travel expenses, limit agency travel expenses to 80% of Fiscal Year 2010 amounts, and prohibit federal agencies from sending more than 50 employees to a single international conference.

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