Sunset Each New Congressional Report

2. Review new reporting requirements for management impact, and include
a sunset provision. (3)

The growth of new reporting requirements also must be controlled.
Congress should assess the management implications, particularly the
cost, of each newly proposed reporting requirement. The cost of
requiring new information from the agencies should be compared with the
ensuing benefit. Congress and OMB should jointly develop standards for
Congress to apply when performing cost/benefit analyses on newly
proposed reporting requirements. Congress should report in committee the
cost/benefit comparison for each proposed reporting requirement before
its enactment.

In addition, Congress should include a sunset provision requiring
congressional reassessment of each newly adopted reporting requirement
at least every two to four years. The sunset provision would ensure that
the information requested still merits the cost of preparing and
analyzing the report. Sunset provisions ensure that the burdens of
congressionally mandated reports are controlled.

NPR's Improving Financial Management report proposes related measures
with respect to federal financial reporting requirements.  Specifically,
that report proposes that the appropriate congressional committees
subject future financial reporting requirements to a cost/benefit
analysis.