Sen. Pryor Introduces Government Excess Prevention Act of 2011

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- Sen. Mark L. Pryor, D-Arkansas has introduced the bill (S.477), legislation that would "limit Government printing costs, Government travel costs, and Federal vehicle costs."

The bill was introduced on March 3. It was referred to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

A copy of the full-text of the legislation follows:

S.477

To limit Government printing costs, Government travel costs, and Federal vehicle costs.

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 'Government Excess Prevention Act of 2011'.

SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON GOVERNMENT PRINTING COSTS.

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall coordinate with the heads of Federal departments and independent agencies to--

(1) determine which Government publications could be available on Government websites and no longer printed and to devise a strategy to reduce overall Government printing costs over the 10-year period beginning with fiscal year 2012, except that the Director shall ensure that essential printed documents prepared for Social Security recipients, Medicare beneficiaries, and other populations in areas with limited Internet access or use continue to remain available;

(2) establish government-wide Federal guidelines on employee printing;

(3) issue on the Office of Management and Budget's public website the results of a cost-benefit analysis on implementing a digital signature system and on establishing employee printing identification systems, such as the use of individual employee cards or codes, to monitor the amount of printing done by Federal employees; except that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall ensure that Federal employee printing costs unrelated to national defense, homeland security, border security, national disasters, and other emergencies do not exceed $860,000,000 annually; and

(4) issue guidelines requiring every department, agency, commission, or office to list at a prominent place near the beginning of each publication distributed to the public and issued or paid for by the Federal Government--

(A) the name of the issuing agency, department, commission, or office;

(B) the total number of copies of the document printed;

(C) the collective cost of producing and printing all of the copies of the document; and

(D) the name of the firm publishing the document.

SEC. 3. LIMITATION OF GOVERNMENT TRAVEL COSTS.

(a) In General- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the total amount which is paid or reimbursed by an agency under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code (relating to travel and subsistence expenses; mileage allowances for official travel by Federal employees) may not, for any of the 5 fiscal years beginning after the date of enactment of this Act, exceed 50 percent of the total amount so paid or reimbursed by such agency for the fiscal year in which such date of enactment occurs.

(b) Exceptions- For purposes of carrying out subsection (a), there shall not be taken into account the amounts paid or reimbursed for--

(1) any subsistence or travel expenses for threatened law enforcement personnel, as described in section 5706a of title 5, United States Code; or

(2) any other expenses for which an exception is established under subsection (c) for reasons relating to national security or public safety.

(c) Regulations- Any regulations necessary to carry out this section shall, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, be prescribed by the same respective authorities as are responsible for prescribing regulations under section 5707 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 4. REDUCTION IN FEDERAL VEHICLE COSTS.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law--

(1) of the amounts made available to the General Services Administration for the acquisition of new vehicles for the Federal fleet for fiscal year 2011 and remaining unobligated as of the date of enactment of this Act, an amount equal to 20 percent of all such amounts is rescinded;

(2) for fiscal year 2012 and each fiscal year thereafter--

(A) the amount made available to the General Services Administration for the acquisition of new vehicles for the Federal fleet shall not exceed an amount equal to 80 percent of the amount made available for the acquisition of those vehicles for fiscal year 2011 (before application of paragraph (1)); and

(B) the number of new vehicles acquired by the General Services Administration for the Federal fleet shall not exceed a number equal to 50 percent of the vehicles so acquired for fiscal year 2011; and

(3) any amounts made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5) for the acquisition of new vehicles for the Federal fleet shall be disregarded for purposes of determining the baseline.

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