Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2012

Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 to revise the contents of the existing single updated searchable public website.

Requires the website to include for all federal funding for each federal agency, component of an agency, appropriations account, program activity, object class, and other accounts or data as appropriate the amount:

• budget authority available and the amount obligated,
• outlays,
• any federal funds reprogrammed or transferred, and
• expired and unexpired unobligated balances.

Authorizes the website to use as data sources the Payment Automation Manager and Federal Information Repository, other Department of the Treasury data or databases, and other data from federal agencies collected and identified by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Requires the website to: (1) be updated at least once each quarter with information relating to federal funds, (2) enable the separate search requirement for such funds, and (3) have the ability to aggregate data for the categories described in the Act without double-counting data.

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to:

• collect and make available to OMB financial and payment data from federal agencies to assist OMB in carrying out this Act;
• establish specified government-wide financial data standards for federal funds;
• issue guidance on the data standards to federal agencies within one year after enactment of this Act; and
• use such collected data and other available data (including from state and local governments) to detect, prevent, and recover improper payments through pre-award, post-award pre-payment, and post-payment analysis.

Requires upon the Secretary's request:

• the Commissioner of Social Security to make available the Social Security earnings information of a living or deceased employee,
• the Director of the Bureau of Prisons to make available information relating to federal prisoners, and
• the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make available information in the HUD Credit Alert Verification System.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) use such information only to assist in federal debt collection and in the prevention, identification, or recovery of improper payments; and (2) ensure that it is adequately protected and collected in a manner consistent with privacy protections.

Requires the Director of OMB to review reporting requirements for federal award recipients in order to instruct federal agency heads on how to reduce and simplify them.

Establishes an interagency Federal Accountability Spending and Transparency Board to supersede the Government Accountability and Transparency Board, which is hereby terminated.

Declares that nothing in this Act shall require the disclosure to the public or to any person without an identifiable need to know:

• classified information;
• personally identifiable information;
• information that would compromise national security;
• information that would endanger the personal safety of all entities, employees, or clients; or
• information protected under the Privacy Act, or confidentiality and disclosure of returns and return information requirements under the Internal Revenue Code.

Amends the Social Security Act to revise the purposes for information in the National Directory of New Hires to include assisting the Secretary in the prevention, identification, and recovery of improper payments to persons under review to determine their eligibility to receive them or to participate in a federal, state, or local government program.

Requires the Director of OMB to make required financial management status reports and governmentwide five-year financial management plans available on the OMB single website.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov