H.R. 507 – Zero-based Budgeting Ensures Responsible Oversight (ZERO) Act of 2017

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Updated April 15, 2026 at 11:32 AM UTC

The ZERO Act would make federal departments and agencies use zero‑based budgeting, meaning they must justify every dollar as if starting from scratch. Starting in fiscal year 2019, the President would have to submit detailed activity‑by‑activity budgets that show legal bases, multiple funding scenarios, priorities, and efficiency metrics. The Office of Management and Budget would issue rules to enforce this approach, affecting all federal agencies and their budgeting processes.

Key Provisions

The President must include, with each annual budget, a detailed plan for every department and agency activity that receives or requests funding.
For each activity, the plan must list the legal authority, three funding options (with at least two lower than the current level), the priorities each option would achieve, and the extra benefits of higher funding.
Each activity must also include one or more measures showing its cost efficiency and effectiveness.
The Office of Management and Budget must issue guidelines that treat every department’s baseline budget as zero, requiring each expense to be justified as if it were a new request.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on the Budget.

Budget Committee

January 12, 2017

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

January 12, 2017

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on the Budget.

Budget Committee

January 12, 2017

Floor Debate

3 members

What members said about H.R. 507 on the floor

1 Republican2 Democrats

Rep. Darin LaHoodR-IL-18 · Jul 11, 2017

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1404) to provide for the conveyance of certain land inholdings owned by the United States to the Tucson Unified School District and to…

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1404) to provide for the conveyance of certain land inholdings owned by the United States to the Tucson Unified School District and to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1404, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Land Conveyance Act, sponsored by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), the ranking member on the National Resources Committee.

H.R. 1404 would authorize a land exchange involving the Tribe, the Tucson Unified School District, and the Department of the Interior.

Under the bill, a 39.65-acre parcel of land currently held by the district shall be placed in trust for the benefit of the Tribe if the district relinquishes all right, title, and interest to it.

A 13.24-acre parcel of land shall be sold by the U.S. to the district at fair market value, and a Federal interest of 27.5 acres of land held by the district shall be cleared in exchange for the district paying the appraised value of the Federal interest. The Federal interest is a reversionary interest imposed on certain land patented to the district under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act of 1926.

All transfers under the bill are subject to valid existing rights. Gaming pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act would be prohibited on lands taken into trust under the bill.

This bill is substantively similar to the bill the House passed during the 114th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the sponsor. I urge adoption of the measure, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Rep. Jimmy PanettaD-CA-20 · Jul 11, 2017

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation represents the final part of a collaborative land agreement between the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, located in southern…

Rep. Raúl M. GrijalvaD-AZ-3 · Jul 11, 2017

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1404, as was stated by my two colleagues, is a culmination of a longstanding land agreement between Tucson Unified…

Bill Text

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Introduced in HouseIssued January 12, 2017

I

115th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 507

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 12, 2017

Mr. Ross introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget

A BILL

To require zero-based budgeting for departments and agencies of the Government.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Zero-based Budgeting Ensures Responsible Oversight (ZERO) Act of 2017.

2.

Zero-based budgeting

Section 1105 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

(i)

(1)

The President shall submit with materials related to each budget transmitted under subsection (a) on or after January 1, 2019, a budget for each department and agency which contains the following information:

(A)

A description of each activity for which the department or agency receives an appropriation in the current fiscal year or for which the department or agency requests an appropriation for the budget year.

(B)

The legal basis for each activity.

(C)

For each activity, three alternative funding levels for the budget year, and a summary of the priorities that would be accomplished within each level, and the additional increments of value that would be added by the higher funding levels. At least two of these funding levels shall be below the funding level for the current fiscal year.

(D)

For each activity, one or more measures of its cost efficiency and effectiveness.

(2)

As soon as practicable, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall publish guidelines to carry out this subsection. The guidelines shall require that the baseline budget of each department or agency is assumed to be zero and each proposed expenditure shall be justified as if it were a new expenditure.

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