This week, the House is expected to consider 12 bills, ranging from government transparency to the IRS.
Legislation under consideration this week includes:
FOIA Oversight and Implementation (FOIA) Act (H.R. 1211): modifies the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to further promote the release and dissemination of government information — including by requiring federal agencies to: post information that is frequently requested by the public, and to establish a single government-wide website where individuals can make FOIA requests and check on the status of those requests.
Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (H.R. 1232): modifies how the federal government procures and manages information technology (IT) to improve performance and reduce costs — including by increasing the authority and accountability of agency chief information officers (CIOs) and the interagency CIO Council, establishing a collaboration center to coordinate the acquisition of IT products used by various federal agencies, and consolidating federal data centers and reducing other duplication.
Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act (H.R. 1423): requires federal agencies to annually provide to the public information on the programs they administer, including their cost and any duplication or overlap between programs, and recommend how to consolidate duplicative programs, eliminate inefficiencies and terminate unnecessary, outdated or low-priority programs.
H.R. 1123: requires wireless carriers to disable cellphone software protections and allow the owners of mobile phones to connect to a different network after their contract expires.
H.R. 1944: prohibits state and local governments that receive federal economic development funds from using "eminent domain" to seize land for economic development purposes.
Taxpayer Transparency and Efficient Audit Act (H.R. 2530): requires the IRS to disclose to a taxpayer when it has shared the individual's tax information with another government agency. It also requires the IRS, if an audit takes more than a year, to explain to the taxpayer in writing why it has taken more than a year.
H.R. 2531: prohibits the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from asking taxpayers questions regarding religious, political, or social beliefs.
H.R. 3308: requires federal agencies to disclose that advertisements they sponsor or materials they provide are paid for by federal taxes.
H.R. 3865: blocks for one year the ability of the Treasury Department or IRS to modify regulations addressing the allowable political activities of tax-exempt 501(c)(4) organizations.
H.R. 3193: modifies the structure and funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by re-establishing it as an independent agency outside of the Federal Reserve in which the CFPB director is replaced with a five-member commission – four of which would require Senate confirmation – and the bureau is funded through the annual appropriations process. This would enable opponents of the CFPB to cut the agency’s funding or subject the agency or nominated commissioners to political pressure, thereby endangering the CFPB’s ability to protect consumers.
H.R. 2804: makes numerous changes to the federal rule-making process, including by requiring agencies to consider numerous new criteria when issuing rules, such as alternatives to rules proposals and the potential costs and benefits of both the proposal and alternatives, by requiring agencies to review the "indirect" costs of proposed and existing rules, and by requiring federal agencies to file monthly reports on the status of their rule-making activities.
H.R. 899: expands and modifies the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, including by requiring that independent agencies conduct analyses of their proposed rules on the private sector and state and local governments, and by requiring all federal agencies to consult with the private sector when developing rules.