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	Office of Management and Budget
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

US0127.1

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

Office of Management and Budget

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	Office of Management and Budget
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

US0127.2

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

Office of Management and Budget

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	Office of Management and Budget
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-2023-engagement-sessions/

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

Office of Management and Budget

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-2023-engagement-sessions/