I
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7191
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 29, 2018
Mr. Womack (for himself and Mr. Yarmuth) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To implement reforms to the budget and appropriations process in the House of Representatives.
Short title; table of contents
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Bipartisan Budget and Appropriations Reform Act of 2018
.
Table of contents
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Title I—Biennial Budget Resolutions
Sec. 101. Purposes.
Sec. 102. Definitions.
Sec. 103. Revision of timetable.
Sec. 104. Biennial concurrent resolutions on the budget.
Sec. 105. Committee allocations.
Sec. 106. Revision of biennial budget.
Sec. 107. Additional amendments to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to effectuate biennial budgeting.
Sec. 108. Reconciliation process.
Sec. 109. Amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives to effectuate biennial budgeting.
Sec. 110. Membership of the Committee on the Budget.
Sec. 111. Rulemaking authority.
Sec. 112. Effective date.
Title II—Other Matters
Sec. 201. Views and estimates of committees.
Sec. 202. Annual supplemental budget submission by the President.
Sec. 203. Hearing on the fiscal state of the Nation.
Biennial Budget Resolutions
Purposes
Paragraph (2) of section 2 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended to read as follows:
to facilitate the determination biennially of the appropriate level of Federal revenues and expenditures by the Congress;
.
Definitions
Section 3 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 622) is amended—
in paragraph (4), by striking for a fiscal year
each place it appears and inserting for a biennium
; and
by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
The term direct spending has the meaning given to such term in section 250(c)(8) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
The term biennium means any period of 2 consecutive fiscal years beginning with an even-numbered fiscal year.
The term budget year has the meaning given that term in section 250(c)(12) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Control Act of 1985.
.
Revision of timetable
Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 631) is amended to read as follows:
Timetable
The timetable with respect to the congressional budget process for any Congress is as follows:
| On or before: | Action to be completed: |
| First Monday in February | President submits budget. |
| February 15 | Congressional Budget Office submits report to Budget Committees. |
| March 1 | Committees submit views and estimates to Budget Committees. |
| April 1 | Senate Budget Committee reports biennial budget. |
| May 1 | Congress completes action on the biennial budget. |
| May 15 | Appropriation bills may be considered in the House of Representatives. |
| June 10 | House Appropriations Committee reports last annual appropriation bill. |
| October 1 | First fiscal year of the biennium begins. |
| On or before: | Action to be completed: |
| First Monday in February | President submits budget. |
| February 15 | Congressional Budget Office submits report to Budget Committees. |
| June 10 | House Appropriations Committee reports last annual appropriation bill. |
| October 1 | Second fiscal year of the biennium begins. |
.
Biennial concurrent resolutions on the budget
Contents of resolution
In general
Section 301(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(a)) is amended—
by striking On or before April 15
and all that follows through the following:
and inserting the following: On or before May 1 of each odd-numbered calendar year, the Congress shall complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget for the biennium beginning on October 1 of that calendar year. The concurrent resolution shall set forth appropriate levels for each fiscal year in the biennium and for at least each fiscal year in the next 2 bienniums for the following—
;
in paragraph (6)—
by striking for the fiscal year
and inserting for each fiscal year in the biennium
; and
by striking and
at the end;
in paragraph (7)—
by striking for the fiscal year
and inserting for each fiscal year in the biennium
; and
by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
;
by adding after paragraph (7) the following:
subtotals of new budget authority and outlays for nondefense discretionary spending; defense discretionary spending; direct spending; and net interest.
; and
by adding at the end of the matter following paragraph (8) (as added by subparagraph (D)) the following: The concurrent resolution on the budget for a biennium shall include procedures for adjusting spending and revenue levels, committee allocations, and other amounts in the resolution during the second session of a Congress to reflect an updated baseline that will be used for scoring purposes.
.
Additional Matters in concurrent resolution
Section 301(b) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(b)) is amended—
in paragraph (3), by striking for such fiscal year
and inserting for either fiscal year in such biennium
;
in paragraph (8), by striking and
at the end;
in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
by adding at the end the following:
include total combined outlays and revenues for tax expenditures.
.
Hearings and report
Section 301(e)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(e)) is amended by striking fiscal year
and inserting biennium
.
Goals for reducing unemployment
Section 301(f) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(f)) is amended by striking fiscal year
each place it appears and inserting biennium
.
Economic assumptions
Section 301(g)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(g)(1)) is amended by striking for a fiscal year
and inserting for a biennium
.
Section heading
The section heading of section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632) is amended by striking Annual Adoption of
and inserting Adoption of Biennial
.
Committee allocations
Section 302 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 633) is amended—
in subsection (a)(1)—
by striking for that period of fiscal years
and inserting for all fiscal years covered by the resolution
; and
by striking only for the fiscal year of that resolution
and inserting only for each fiscal year of the biennium
;
in subsection (c)—
by striking subsection (a)
and inserting subsection (a)(1)
;
by striking for a fiscal year
and inserting for a budget year
; and
by striking for that fiscal year
and inserting for that budget year
;
in subsection (f)(1)—
by striking for a fiscal year
; and
by striking the first fiscal year
and inserting either fiscal year of the biennium of that resolution
; and
in subsection (f)(2)(A), by—
striking the first fiscal year
and inserting either fiscal year of the biennium of that resolution
; and
striking the total of fiscal years
and inserting the total of all fiscal years covered by the resolution
.
Revision of biennial budget
Section 304 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 635) is amended to read as follows:
Permissible revisions of concurrent resolutions on the budget
At any time after the concurrent resolution on the budget has been agreed to pursuant to section 301 and before the end of the biennium, the two Houses may adopt a concurrent resolution that revises or reaffirms the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget. Any concurrent resolution that revises or reaffirms the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget shall be considered under the procedures set forth in section 305.
.
Additional amendments to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to effectuate biennial budgeting
Enforcement of section 303
Section 303 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 634) is amended—
in subsection (a)—
by striking for a fiscal year
and inserting for a biennium
; and
by striking the first fiscal year covered by that resolution
and inserting either fiscal year of that biennium
;
in subsection (b)(1)(B), by striking the fiscal year
and inserting the biennium
; and
in subsection (c)—
in paragraph (1)—
by striking for a fiscal year
and inserting for a biennium
; and
by striking for that year
each place it appears and inserting for each year of that biennium
; and
in paragraph (2), by striking after the year the allocation referred to in that paragraph is made
and inserting after the years the allocations referred to in that paragraph are made
.
Section 305
Subsections (a)(3) and (b)(3) of section 305 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 636) are amended by striking for a fiscal year
.
Section 311 point of order
In the House of Representatives
Section 311(a)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 642(a)) is amended—
by striking for a fiscal year
;
by striking the first fiscal year
each place it appears and inserting either of the first two fiscal years covered by such resolution
; and
by striking that first fiscal year
and inserting either of the first two fiscal years
.
In the Senate
Section 311(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 642(a)(2)) is amended—
in subparagraph (A), by striking for the first fiscal year
and inserting for either of the first two fiscal years
; and
in subparagraph (B)—
by striking that first fiscal year
the first place it appears and inserting either of the first two fiscal years
; and
by striking that first fiscal year and the ensuing fiscal years
and inserting all fiscal years
.
Social security levels
Section 311(a)(3) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 642(a)(2)) is amended by—
striking for the first fiscal year
and inserting for either of the first two fiscal years
; and
striking that fiscal year and the ensuing fiscal years
and inserting all fiscal years
.
Reconciliation process
Section 310(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 641(a)) is amended—
in the matter before paragraph (1), by striking A concurrent
and all that follows through shall
and inserting A concurrent resolution on the budget for a biennium shall, for each fiscal year of the biennium
;
in paragraph (1)(A), by striking for such fiscal year
and inserting for each fiscal year of the biennium
;
in paragraph (1)(C), by striking such fiscal year
and inserting each fiscal year of the biennium
; and
in paragraph (1)(D), by striking such fiscal year
and inserting each fiscal year of the biennium
.
Amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives to effectuate biennial budgeting
Clause 4(a)(4) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by striking any allocations
and inserting its allocations for the budget year
and by striking fiscal year
and inserting biennium
.
Clause 4(b)(2) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by striking for each fiscal year
.
Clause 4(b) of rule X is amended by striking and
at the end of subparagraph (5), by striking the period and inserting ; and
at the end of subparagraph (6), and by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
use the second session of each Congress to study issues with long-term budgetary and economic implications.
.
Clause 4(f) of rule X is amended—
by striking fiscal year
the first place it appears and inserting biennium
;
by striking that fiscal year
and inserting each fiscal year in such ensuing biennium
; and
in subparagraph (1) by striking six weeks after the submission of the budget by the President
and inserting March 1
.
Clause 3(d)(1)(A) of rule XIII is amended by striking five
both places it appears and inserting six
.
Membership of the Committee on the Budget
Clause 5(a)(2) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended—
by striking subdivisions (B) and (C); and
in subdivision (A), by striking (A)
and by redesignating items (i), (ii), and (iii) as subdivisions (A), (B), and (C), respectively.
The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect immediately before noon, January 3, 2019.
Rulemaking authority
Sections 109 and 110 are enacted by the Congress—
as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of Representatives, and as such they shall be considered as part of the rules of the House and such rules shall supersede other rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; and
with full recognition of the constitutional right of the House to change such rules at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the House.
Effective date
This title and the amendments made by this title shall take effect immediately before noon January 3, 2019.
Other Matters
Views and estimates of committees
Section 301(d) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(d)) is amended to read as follows:
Views and estimates of other committees
In general
Not later than March 1 of the first session of a Congress, or upon the request of the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives or the Senate, each committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate having legislative jurisdiction shall submit to its respective Committee on the Budget its views and estimates (as determined by the committee making such submission) with respect to the following:
Any legislation to be considered during that Congress that is a priority for the committee.
Any legislation within the jurisdiction of the committee that would establish, amend, or reauthorize any Federal program and likely have a significant budgetary impact.
Additional matters
Any committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate and any joint committee of the Congress may submit to the appropriate Committees on the Budget its views and estimates with respect to all matters set forth in subsections (a) and (b) which relate to matters within its jurisdiction.
Joint Economic Committee
The Joint Economic Committee shall submit to the Committees on the Budget of both Houses its recommendations as to the fiscal policy appropriate to the goals of the Employment Act of 1946.
.
Annual supplemental budget submission by the President
Section 1106 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
On or before December 1 of each calendar year, the President shall submit to Congress an administrative budget for the fiscal year beginning in the ensuing calendar year, which shall include up-to-date estimates for current year and prior year data and credit reestimates for the current year (as included in the Federal credit supplement of such budget).
.
Hearing on the fiscal state of the Nation
In general
Not later than 45 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) after the date on which the Secretary of the Treasury submits to Congress the audited financial statement required under paragraph (1) of section 331(e) of title 31, United States Code, on a date agreed upon by the chairs of the Committees on the Budget of the House of Representatives and the Senate and the Comptroller General of the United States, the chairs shall conduct a hearing to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General reviewing the findings of the audit required under paragraph (2) of such section and providing, with respect to the information included by the Secretary in the report accompanying such audited financial statement, an analysis of the financial position and condition of the Federal Government, including financial measures (such as the net operating cost, income, budget deficits, or budget surpluses) and sustainability measures (such as the long-term fiscal projection or social insurance projection) described in such report.
Effective date
The requirement under subsection (a) shall apply with respect to any audited financial statement submitted on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.