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Bill > HR3669


US HR3669

US HR3669
Budget Process Improvement Act of 2011


summary

Introduced
In Committee
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead

Introduced Session

112th Congress

Bill Summary

Budget Process Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to require: (1) the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to include a descriptive analysis for the second decade budget impact of a measure when submitting a cost estimate of it, and (2) the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to provide such an analysis when its submitting revenue estimates to CBO. Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish a report on the size, scope, risk, and cost of the contingent federal liabilities, including the implicit guarantees to government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to conduct performance reviews of JCT identified tax expenditures on an ongoing basis. Requires OMB to: (1) develop a proposal for the implementation of an accrual-based accounting system for certain portions of the budget, and (2) report to Congress on legislation necessary to implement such system. Requires CBO, in conjunction with JCT, to publish a report that projects annual federal revenues by source over the next 10 fiscal years and includes a discussion of the assumptions used to project such revenues. Amends the CBA to require: (1) biennial (instead of annual) budget resolutions, (2) biennial appropriations Acts, and (3) biennial government strategic and performance plans. Makes conforming amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives. Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year. Requires: (1) a federal agency, upon request by a congressional committee, to provide appropriate information regarding its appropriations requests and program administration; (2) the Comptroller General to furnish to such committee summaries of any audits or reviews of such program which the Comptroller General has completed during the preceding six years; and (3) the Comptroller General, Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the Director of the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to furnish such committee appropriate information, studies, analyses, and reports. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine and report to Congress on the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year, and the budget process based on that definition, to a two-year fiscal period with a biennial budget process based on such period. Requires the President's budget submission for FY2014 to include: (1) an identification of the budget accounts for which an appropriation should be made for each fiscal year of the FY2014-FY2015 biennium, and (2) budget authority that should be provided for each such fiscal year for the budget accounts. Directs: (1) the House and Senate committees, during the first session of the 113th Congress, to work with the Comptroller General to develop plans to transition program authorizations to a multi-year schedule; and (2) the Comptroller General, during such Congress, to continue to provide assistance to Congress with respect to programmatic oversight, and in particular to assist the congressional committees in designing and conforming programmatic oversight procedures for FY2014-FY2015 biennium.

AI Summary

This bill, the Budget Process Improvement Act of 2011, aims to enhance the accuracy and transparency of the federal budget process by introducing several key changes. It mandates that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) provide analyses of a measure's budget impact for the second decade, not just the first. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be required to report on contingent federal liabilities, including implicit guarantees to government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are entities that facilitate the flow of funds to mortgage lenders. Additionally, the Secretary of the Treasury will conduct ongoing performance reviews of tax expenditures, which are special exclusions, exemptions, or deductions that reduce tax liability, to assess their effectiveness. A significant shift proposed by the bill is the move to a biennial budget process, meaning that budget resolutions, appropriations, and government strategic plans will be developed and enacted for two-year periods, referred to as a "biennium," instead of annually. This transition includes adjustments to congressional timetables and House rules to accommodate this two-year cycle, with specific provisions for a transition period during the 113th Congress. The bill also requires the CBO to project federal revenues for the next 10 fiscal years and directs the OMB to explore and report on the feasibility of an accrual-based accounting system for certain budget areas, which would recognize revenues and expenses when they are earned or incurred, rather than when cash is exchanged. Finally, federal agencies will be required to provide more comprehensive information to congressional committees upon request, and the Comptroller General will assist in programmatic oversight during the transition to the biennial system.

Committee Categories

Budget and Finance

Sponsors (8)

Last Action

Referred to House Ways and Means (on 12/14/2011)

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