H.R. 1515

GOOD Act

Sponsor: James Comer · 3 cosponsors

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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Guidance Out Of Darkness Act or the GOOD Act

This bill establishes requirements concerning the posting of agency guidance documents. Specifically, an agency must publish guidance documents online on the dates they are issued, publish all of its guidance documents that are in effect in a single location on a designated website, display a hyperlink on its website that provides access to the guidance documents on such website, and indicate on such website if a guidance document has been rescinded.

The documents must be categorized as guidance documents and further divided into subcategories.

No later than five years after the enactment of this bill, the Government Accountability Office must report on agency compliance with these requirements.

Text of the bill

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Sec. 2. Definitions Since introduced

In this Act:

(1) Agency. The term agency has the meaning given the term in section 551 of title 5, United States Code.

(2) Director. The term Director means the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.

(3) Guidance document

(A) In general. The term guidance document—

(i) means an agency statement of general applicability (other than a rule that has the force and effect of law promulgated in accordance with the notice and comment procedures under section 553 of title 5, United States Code) that—

(I) does not have the force and effect of law; and

(II) is designated by an agency official as setting forth—

(aa) a policy on a statutory, regulatory, or technical issue; or

(bb) an interpretation of a statutory or regulatory issue; and

(ii) may include—

(I) a memorandum;

(II) a notice;

(III) a bulletin;

(IV) a directive;

(V) a news release;

(VI) a letter;

(VII) a blog post;

(VIII) a no-action letter;

(IX) a speech by an agency official; and

(X) any combination of the items described in subclauses (I) through (IX).

(B) Rule of construction. The term guidance document—

(i) shall be construed broadly to effectuate the purpose and intent of this Act; and

(ii) shall not be limited to the items described in subparagraph (A)(ii).