In 1980, the Paperwork Reduction Act became law. It was substantially amended in 1995. The goals of the law are many: To minimize paperwork for individuals, businesses, and the federal government. To minimize the cost to the federal government of collecting, maintaining, and disseminating information. To maximize the usefulness of information collected by the federal government.

To make federal law on the collection and dissemination of information uniform. To reduce fraud and waste. To assure that privacy and confidentiality are preserved, including the requirements of the Privacy Act. As you can see, the goals of the law are lofty. The Paperwork Reduction Act creates a comprehensive administrative scheme to reduce paperwork and preserve the privacy of individuals and businesses.

The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) was established within the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to oversee the management of the Paperwork Reduction Act. The OIRA is charged with establishing policies and standards for the collection, maintenance, and dissemination of information by federal administrative agencies. The OMB was also delegated the responsibility of monitoring federal agency compliance with the Privacy Act. In fact, all requests for the collection of information by administrative agencies must be approved by the OMB.

The Paperwork Reduction Act serves as an additional check against overzealous attempts by administrative agencies.