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Fifth U.S. Open Government National Action Plan
Commitment Tracker

Commitment:

Prioritize Administrative Burden Reductions through the Paperwork Reduction Act

Full Commitment Text OGP Commitment Page

Progress for this commitment is tracked based on the following sub-commitment(s). You can also view the full text of this commitment.

US0127.1	Over the coming year, the Office of Management and Budget commits to supporting Federal agencies in both of these steps, including by developing and sharing burden assessment and reduction tools and resources with Federal agencies and through the review of paperwork requests under the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Agency & Subagency	Executive Office of the President OMB / The Office of Performance and Personnel Management
Sub-Commitment Status	Complete
February 2024 Progress	Progress Update: In December of 2023, a Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council released a report outlining areas where further work by agencies and academic researchers could improve benefit-cost analysis. That report specifically noted areas of further research related to reducing administrative burden that would improve agency analysis in this space. In January 2024, OMB released a call for information on agencies’ efforts to support Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) goals, including accomplishments and planned initiatives to reduce burden on the program. This data call for the FY 2023 Information Collection Budget will form the basis for this year’s report on agency efforts to reduce administrative burdens. OMB has also continued to review paperwork requests under the Paperwork Reduction Act with an eye towards reducing administrative burdens. Evidence: Report on Advancing the Frontiers of Benefit-Cost Analysis - https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/FINAL-SFBCA-Annual-Report-2023.pdf Data call for 2023 ICB - https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FY-2023-ICB-Data-Call-Signed.pdf
August 2023 Progress	During the NAP 5 publishing period (December 2022), OMB released a memo providing strategies for reducing administrative burden in public benefit and service programs (link below). The memo contains examples of progress made in reducing burden to the public in programs like the Emergency Rental Assistance program and Unemployment Insurance Navigator program. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/BurdenReductionStrategies.pdf In May 2023, OMB released a call for information on agencies' efforts to support Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) goals, including accomplishments and planned initiatives to reduce burden on the program. A link to the memo is below: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/2022-ICB-Data-Call.pdf In July 2023, OMB released a report summarizing progress implementing the burden reduction initiative. A link to the report is available here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OIRA-2023-Burden-Reduction-Report.pdf

US0127.2	The Administration also commits to applying a bur- den-reducing lens to implementation of major initiatives, as it did with the implementation of the application for student loan debt relief launched in October 2022.
Agency & Subagency	Executive Office of the President OMB / The Office of Performance and Personnel Management
Sub-Commitment Status	Complete
February 2024 Progress	Progress Update: IRS modernization efforts have put reducing administrative burden at the forefront, including through the development of the Direct File pilot (a free, voluntary IRS-run electronic filing system) and its efforts to digitize a wide range of IRS forms. USDA announced in January that most farm loan borrowers will be able to make payments to their direct loans online through the Pay My Loan feature on farmers.gov. Evidence: IRS Direct File pilot - https://www.irs.gov/about-irs/strategic-plan/direct-file IRS paperless processing initiative - https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-launches-paperless-processing-initiative Announcement that farm loan borrowers can make payments online - https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2024/01/29/farmers-ranchers-now-can-make-usda-farm-loan-payments-online
August 2023 Progress	On July 10th, 2023, the Administration released a report summarizing the progress across the Federal government to identify and reduce burdens that individuals, families, and small businesses face every day when interacting with government programs. This new report provides concrete actions agencies have taken, such as: * The Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to proactively reduce burden on individuals using mobile drivers’ licenses as identification when flying * The Social Security Administration’s efforts to simplify and streamline recertification of disability status (also known as Continuing Disability Review) * The Internal Revenue Service's efforts to improve IRS technology and deliver a modernized taxpayer experience by exploring new services, such as a free, voluntary IRS-run electronic filing system (also called Direct File) Other examples can be found in the full report:https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/OIRA-2023-Burden-Reduction-Report.pdf

US0127.3	The Administration will engage with civil society to identify high-priority programs to target for administrative burden reduction efforts, including engagement through the U.S. Department of Justice’s Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable, as further outlined in the Equal Justice Under the Law section below.
Agency & Subagency	Executive Office of the President OMB / The Office of Performance and Personnel Management
Sub-Commitment Status	Complete
February 2024 Progress	Progress Update: In CY 2023, the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable (LAIR) dedicated its work to Access to Justice in Federal Administrative Proceedings. The final report by LAIR examines the challenges that people face in accessing federal administrative proceedings, which are crucial for obtaining public benefits and rights, and proposes two strategies to improve them: simplifying the forms, processes, and language of the proceedings, and increasing the availability of legal assistance by lawyers and nonlawyers. The report includes numerous strategies and initiatives agencies have committed to in response to the report. OMB continues to participate in LAIR, including attending a January 2024 Access to Justice Research and Federal Agencies Workshop focused on expanding collaboration between researchers, data scientists, and the access to justice policy community. During the interagency regulatory review of a proposed Social Security Administration (SSA) regulation, OMB hosted a meeting with stakeholders where stakeholders identified additional ways in which the agency could simplify a set of highly-complex payment rules for low-income, disabled individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income and live with friends or family. In August and September, 2023, SSA published proposed rules which specifically highlight the agency’s objective of reducing administrative burdens on both beneficiaries and agency personnel while improving the overall administration of the SSI program. Through separate listening sessions hosted as a part of SSA’s commitments in the 2022 Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable Report, SSA hosted two listening sessions (attended by OMB) with legal aid providers to understand additional burdens facing stakeholders and beneficiaries. Among the topics at these sessions were the burdens associated with SSA’s requirement to report on 15 years’ worth of work history for new disability beneficiary applicants and the burdens associated with navigating the overpayment waiver and recovery process. In September 2023 SSA published a proposed rule to reduce the work history reporting requirements to five years. In the fall of 2023 SSA also released a simplified version of the overpayment waiver form and has committed to additional burden reduction initiatives related to overpayment recovery and waivers. Evidence: Access to Justice in Federal Administrative Proceedings - https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-12/2023%20Legal%20Aid%20Interagency%20Roundtable%20Report-508.pdf Aug 23, 2023 SSA published proposed rules - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/08/24/2023-18213/expansion-of-the-rental-subsidy-policy-for-supplemental-security-income-ssi-applicants-and Sept 29, 2023 SSA published proposed rules - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/29/2023-21550/expand-the-definition-of-a-public-assistance-household Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable 2022 Report (page 54) - https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-03/Legal%20Aid%20Interagency%20Roundtable%202022%20Report.pdf Sept 29, 2023 SSA published proposed rules - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2023/09/29/2023-21557/intermediate-improvement-to-the-disability-adjudication-process-including-how-we-consider-past-work Oct 4, 2023 Press Release - Social Security Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi Directs Review of Overpayment Procedures and Policies - https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2023/#10-2023-1
August 2023 Progress	During the NAP 5 publishing period (December 2022), the Legal Aid Interagency Roundtable convened to discuss strategies and next steps related to burden reduction for the public. The results of that meeting are included in the link below. Examples of progress and initiatives slated for future development are noted throughout the report. https://www.justice.gov/d9/2023-03/Legal%20Aid%20Interagency%20Roundtable%202022%20Report.pdf Additionally, the Open Government Working Group is hosting a public engagement session in 2023 where high-priority programs can be identified by civil society stakeholders.https://open.usa.gov/national-action-plan/5/schedule-of-open-govt-public-meetings/