The following instructions apply to legislatively required
reports prepared for transmittal to the Congress by the Secretary
or the President. They do not apply to reports required by
the appropriations or legislative committees of the Congress
nor to reports required by the President.
The Executive Secretariat (ES) (496–1461) can provide
more detailed guidelines and procedures concerning the timing,
preparation, submission, review, and revision of these reports
and accompanying documents.
Report Package
The report package must include the
following documents.
Prepare the entire report package in final format, ready
for transmittal through the Department to Congress, even
though it may be returned for changes as a result of NIH and departmental reviews.
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Transmittal memorandum from the Director,
NIH, to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
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original on NIH letterhead.
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box-imprinted official file copy (returned
to originating office after signature by Director,
NIH). |
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Executive summary.
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Transmittal letters from the Secretary to recipients of the report as identified in the requiring legislation or, if recipients are not specified, to the Speaker
of the House of Representatives, the President of the
Senate, other appropriate members of Congress, and
(if needed) the President, prepared in final form.
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original of each letter on Secretary
of Health and Human Services letterhead.
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Report to the Congress, in final form unless it
is to be printed and bound after being approved and
transmitted to Congress by the Secretary.
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1 copy for each transmittal letter plus additional copies for files maintained in ES, OLPA, and OS.
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Review Process
The originating office submits the
report package to ES. The package will be reviewed by staff
in the Office of the Director, NIH, and, if necessary,
other ICs. Reviewers' comments will be coordinated by ES
and,
if revisions are needed, returned to the originator for
revision. After revising the report and accompanying documents
as necessary,
the originating office will resubmit the package to ES.
After the Director, NIH, signs the transmittal memo to the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, the report will be submitted
to OS for concurrent review within the Office of
the Secretary (OS) and by other DHHS agencies as necessary. If OS and other HHS reviewers request changes
in the report, their recommendations will be forwarded through
NIH/ES to the originating office for consideration and, if
necessary, revision of the report. If no changes are recommended,
the Office of the Secretary will present the report to the Secretary for signature of the transmittal letters and, after the letters are signed, transmit the report
to Congress.
Preparing the Report
When a report is forwarded
for clearance, there is always a possibility that revisions
to reflect comments received during the review process will
be needed. Therefore, the report is officially a draft. The
originating office, however, should prepare the report (as
well as all transmittals) as a final document and should
ensure the following:
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The report is responsive to the requirements
of the law. |
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The report is written as much as possible in nontechnical
language. |
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The text is clear of typographical and grammatical
errors. |
The originating office determines the most suitable format—single
or double-spaced, printed or "typewritten," etc.—for
the report.
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