Bill Details
HR.1387 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-14 - Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Introduced Date
2025-02-14
Policy Area
Government Operations and Politics
Committees
View committees (1)
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would make it easier for the public to see how federal money is being used. It would require federal agencies and any person or group carrying out a project, program, or activity with federal funds to clearly say how much of the total cost is paid by the federal government, how many federal dollars are available, and how much is being paid by non-federal sources. These disclosures would have to appear in public materials like statements, press releases, requests for proposals, and bid notices, with an exception for very short messages. The bill would also require people or groups using federal funds to certify that they followed these rules, and it would have the Office of Management and Budget check compliance and publish the results. In addition, the public would get a way to anonymously report noncompliant communications.
- The rule would apply to executive agencies, independent regulatory agencies, states and local governments, and others receiving federal research grants or similar federal money.
- Public communications would need to list both the percentage and dollar amount of federal funding, plus the percentage and dollar amount covered by non-government sources.
- Short messages of 280 characters or less would not have to include the full funding disclosure.
- Within one year, the Office of Management and Budget would need to create an anonymous public reporting system for complaints about missing disclosures and would also review a random sample of agency and recipient communications each year.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1387 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1387
To require the disclosure of information relating to the cost of
programs, projects, or activities carried out using Federal funds.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 14, 2025
Mr. Norman (for himself, Mr. Weber of Texas, and Mr. Self) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the disclosure of information relating to the cost of
programs, projects, or activities carried out using Federal funds.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cost Openness and Spending
Transparency Act of 2025'' or the ``COST Act''.
SEC. 2. DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS FOR FEDERAL FUNDS.
(a) In General.--Subchapter III of chapter 13 of title 31, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 1356. Disclosure requirements for Federal funds
``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term `agency' means--
``(1) an Executive agency, as defined in section 105 of
title 5; and
``(2) an independent regulatory agency, as defined in
section 3502 of title 44.
``(b) Disclosure Requirements.--An agency and an individual or
entity (including a State or local government and a recipient of a
Federal research grant) carrying out a program, project, or activity
that is, in whole or in part, carried out using Federal funds shall
clearly state in any statement, press release, request for proposals,
bid solicitation, or other document describing the program, project, or
activity, other than a communication containing not more than 280
characters--
``(1) the percentage of the total costs of the program,
project, or activity which will be financed with Federal funds;
``(2) the dollar amount of the Federal funds made available
for the program, project, or activity; and
``(3) the percentage of the total costs of, and dollar
amount for, the program, project, or activity that will be
financed by nongovernmental sources.
``(c) Certification.--An individual or entity carrying out a
program, project, or activity that is, in whole or in part, carried out
using Federal funds shall, as part of the performance progress
reporting regarding the program, project, or activity, include a
certification indicating whether the individual or entity complied with
the disclosure requirements.
``(d) Compliance Review.--The Director of the Office of Management
and Budget shall annually--
``(1) review a random sampling of public communications
issued by agencies and recipients of Federal funds for
compliance with the disclosure requirements under subsection
(b); and
``(2) make publicly available the findings of the review
under paragraph (1).
``(e) Public Reporting.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this section, the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget shall make available to the public a mechanism to anonymously
report communications that do not comply with the disclosure
requirements under subsection (b), which shall require that such a
report include--
``(1) the noncompliant communication or, if publicly
available, the location of the noncompliant communication; and
``(2) identifying information regarding the program,
project, or activity that is, in whole or in part, carried out
using Federal funds.''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendment.--The table of sections for
subchapter III of chapter 13 of title 31, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following:
``1356. Disclosure requirements for Federal funds.''.
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