OMB Watch testified before the House Government Reform Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs in a June 14 hearing on the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1980, which has been reauthorized in 1986 and 1995, did much more than its name implied. The PRA concentrated wide-ranging power in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to control the collection of information by federal agencies and to improve the management of other federal government information activities. The Act was (and continues to be) one of the most far-reaching federal information laws on the books. At the same time, it is one of the least well-known laws on the books. OMB Watch urged the Subcommittee to keep in mind the benefits and uses of information while examining agency efforts to reduce paperwork burden. Information has always been the fuel that powers the engine of progress in the government on anything from environment to government spending to health and safety regulations. Eliminating or weakening the collection of information to achieve an arbitrary reduction goal, as the PRA requires, is short-sighted and irresponsible. In consideration that the real strength of the PRA is in its potential to help government manage its information resources, OMB Watch recommended Congress change the law to clearly establish that its primary purpose is to improve the management of government information, including a name change to Information Resources Management Act. Unfortunately, the current theme of reducing paperwork - no matter the repercussion - conflicts with a strong law on managing information resources. Public access and dissemination of government information was another major issue that OMB Watch raised in its testimony. It urged the subcommittee to include a provision that creates an affirmative responsibility for agencies to publicly disseminate, in a timely manner, any and all information collected by government agencies except for information that is exempt from disclosure under FOIA. Finally, OMB Watch warned the subcommittee about PRA's vulnerability to manipulation for political ends. The law creates a backdoor for administrations to achieve politically motivated goals with regards to the regulatory process. OMB Watch recommended that changes be made to protect the paperwork review process from political manipulation, including requirements on OMB to publicly disclose explanations for any information collection requests that the office delays, changes, or disapproves. You can read OMB Watch's entire written testimony here. The Government Accountability Office presented the results of its investigation into agencies' performance implementing the PRA. The group publicly released its findings in a report entitled Paperwork Reduction Act: New Approach May be Needed to Reduce Government Burden on Public." The subcommittee also heard from the Chief Information Officers from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation and Department of Labor as well as representative of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacture's Association (SOCMA). When the subcommittee's website posts the hearing materials a link will be provided here.