Sen. Warner to introduce bill to eliminate outdated agency reports

By Ramsey Cox - 01/09/13 05:35 PM ET

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) announced Wednesday that he would introduce a bill to eliminate outdated and duplicative government agency reports, as recommended by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

“Over the years, federal agencies have been instructed to expend considerable staff time and other resources producing thousands of reports, yet we never look back to see if these reporting requirements might be outdated, duplicative, or even relevant,” Warner said in a statement Wednesday. “If these reports are sitting on a shelf collecting dust, then it’s time for them to go.”

In the statement, Warner said that OMB provided a list of 376 government reports that were no longer needed. He said OMB created the list because it was part of his Government Performance and Results Modernization Act, which became law in 2011.

“In the GPRA Modernization Act, we asked agencies to tell us which reports have outlived their purpose, and OMB is recommending modifying or eliminating nearly 400 reports produced by 29 federal agencies,” Warner said. “We will review this information and work with the agencies and OMB to introduce legislation that will eliminate or modify these unnecessary reporting requirements.”

Warner said that Congress should act on the information in order to get rid of some government waste.

“Congress should take every opportunity to create a more effective and efficient government, and the elimination of these outdated reports is one step in that direction,” Warner said.