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Paperwork Reduction: Agency Responses to Recent Court Decisions

PEMD-93-5 Published: Feb 03, 1993. Publicly Released: Mar 05, 1993.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed how agencies interpreted and responded to a Supreme Court decision on the paperwork clearance process, focusing on: (1) what guidance agencies received and what criteria they used to determine whether an information collection request (ICR) met information collection and disclosure requirements; (2) how broadly agencies interpreted the court decision; and (3) what changes agencies made in the number and type of ICR submissions sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Office of Management and Budget Given GAO findings that agencies have interpreted the Steelworkers decision quite differently and in the absence of legislative changes, the Director, OMB, should issue guidance to clarify when agencies are required to submit ICR for review under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Closed – Implemented
The clarification was included in the 1995 reauthorization of the Paperwork Reduction Act, which specifies that third-party disclosure is covered under the requirements of OMB review.

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Topics

Data collectionJudicial opinionsPolicy evaluationReporting requirementsPaperwork reductionElderly personsInformation collectionAppealsConstructionLaw courts