3503. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

3504. Authority and functions of Director.

3505. Assignment of tasks and deadlines.

3506. Federal agency responsibilities.

3507. Public information collection activities; submission to Director; approval and

delegation.

3508. Determination of necessity for information; hearing.

3509. Designation of central collection agency.

3510. Cooperation of agencies in making information available.

3511. Establishment and operation of Government Information Locator Service. 3512. Public protection.

3513. Director review of agency activities; reporting; agency response.

3514. Responsiveness to Congress.

3515. Administrative powers.

3516. Rules and regulations.

3517. Consultation with other agencies and the public.

3518. Effect on existing laws and regulations.

3519. Access to information.

3520. Establishment of task force on information collection and dissemination. 3521. Authorization of appropriations.

The purposes of this subchapter are to

(1) minimize the paperwork burden for individuals, small businesses, educational and nonprofit institutions, Federal contractors, State, local and tribal governments, and other persons resulting from the collection of information by or for the Federal Government;

(2) ensure the greatest possible public benefit from and maximize the utility of information created, collected, maintained, used, shared and disseminated by or for the Federal Government;

(3) coordinate, integrate, and to the extent practicable and appropriate, make uniform Federal information resources management policies and practices as a means to improve the productivity, efficiency, and effectiveness of Government programs, including the reduction of information collection bur

1 Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, Public Law 96–511, 94 Stat. 2812, Dec. 11, 1980, effective on April 1, 1981.

dens on the public and the improvement of service delivery to the public;

(4) improve the quality and use of Federal information to strengthen decisionmaking, accountability, and openness in Government and society;

(5) minimize the cost to the Federal Government of the creation, collection, maintenance, use, dissemination, and disposition of information;

(6) strengthen the partnership between the Federal Government and State, local, and tribal governments by minimizing the burden and maximizing the utility of information created, collected, maintained, used, disseminated, and retained by or for the Federal Government;

(7) provide for the dissemination of public information on a timely basis, on equitable terms, and in a manner that promotes the utility of the information to the public and makes effective use of information technology;

(8) ensure that the creation, collection, maintenance, use, dissemination, and disposition of information by or for the Federal Government is consistent with applicable laws, including laws relating to

(A) privacy and confidentiality, including section 552a of title 5;

(B) security of information, including section 11332 of title 40; and

5;

(C) access to information, including section 552 of title

(9) ensure the integrity, quality, and utility of the Federal statistical system;

(10) ensure that information technology is acquired, used, and managed to improve performance of agency missions, including the reduction of information collection burdens on the public; and

(11) improve the responsibility and accountability of the Office of Management and Budget and all other Federal agencies to Congress and to the public for implementing the information collection review process, information resources management, and related policies and guidelines established under this subchapter.

§ 3502. Definitions

As used in this subchapter

(1) the term "agency" means any executive department, military department, Government corporation, Government controlled corporation, or other establishment in the executive branch of the Government (including the Executive Office of the President), or any independent regulatory agency, but does not include

(A) the General Accounting Office;

(B) Federal Election Commission;

(C) the governments of the District of Columbia and of the territories and possessions of the United States, and their various subdivisions; or

(D) Government-owned contractor-operated facilities, including laboratories engaged in national defense research and production activities;

(2) the term "burden" means time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, or provide information to or for a Federal agency, including the resources expended for

(A) reviewing instructions;

(B) acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems;

(C) adjusting the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; (D) searching data sources;

(E) completing and reviewing the collection of information; and

(F) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the information;

(3) the term "collection of information❞—

(A) means the obtaining, causing to be obtained, soliciting, or requiring the disclosure to third parties or the public, of facts or opinions by or for an agency, regardless of form or format, calling for either

(i) answers to identical questions posed to, or identical reporting or recordkeeping requirements imposed on, ten or more persons, other than agencies, instrumentalities, or employees of the United States; or

(ii) answers to questions posed to agencies, instrumentalities, or employees of the United States which are to be used for general statistical purposes; and

(B) shall not include a collection of information described under section 3518(c)(1);

(4) the term "Director" means the Director of the Office of Management and Budget;

(5) the term "independent regulatory agency" means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the Federal Housing Finance Board, the Federal Maritime Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Mine Enforcement Safety and Health Review Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, the Postal Rate Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and any other similar agency designated by statute as a Federal independent regulatory agency or commission;

(6) the term "information resources" means information and related resources, such as personnel, equipment, funds, and information technology;

(7) the term "information resources management" means the process of managing information resources to accomplish agency missions and to improve agency performance, including

through the reduction of information collection burdens on the public;

(8) the term "information system" means a discrete set of information resources organized for the collection, processing, maintenance, use, sharing, dissemination, or disposition of information;

(9) the term "information technology" has the meaning given that term in section 11101 of title 40 but does not include national security systems as defined in section 11103 of title 40;

(10) the term "person" means an individual, partnership, association, corporation, business trust, or legal representative, an organized group of individuals, a State, territorial, tribal, or local government or branch thereof, or a political subdivision of a State, territory, tribal, or local government or a branch of a political subdivision;

(11) the term "practical utility" means the ability of an agency to use information, particularly the capability to process such information in a timely and useful fashion;

(12) the term "public information" means any information, regardless of form or format, that an agency discloses, disseminates, or makes available to the public;

(13) the term "recordkeeping requirement" means a requirement imposed by or for an agency on persons to maintain specified records, including a requirement to—

(A) retain such records;

(B) notify third parties, the Federal Government, or the public of the existence of such records;

(C) disclose such records to third parties, the Federal Government, or the public; or

(D) report to third parties, the Federal Government, or the public regarding such records; and

(14) the term "penalty" includes the imposition by an agency or court of a fine or other punishment; a judgment for monetary damages or equitable relief; or the revocation, suspension, reduction, or denial of a license, privilege, right, grant, or benefit.

§ 3503. Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs

(a) There is established in the Office of Management and Budget an office to be known as the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

(b) There shall be at the head of the Office an Administrator who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Director shall delegate to the Administrator the authority to administer all functions under this subchapter, except that any such delegation shall not relieve the Director of responsibility for the administration of such functions. The Administrator shall serve as principal adviser to the Director on Federal information resources management policy.

§ 3504. Authority and functions of Director

(a)(1) The Director shall oversee the use of information resources to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of governmental

operations to serve agency missions, including burden reduction and service delivery to the public. In performing such oversight, the Director shall

(A) develop, coordinate and oversee the implementation of Federal information resources management policies, principles, standards, and guidelines; and

(B) provide direction and oversee—

(i) the review and approval of the collection of information and the reduction of the information collection burden; (ii) agency dissemination of and public access to information;

(iii) statistical activities;

(iv) records management activities;

(v) privacy, confidentiality, security, disclosure, and sharing of information; and

(vi) the acquisition and use of information technology, including alternative information technologies that provide for electronic submission, maintenance, or disclosure of information as a substitute for paper and for the use and acceptance of electronic signatures. (2) The authority of the Director under this subchapter shall be exercised consistent with applicable law.

(b) With respect to general information resources management policy, the Director shall

(1) develop and oversee the implementation of uniform information resources management policies, principles, standards, and guidelines;

(2) foster greater sharing, dissemination, and access to public information, including through—

(A) the use of the Government Information Locator Service; and

(B) the development and utilization of common standards for information collection, storage, processing and communication, including standards for security, interconnectivity and interoperability;

(3) initiate and review proposals for changes in legislation, regulations, and agency procedures to improve information resources management practices;

(4) oversee the development and implementation of best practices in information resources management, including training; and

(5) oversee agency integration of program and management functions with information resources management functions.

(c) With respect to the collection of information and the control of paperwork, the Director shall

(1) review and approve proposed agency collections of information;

(2) coordinate the review of the collection of information associated with Federal procurement and acquisition by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs with the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, with particular emphasis on applying information technology to improve the efficiency and ef