Us Congress 2025-2026 Regular Session

Us Congress Senate Bill SB252 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	II
2	2	119THCONGRESS
3	3	1
4	4	STSESSION S. 252
5	5	To increase access to agency guidance documents.
6	6	IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
7	7	JANUARY24, 2025
8	8	Mr. J
9	9	OHNSON(for himself, Mr. CRAMER, Ms. ERNST, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr.
10	10	T
11	11	ILLIS, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BUDD, Mr. SCHMITT, Mr. MARSHALL,
12	12	Mr. S
13	13	HEEHY, Mr. LEE, Ms. LUMMIS, Mr. SCOTTof Florida, Mr.
14	14	H
15	15	OEVEN, and Mr. RISCH) introduced the following bill; which was read
16	16	twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
17	17	mental Affairs
18	18	A BILL
19	19	To increase access to agency guidance documents.
20	20	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-1
21	21	tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2
22	22	SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3
23	23	This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Guidance Out Of 4
24	24	Darkness Act’’ or the ‘‘GOOD Act’’. 5
25	25	SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6
26	26	In this Act: 7
27	27	(1) A
28	28	GENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 8
29	29	meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, 9
30	30	United States Code. 10
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33	33	•S 252 IS
34	34	(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 1
35	35	the Director of the Office of Management and Budg-2
36	36	et. 3
37	37	(3) G
38	38	UIDANCE DOCUMENT .— 4
39	39	(A) D
40	40	EFINITION.—The term ‘‘guidance 5
41	41	document’’— 6
42	42	(i) means an agency statement of gen-7
43	43	eral applicability (other than a rule that 8
44	44	has the force and effect of law promul-9
45	45	gated in accordance with the notice and 10
46	46	comment procedures under section 553 of 11
47	47	title 5, United States Code) that— 12
48	48	(I) does not have the force and 13
49	49	effect of law; and 14
50	50	(II) is designated by an agency 15
51	51	official as setting forth— 16
52	52	(aa) a policy on a statutory, 17
53	53	regulatory, or technical issue; or 18
54	54	(bb) an interpretation of a 19
55	55	statutory or regulatory issue; and 20
56	56	(ii) may include— 21
57	57	(I) a memorandum; 22
58	58	(II) a notice; 23
59	59	(III) a bulletin; 24
60	60	(IV) a directive; 25
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63	63	•S 252 IS
64	64	(V) a news release; 1
65	65	(VI) a letter; 2
66	66	(VII) a blog post; 3
67	67	(VIII) a no-action letter; 4
68	68	(IX) a speech by an agency offi-5
69	69	cial; and 6
70	70	(X) any combination of the items 7
71	71	described in subclauses (I) through 8
72	72	(IX). 9
73	73	(B) R
74	74	ULE OF CONSTRUCTION .—The term 10
75	75	‘‘guidance document’’— 11
76	76	(i) shall be construed broadly to effec-12
77	77	tuate the purpose and intent of this Act; 13
78	78	and 14
79	79	(ii) shall not be limited to the items 15
80	80	described in subparagraph (A)(ii). 16
81	81	SEC. 3. PUBLICATION OF GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS ON THE 17
82	82	INTERNET. 18
83	83	(a) I
84	84	NGENERAL.—Subject to subsection (d), on the 19
85	85	date on which an agency issues a guidance document, the 20
86	86	agency shall publish the guidance document in accordance 21
87	87	with the requirements under subsection (c). 22
88	88	(b) P
89	89	REVIOUSLYISSUEDGUIDANCEDOCUMENTS.— 23
90	90	Subject to subsection (d), not later than 180 days after 24
91	91	the date of enactment of this Act, each agency shall pub-25
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94	94	•S 252 IS
95	95	lish, in accordance with the requirements under subsection 1
96	96	(c), any guidance document issued by that agency that is 2
97	97	in effect on that date. 3
98	98	(c) S
99	99	INGLELOCATION.— 4
100	100	(1) I
101	101	N GENERAL.—All guidance documents pub-5
102	102	lished under subsections (a) and (b) by an agency 6
103	103	shall be published in a single location on an internet 7
104	104	website designated by the Director under paragraph 8
105	105	(4). 9
106	106	(2) A
107	107	GENCY INTERNET WEBSITES .—Each agen-10
108	108	cy shall, for guidance documents published by the 11
109	109	agency under subsections (a) and (b), publish a 12
110	110	hyperlink on the internet website of the agency that 13
111	111	provides access to the guidance documents at the lo-14
112	112	cation described in paragraph (1). 15
113	113	(3) O
114	114	RGANIZATION.— 16
115	115	(A) I
116	116	N GENERAL.—The guidance docu-17
117	117	ments described in paragraph (1) shall be— 18
118	118	(i) categorized as guidance docu-19
119	119	ments; and 20
120	120	(ii) further divided into subcategories 21
121	121	as appropriate. 22
122	122	(B) A
123	123	GENCY INTERNET WEBSITES .—The 23
124	124	hyperlinks described in paragraph (2) shall be 24
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127	127	•S 252 IS
128	128	prominently displayed on the internet website of 1
129	129	the agency. 2
130	130	(4) D
131	131	ESIGNATION.—Not later than 90 days 3
132	132	after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director 4
133	133	shall designate an internet website on which guid-5
134	134	ance documents shall be published under subsections 6
135	135	(a) and (b). 7
136	136	(d) D
137	137	OCUMENTS AND INFORMATIONEXEMPTFROM 8
138	138	D
139	139	ISCLOSUREUNDERFOIA.—If a guidance document 9
140	140	issued by an agency is a document that is exempt from 10
141	141	disclosure under section 552(b) of title 5, United States 11
142	142	Code (commonly known as the ‘‘Freedom of Information 12
143	143	Act’’), or contains information that is exempt from disclo-13
144	144	sure under that section, that document or information, as 14
145	145	the case may be, shall not be subject to the requirements 15
146	146	under this Act. 16
147	147	(e) R
148	148	ESCINDEDGUIDANCEDOCUMENTS.—On the 17
149	149	date on which a guidance document issued by an agency 18
150	150	is rescinded, or, in the case of a guidance document that 19
151	151	is rescinded pursuant to a court order, not later than the 20
152	152	date on which the order is entered, the agency shall, at 21
153	153	the location described in subsection (c)(1)— 22
154	154	(1) maintain the rescinded guidance document; 23
155	155	and 24
156	156	(2) indicate— 25
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159	159	•S 252 IS
160	160	(A) that the guidance document is re-1
161	161	scinded; 2
162	162	(B) if the guidance document was re-3
163	163	scinded pursuant to a court order, the case 4
164	164	number of the case in which the order was en-5
165	165	tered; and 6
166	166	(C) the date on which the guidance docu-7
167	167	ment was rescinded. 8
168	168	Æ
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