Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2013

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 994) to expand the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to increase accountability and transparency in Federal spending, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of S. 994, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act, or DATA Act.

As chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, I have looked to tackle major problems pervasive in the Federal Government.

Over the past 4 years, our committee, the majority and the minority, has taken up and moved several bills designed to reform the Federal Government.

Majority Leader Cantor has worked with leaders on both sides of the aisle to take most of those reforms and advance them through the full House, often on a unanimous basis.

All Members of the House can be proud of the work we have done to improve the Federal Government. Without a doubt, the most important transparency reform we have pushed over the last 4 years has been the DATA Act. The DATA Act is but a first shot of a technological revolution that will transform the way we govern.

Just 3 weeks ago, the GAO's Comptroller General Gene Dodaro came before our committee and testified that the status of the Federal data programs is abysmal. Agencies have no standardized performance metrics for their programs. Agencies cannot tell us how many programs they have. But most importantly, agencies do not and usually cannot tell us how much taxpayer money has been spent on any given program.

The spending information that is provided is often incomplete, out- of-date, and very often inaccurate. The American people deserve to know if their taxpayer dollars are being wasted or whether they are being spent wisely. Even the meager amount of performance information collected today is useless if it cannot determine how much resources any given program truly consumes.

This information disadvantages not only Congress, but in fact the President's administration. Presidential administrations one after another consist of but a few thousand officials to oversee a workforce of nearly 2 million people and trillions of dollars.

Regardless of political party affiliation, each Congress and every President is frustrated by this large, permanent, unaccountable class of bureaucrats.

Some scholars have even deemed the permanent bureaucracy as the ``fourth branch'' of the Federal Government.

In order to better oversee the Federal Government, Congress, and even the President and his appointees, must better leverage the technology available today. The DATA Act will allow us to do just that.

I introduced the first version of the DATA Act in 2011. Its inspiration came from a relatively small expense in the Obama administration's 2009 stimulus spending bill, a bill that I overall did not approve of but which did have this important accountability standard.

The stimulus temporarily established an entity called the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board. The Board was chaired by a respected inspector general, Earl Devaney. Under Chairman Devaney's leadership, the Board established direct reporting requirements for stimulus projects and standardized Federal agency reporting. This allowed inspector generals and other law enforcement agencies to more effectively prosecute fraud and prevent improper payments.

Furthermore, this information was made available to the public online in an easy-to-download, easy-to-manipulate format so that journalists, academics, and government watchdogs could more easily analyze stimulus spending.

I met with Vice President Joe Biden in November of 2010, prior to even becoming the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Despite possible disagreements on some aspects of the stimulus, we found ourselves very much in support of the Recovery Board's successes and knew that it could be replicated across the entire Federal Government.

I want to thank Vice President Biden for his continued public and private support for the kinds of reforms embedded in this legislation today, and particularly for continuing to be a champion of the Recovery Board's work and the transparency it brought.

In order to do what we agreed to back in 2010, the Federal Government would need standardized data and reporting by all Federal agencies and improved recipient reporting. That is the only way that you could accomplish this, and legislative action was needed.

After months of working with leading experts in the field of standardized reporting, I introduced in July of 2011 the first version of the DATA Act, H.R. 2146. Later that year, I joined with Ranking Member Elijah Cummings to refine the legislation and mark it up through our committee.

I want to thank Representatives on both sides of the aisle here today for the bipartisan nature in which we worked on this kind of transparency work. It is technical. It is sometimes hard. Of course, it is a pushback from bureaucrats, but it is what Congress is supposed to do: make the institutional changes that make government more accountable.

In April 2012 we brought it to the floor on a bipartisan basis and passed the first version of the DATA Act unanimously. While a companion version, S. 3600, was introduced by Senator Mark Warner of Virginia and Senator Rob Portman of Ohio that year, the Senate did not act on either it or the House-passed bill.

Last year we reintroduced the DATA Act as H.R. 2061 and approved it unanimously out of our committee. We made significant changes to streamline the bill, but we maintained the focus on its core elements. Simultaneously, Senator Warner and Senator Portman introduced a new Senate companion, S. 994, the bill before us today. The House acted quickly again and approved H.R. 2061 by a vote of 388-1.

Knowing that the legislative calendar was short, House and Senate sponsors worked with Senator Carper and Senator Coburn in a preconference process that ensured the bill would be taken up by the full Senate and which anticipates our passage here today.

We also were able to bring to the table those reformers in the administration--both political appointees and career civil servants--to offer technical improvements to the bill, and they are incorporated in this legislation.

While the bill does not contain all reforms the House advanced in its two previous votes on the DATA Act, the bill before us today does contain the core elements of the two prior versions of the bill and maintains the most important step: common data standards and recipient reporting.

The DATA Act is more than just better tools to fight waste and fraud. It requires agencies to report their financial information in standard formats program by program. The DATA Act also gives policymakers in Congress and in the executive branch better information to make better decisions. More importantly, we give the American people better information to evaluate our performance.

In addition to the strong data standards and requirements for agencies to produce program-by-program information, the House-Senate agreement contains two key provisions from previous versions of the DATA Act.

First, the bill authorizes the Treasury Department to establish a cutting-edge data analysis center modeled specifically after the successful Recovery Operations Center, also known as the ROC. This is the center I spoke earlier about that was established by now-retired but still-distinguished friend of government Earl Devaney as part of the Recovery Board's stimulus transparency efforts.

This new center will build on the innovative technology and ideas of the ROC and expand their use throughout the Federal Government. The DATA Act specifically provides for the transfer of that technology still in place at the ROC.

This new Treasury Department data analysis center will be a vital tool for law enforcement agencies and the IGs in their criminal and other investigations. The new center will also serve agencies who strive to prevent improper payments.

Second, the DATA Act agreement before you today establishes a pilot program to develop consolidated reporting for recipients of Federal funds. And I want to emphasize that, Madam Speaker. Federal recipients, people who get taxpayer money, will now have a transparent and consolidated way to send the information as to how they are spending it so you and the public will know.

Hundreds of billions of Federal taxpayer dollars are spent every year by State, local, tribal governments, universities, and private institutions. These institutions end up inevitably wasting millions of taxpayer dollars complying with duplicative and complicated reporting requirements.

At the end of a 2-year pilot program where some recipients will report to a single entity in a standardized manner, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget will issue guidance to all Federal agencies on how to streamline and consolidate reporting requirements. Just like with stimulus funds, the same data standards that apply to Federal agency reporting will apply to recipient reporting.

The DATA Act will give the American people the ability to track how we spend their tax dollars. Instead of sifting through PDFs--a form of visual, nondata-based standard--posted online that only let's you see a picture of the spending--and many different formats--you now will in fact have all Federal spending information available for bulk download in a single, machine-readable format.

That is a big mouthful, Madam Speaker, but what it really means is that both individuals and entities, large and small, will be able to create tools where, on your iPhone or Android, you will be able to ask a question and get back an answer as successfully as the programs that have previously been made available.

The DATA Act will give lawmakers and public watchdogs powerful tools to identify and root out fraud, waste, and excess spending in the government. It will put at the American people's fingertips today the kind of information that only long and arduous research could unveil.

More importantly, by simply opening up this information, we will enable journalists, academics, and even private sector businesses to use the data to create products that will deliver real value to the American people.

This is just one example:

The National Weather Service some years ago did just what we are proposing by opening up their data, making it freely available to the public some years ago. Today it supports a multibillion-dollar weather analysis industry, and every American with a smartphone or a computer can find out what the weather is and what it is forecasted to be at any location in America. That wouldn't be possible without that open data standard.

I am very proud that it was a start, but there is more to do.

The DATA Act will have the same ability to create jobs, which is why this bill is so important. It is endorsed by dozens of private sector technology companies.

New York University Business School Professor Joel Gurin wrote in a recent book that ``the value of government open data is that it's a long-term, permanent resource that innovators can use for decades, developing new ideas and new companies as technology makes them possible.''

That is a mouthful, but it says what we need to say, which is that this is going to create new industries that are able to leverage the information that today is not available to the American people and not available to the innovators in Silicon Valley and around America.

I ask that my colleagues join with me today in sending this bill to the President for his signature, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, in closing, this last weekend, the Associated Press talked about the waning days of this Congress and expected to have a do-nothing Congress.

That is easy to say, but in this case, today, we are showing, on a bipartisan, bicameral basis, with our friends in the Senate, that there are major pieces of legislation that will save countless billions of dollars and provide better information to the American people and

to the watchdogs who want to root out waste, fraud, and abuse in our government.

So this is not a controversial bill because it has taken years of hard work to get it right. But, in fact, this is a major piece of legislation.

I want to close by thanking Senator Carper, Senator Coburn, Senator Portman, and Senator Warner, the author of the bill today, in addition to Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, and of course, my ranking member, Congressman Cummings.

This has been bipartisan. It is one of the many pieces of bipartisan legislation that take a long time, they hold a lot of hearings, but at the end of the day, the American people can trust that the American people's work does get done, in spite of some of the things we are unable to do. This is a major piece of legislation.

I want to thank, lastly, leadership for bringing this to the floor today in a timely fashion so that we can get it to the President's desk for signing next week.

Madam Speaker, I urge support and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1162) to amend title 31, United States Code, to make improvements in the Government Accountability Office, as amended.

I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

As you know, the Government Accountability Office is a legislative branch agency that investigates how the Federal Government spends taxpayer dollars. Often called the ``congressional watchdog,'' the GAO investigates instances of waste, fraud, and abuse in the Federal Government. My committee has direct jurisdiction over the GAO.

Congress must have current information on how Federal programs are performing in order to both legislate and effectively conduct meaningful oversight.

H.R. 1162, the GAO Improvement Act, will enhance the GAO's ability to serve Congress primarily by ensuring the agency has access to key data warehoused in the executive branch.

This bill ensures that the GAO has access to the National Directory of New Hires, which is used to verify eligibility for Federal programs, to detect or prevent fraud, and to identify improper payments.

H.R. 1162 will ensure the GAO has the ability to obtain agency records and to administer oaths to witnesses when auditing accounts and investigating fraud.

It will allow the Comptroller General to seek judicial remedy to enforce GAO's right to information under the law.

GAO has an exemplary record of protecting sensitive government information, including national security documents. The committee is confident that GAO, a nonpartisan portion of the legislative branch, will continue to vigorously maintain confidentiality regarding information it obtains.

I want to note that the language in this bill was included in previous

versions of the DATA Act that was approved unanimously by the House in the last Congress.

I want to additionally thank the ranking member, Mr. Cummings, for his partnership in this issue. No matter which of us holds the gavel, we together know that the information we base our decisions on, the information critical to the American people, has a balance of time that we must realize must be sooner and not later.

The ranking member and I absolutely support this bill in its current form because we know that fresh information is critically important if we're to make our decisions well timely.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I now will place in the record a letter from the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee supporting the bill, but recognizing that the primary jurisdiction over this database belongs to the Ways and Means Committee, and we are responding in the affirmative for that.

Committee on Ways and Means,

House of Representatives,

Washington, DC, April 15, 2013.

Hon. Darrell Issa,

Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform,

Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Issa, On March 20, 2013, the Committee on

Oversight and Government Reform reported H.R. 1162, the

Government Accountability Office Improvement Act, favorably

to the House. Section 2, dealing with authority to access the

National Directory of New Hires in Section 453 of the Social

Security Act, touches the jurisdiction of the Committee on

Ways and Means. As a result of your having consulted with the

Committee concerning the provision of the bill that falls

within our Rule X jurisdiction, I agree not to seek a

sequential referral so that the bill may proceed

expeditiously to the House floor.

The Committee on Ways and Means takes this action with the

mutual understanding that, by forgoing consideration of H.R.

1162 at this time, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the

subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and

the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as

the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may

address any remaining issues that fall within our Rule X

jurisdiction. The Committee also reserves the right to seek

appointment of an appropriate number of conferees to any

House-Senate conference involving this or similar

legislation, and requests your support for such request.

Finally, I would appreciate your response to this letter

confirming this understanding, and would ask that a copy of

our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the

Congressional Record during floor consideration thereof.

Sincerely,

Dave Camp,

Chairman.

Before I recognize the next speaker, I would ask that the House take a moment to recognize the loss of life in Boston as this tragedy continues to unfold.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I am prepared to close unless there are further speakers on the other side.

Then I think we both ask for favorable consideration, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I first just want to dedicate a moment or two to our fellow citizens up in Boston who are going through some very traumatic times right now. The fact that bombs have gone off in Boston, that sadly there have been fatalities and sadly many people have been injured, our prayers go out to our fellow citizens, to the first responders, and we pray that this matter will be resolved in a way that brings anybody who brings harm to anyone to justice.

With that, Mr. Speaker, on the subject of the bill, I rise in strong support of this bill.

I want to associate myself with the words of our chairman, Mr. Issa. This is truly indeed a bipartisan bill. As to the contents of the bill, GAO assists Congress in identifying waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal programs and recommending ways to make government work better.

Because of its vital role, GAO needs unfetterred access to Federal agencies. Efforts by executive branch officials to withhold information from GAO unfortunately impede Congress' ability to legislate effectively. And I will say it over and over again, as long as I live, we need to be effective and efficient in everything we do on this Earth. This is an effort to make sure that we can be just that, more effective and efficient.

The Government Accountability Office Improvement Act will increase the effectiveness of GAO by clarifying and strengthening its authority in several critical areas, including access to records.

The GAO Improvement Act addresses a Federal court decision in Walker v. Cheney that limited GAO's ability to question agency access determinations in court.

The bill provides the Comptroller General, with express authority from Congress, to pursue litigation if the Comptroller General determines that the performance of her official duties is harmed when an agency improperly withholds information.

The bill also clarifies GAO's access to information in other key areas by confirming GAO's right to make and retain copies of records, authorizing the GAO to administer oaths in certain circumstances and specifically granting GAO access to certain information.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, the bill creates a reporting mechanism so that Congress will be more fully informed when agencies do not cooperate with GAO.

I introduced similar legislation to this bill in the last Congress which passed the House as a provision of H.R. 2146, the DATA Act, to which it was added at my request.

Again, I want to thank the chairman of the committee for his cooperation in getting the bill to the floor, and I urge Members to pass H.R. 1162.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

We have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I am pleased to rise in support of S. 994, the DATA Act. This is a landmark piece of bipartisan and bicameral legislation that will change the way the government operates.

I applaud the sponsor of S. 994, Senator Mark Warner, who put a lot of passion and hard work into this legislation; as did the principal sponsor here, whom you have just heard from, House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa, who put considerable energy into this bill over more than one session; as well as Senate Chairman Tom Carper of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee; and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings, who worked very diligently to get us to the House floor today.

The DATA Act will provide the public with information about how the government is spending money, pure and simple. This will hold agencies accountable for their spending, and it will result in a more effective government.

On April 8, 2014, the Comptroller General of the United States, Gene Dodaro, testified in support of this legislation. Here is what he said: ``I think the DATA Act is one of the biggest single things that could be done in order to provide more transparency on the costs of these program activities.''

The Comptroller General went on to say that the DATA Act would ``standardize the data''--and that is the operative word, ``standardize the data''--``so that you would be able to compare data across agencies, which you can't do right now. It would also provide more consistent information and at a lower program spending level that we found to be a big obstacle in us identifying additional savings opportunities.''

The DATA Act will require the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish government-wide data standards. This will improve the quality of the data that agencies make available about their spending.

Under this bill, spending data will be available through a single Web site. The bill will require that spending data be available for each agency and each program activity in a searchable, downloadable format.

The DATA Act is a bipartisan bill across both Chambers that will improve transparency and, in turn, make government work better. I urge every Member to support this legislation.

I would like, again, to express my strong support for this bill and to thank Chairman Issa for his many efforts to get it passed and through committee more than once.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.