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H.R.3609 / 112th Congress

Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act

Committee on House Administration discharged.

Official summary

Version 18 · Reported to House amended, Part I · Jul 31, 2012

Taxpayers Right-To-Know Act - Requires the head of each federal agency, on an annual basis, to: (1) identify and describe every program administered by such agency; (2) determine the total administrative expenses and expenditures for services for each program; (3) estimate the number of clients served by each program and the beneficiaries who received assistance under each program; (4) estimate the number of full-time federal and contract employees who administer each program; and (5) identify federal programs with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds.

Requires each agency head to publish on the agency website, not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, the information required by this Act, the latest performance reviews of each agency program, improper payment rates, the total amount of undisbursed grant funding remaining in grant accounts, and recommendations for consolidating duplicative or overlapping programs, eliminating waste and inefficiency, and terminating lower priority, outdated, and unnecessary programs and initiatives.

Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), not later than February 1 of each fiscal year, to publish on the OMB website a report that contains: (1) an identification of programs across agencies with duplicative or overlapping missions, services, and allowable uses of funds; and (2) recommendations to consolidate duplicative programs, eliminate waste and inefficiency, and terminate lower priority, outdated, and unnecessary programs and initiatives.

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Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the disclosure of classified information.

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Who introduced it

Rep. Lankford, James [R-OK-5] · R–OK

Committees

  • Committee on House Administration
  • Oversight and Government Reform Committee
26 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Committee on House Administration discharged.

  2. Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 505.

  3. Committee on House Administration discharged.

  4. Referred sequentially to the House Committee on House Administration for a period ending not later than Oct. 1, 2012 for consideration of such provisions of the bill and amendment as fall within the jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to clause 1(k), rule X.

  5. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 112-635, Part I.

  6. Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 112-635, Part I.

  7. Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.

  8. Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

  9. Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

  10. Introduced in House

  11. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

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Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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Objective

Analyze H.R.3609 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

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Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.3609 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

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Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

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Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.3609 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

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