Federal Advisory Committee Database Act

This legislation would require a single, public, easy-to-download database about federal advisory committees. Agencies must regularly send in details like each committee’s name, charter, focus areas, who serves (and in what role), who appointed them, how long they serve, meeting dates, summaries of what they discussed, what recommendations they made, whether those were acted on, costs for the past year, and estimated costs for the next year. The General Services Administration must publish this information every year and keep past years online in a machine-readable format . It also strengthens oversight by requiring regular reviews, a report every two years to Congress, and updated rules to keep the system current. Agencies must set performance measures for their committees, report on time, and name a primary liaison to GSA. No new money is authorized for this work .

Key points:

• Who is affected: Federal agencies and their advisory committees; the public benefits from clearer information .
• What changes: Continuous data collection; yearly public posting of committee info; two-year oversight reports; agencies must set performance goals and ensure compliance; a designated liaison role is added .
• When: Information posted annually; oversight report every two years; rules can be updated as needed; no additional funds are provided .