INTRODUCTION This volume of the Congressional Sourcebook Series reflects an updated inventory of requirements for recurring reports to the Congress as of March 30, 1984. The Congress levies reporting requirements on federal agencies and others to obtain information on government programs and activities. The General Accounting Office is publishing this volume of the Requirements for Recurring Reports to the Congress to facilitate access to these requirements and to assist the Congress in carrying out its oversight responsibilities. The directory is divided into two sections, the Citation Section and the Index Section. The Citation Section is organized by agency and contains, for each reporting requirement, a synopsis of the requirement, a descriptive abstract, budget data, authorizing legislation, congressional committees of relevance, geographic coverage, and public availability. The Index Section provides access to the Citation Section by subject, agency, congressional committee, law, and budget function. The users' guide on page xiii provides a detailed explanation of how to use the two sections. PURPOSE AND SCOPE Requirements for Recurring Reports to the Congress is published primarily to provide the Congress with an inventory of congressionally mandated reporting requirements. It describes approximately 2900 recurring reporting requirements of the executive, congressional, and judicial branch agencies, independent agencies, and federally chartered corporations through the 98th Congress. The emphasis in the inventory has been on "requirements" for reports. Often a difference exists between requirements for reports and actual number of reports submitted to the Congress. The causes for the difference are many, including requirements for reporting the occurrence of an event that has not yet occurred, new requirements for which no report has been completed to date, the possibility that the requirement has lost its significance through the passage of time, and reporting requirements that require more than one agency to report. In addition, some reports are submitted on a voluntary basis. This volume was derived from the Inventory of Requirements for Reports to the Congress (R-file) of the Congressional Information Sources Inventories and Directories (CISID) data base. This data base was established as part of GAO's efforts to fulfill its responsibilities under Title 31 U.S.C. Section 1113 directs the Comptroller General to monitor the various recurring reporting requirements of the Congress and committees and make recommendations to the Congress and committees for changes and improvements in their reporting requirements to meet congressional information needs ascertained by the Comptroller General, to enhance their usefulness to the congressional users and to eliminate duplicative or unneeded reporting. METHODOLOGY The current inventory of requirements for recurring reports was compiled from information furnished by preparing agencies in response to GAO requests of August 3, 1976. Each agency was provided with a listing of requirements for recurring reports which GAO had identified from slip laws, House Documents*, and the Department of Justice's computerized retrieval information system (JURIS). Since 1976, in an effort to keep the inventory current, GAO has conducted annual updates. Each agency has updated its own information using guidelines and procedures prepared by GAO. *U.S. Congress. House. Clerk of the House. Reports to be Made to Congress. (Communications from the Clerk. U.S. House of Representatives transmitting a list of reports which it is the duty of any officer or department to make to Congress pursuant to Rule III, Clause 2. Rules of the House of Representatives). xi The General Accounting Office does not possess copies of the reports cited in this directory, except for those produced by GAO. Copies of other agencies' reports may be obtained from the agency or from the other sources identified in the citation. Listed below is information on how to obtain reports from the General Accounting Office (GAO) and the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). The first five copies of individual reports are free of charge. Additional copies of bound audit reports are $3.25 each. Additional copies of unbound reports (i.e. letter reports) and most other publications are $1.00 each. There is a 25% discount on all orders for 100 or more copies mailed to a single address. Sales orders must be prepaid by cash, check, or money order. Checks should be made out to the "Superintendent of Documents." GAO reports are also available on microfiche. National Technical Information Service. Reports on file with NTIS should be ordered from: NTIS 5285 Port Royal Road Telephone: (703) 487-4650 The order must include the report's NTIS number and should also include the title as a crosscheck. The fastest service is provided to customers who charge to their deposit accounts or their American Express, Visa, or MasterCard credit cards. Otherwise, payment by check or money order must accompany each order. A "ship and bill" service is available to customers who have established credit at a $5.00 surcharge on each order. AVAILABILITY OF COPIES OF THIS DIRECTORY Copies of this directory are available free of charge to the Congress; federal, state, and local government agencies; members of the press; and academic libraries, by writing to: U.S. General Accounting Office Information Handling and Support Facility Gaithersburg, MD 20877 Telephone: (202) 275-6241 QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS DIRECTORY Questions regarding the information contained in this directory should be addressed to: Director, Accounting and Financial Management Division U.S. General Accounting Office 441 G Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20548 Telephone: (202) 275-9559 or 9577 |