Statutory Requirement
Section 6, National Recreation Survey Act of 1971.
The Bureau is required, by its founding statute, to submit to Congress an Annual Report describing the activities of the agency during the preceding fiscal year. Compliance with this requirement has been irregular.
The Bureau's filings, where extant, are catalogued below. The Bureau makes no representation as to the completeness of this list.
Filing History
Per the Bureau's compliance ledger, last reconciled 1996.
| Fiscal Year | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FY 1971 | Filed | Drafted by Pemberton in longhand. |
| FY 1972 | Filed | — |
| FY 1973 | Filed (partial) | Section IV omitted at submission. |
| FY 1974 | Filed | — |
| FY 1975 | In preparation | Preparation ongoing since 1975 (Pemberton). |
| FY 1976 | Filed | — |
| FY 1977 | Not on file | — |
| FY 1978 | Filed | — |
| FY 1979 | Filed | Pemberton's final filing. Submitted incomplete. |
| FY 1980 | In preparation | Preparation reported ongoing in 1980, 1985, 1992. |
| FY 1981 | Filed | — |
| FY 1982–1988 | On file | Records Division (currently unstaffed). |
| FY 1989 | Filed under Reorganization 89-04 | The reorganization is itself the subject of the report. |
| FY 1990 | Not on file | — |
| FY 1991 | Not on file | Records Archivist position vacated mid-year. |
| FY 1992–2000 | On file | Records Division. |
| FY 2001 | Filed (paper, final) | Last filing in print only. |
| FY 2002–2009 | In preparation | — |
| FY 2010–2019 | On file | Records Division. |
| FY 2020 | Not on file | Bureau operations adjusted; filing not completed. |
| FY 2021–2024 | In preparation | — |
| FY 2025 | Recently submitted | Awaiting confirmation from Congress. |
| FY 2026 | Not yet due | Preparation to commence at the close of the fiscal year. |
Recurring Budget Note
Appears, in some form, in every Annual Report on file.
The Bureau continues to operate at the staffing levels established under Reorganization 89-04, which were themselves a reduction from the levels established under the founding statute. The Bureau's appropriation has not, in real terms, increased since fiscal year 1979.
The Bureau notes that this trend, if continued, may eventually exceed the Bureau's capacity to file Annual Reports describing it.