S. 252 would require agencies to post their guidance documents (such as memorandums, directives, blog posts, and speeches by agency officials) on a single searchable website designated by the Office of Management and Budget. The bill also would require the Government Accountability Office to report to the Congress on agency compliance.
According to the Government Accountability Office, many agencies already provide guidance documents on their websites. In addition, the reinstated Executive Order 13891 requires federal agencies to make guidance documents available through a single, searchable, indexed online database. Thus, CBO expects that implementing the bill would not significantly increase agencies’ administrative expenses over the 2026-2031 period. Any related spending would be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
Enacting S. 252 would affect direct spending by some agencies that are allowed to use fees, receipts from the sale of goods, and other collections to cover operating costs. CBO estimates that any net changes in direct spending by those agencies would be negligible because most of them can adjust amounts collected to reflect changes in operating costs.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Matthew Pickford. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.
