Overview
Title
To amend title 31, United States Code, to include information on improper payments under Federal programs, and for other purposes.
ELI5 AI
H. R. 1771 is a plan to make sure the government is careful with its money by checking if they pay the right amounts in their programs. It wants to know when and why mistakes happen with payments, see if they keep happening, and how they plan to fix them.
Summary AI
H. R. 1771, known as the “Improper Payments Transparency Act,” proposes changes to title 31 of the United States Code. It aims to enhance the President's budget submissions by including detailed information on improper payments made in federal programs. This includes explaining why such payments occurred, identifying trends over the past three years, and outlining corrective actions that agencies are planning to implement to address these issues.
Published
Keywords AI
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Bill Statistics
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AnalysisAI
The proposed legislation, H. R. 1771, titled “Improper Payments Transparency Act,” aims to modify existing U.S. financial legislation as outlined in title 31 of the United States Code. Specifically, the bill seeks to enhance transparency regarding improper payments across federal programs by mandating their inclusion in the President’s budget submission. Introduced in the House of Representatives, this legislation outlines a need for executive agencies to report various data about these payments, encourages comprehensive descriptions of related trends over a three-year period, and identifies incomplete corrective actions.
General Summary of the Bill
The essence of the bill is to combat fiscal inefficiencies in federal programs by ensuring that improper payment information is more transparent and systematically reported. This includes outlining the amount and occurrence rates of improper payments. Additionally, it requires a narrative account explaining why these payments occur, what trends have been observed, and what corrective measures have been partially or wholly ineffective.
Summary of Significant Issues
The bill presents several potential issues that might impact its implementation and effectiveness:
Ambiguity in Agency Requirements: The bill does not clarify which executive agencies are obligated to submit reports on improper payments, possibly leading to inconsistencies and confusion.
Broad Language on Corrective Actions: The provision lacks specific metrics or benchmarks for the completion of corrective actions, potentially diluting accountability.
Determining and Measuring Trends: There is a lack of clarity concerning how the trends in improper payments are determined and measured, which may result in uneven reporting standards across various programs.
Incomplete Corrective Actions: The bill does not define what constitutes an “incomplete” corrective action, leading to potential subjective interpretations.
Significance of Payment Variations: The absence of explicit criteria for what constitutes significant increases or decreases in improper payments could affect program assessments.
Complex Terminology: Terms like “subchapter IV of chapter 33” may be challenging for the general public and stakeholders to understand without additional explanation.
Impact on the Public
Broadly, the bill could have a significant positive impact on enhancing government accountability and preserving taxpayer money by reducing wasteful spending. Transparency regarding improper payments could help the public better assess the efficiency of federal programs and build public trust in governmental operations.
Impact on Specific Stakeholders
Government Agencies: Agencies may face increased administrative burdens in gathering and reporting detailed information about improper payments. The lack of specific guidelines could lead to variations in how agencies interpret the requirements, affecting uniformity and comparability across reports.
Taxpayers: A positive outcome for taxpayers could arise from reduced financial wastage, as tracking and addressing improper payments may lead to more efficient use of public funds.
Legislative and Oversight Bodies: These entities may benefit through improved oversight capabilities, allowing them to enforce more effective fiscal policies based on clearer insights into improper payment trends and corrective action outcomes.
In conclusion, while the bill’s intent to address improper payments under federal programs is laudable, certain ambiguities and lack of specificity in its provisions could challenge its implementation and effectiveness. Addressing these issues could enhance its potential benefits for both the government and the general public.
Issues
The bill does not specify which executive agencies are required to submit improper payment reports, leading to potential ambiguity in implementation (Section 2).
The language regarding corrective actions for improper payments appears broad and lacks specific benchmarks for accountability, which might hinder effective policy enforcement (Section 2).
There is a lack of clarity regarding how trends of improper payments are determined and measured, which could create inconsistencies in reporting (Section 2).
Clear guidelines or criteria for what constitutes 'incomplete' corrective actions are not provided, potentially leading to varied interpretations and inadequate resolution of issues (Section 2).
The section does not define what is considered a significant increase or decrease in improper payments, which may impact the assessment of program efficiency and effectiveness (Section 2).
Complex terminology such as 'subchapter IV of chapter 33' might not be easily understandable without additional context or references, potentially limiting public understanding and oversight (Section 2).
Sections
Sections are presented as they are annotated in the original legislative text. Any missing headers, numbers, or non-consecutive order is due to the original text.
1. Short title Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The first section of the bill states that this law can be referred to as the “Improper Payments Transparency Act.”
2. Including improper payment information in Presidents budget submission Read Opens in new tab
Summary AI
The section requires that the President's budget submission includes detailed information about improper payments, such as how much these payments amount to and the rate at which they occur within each executive agency. It also calls for explanations of trends in improper payment changes over the past three years and identifies which corrective actions have not yet been completed, specifying steps each agency will take to address these issues.