I 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4409 

To provide for reforming and consolidating agencies of the Federal 

Government to improve efficiency and save money, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 19, 2012 

Mr. BARROW introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 

A BILL 

To provide for reforming and consolidating agencies of the 

Federal Government to improve efficiency and save 

money, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Government Agency 

5 Reform Act of 2012’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Partially as a result of unnecessary Federal 

9 spending, the United States national debt is over 

10 $15 trillion. 


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1 (2) Bureaucratic complexity and redundancy 

2 waste time and money for consumers, businesses, 

3 and taxpayers. 

4 (3) In March 2011, the Government Account5 ability Office released a report entitled ‘‘Opportuni6 ties to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government 

7 Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Rev8 enue’’ that identifies areas where greater efficiencies 

9 could be found in Government operations. Some of 

10 the findings include: 

11 (A) Seven different Federal agencies have 

12 programs dedicated to meeting the water needs 

13 in the United States-Mexico border region. 

14 (B) There are 82 Federal programs dedi15 cated to improving teacher quality. 

16 (C) There are 56 programs in 20 different 

17 Federal agencies designed to target financial 

18 literacy. 

19 (D) There are 80 Federal programs to 

20 boost transportation opportunities for disadvan21 taged individuals. 

22 (E) There are over 20 programs in seven 

23 different Federal agencies working to combat 

24 homelessness. 


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1 (4) The Department of Commerce’s core busi2 ness and trade functions, the Small Business Ad3 ministration, the Office of the United States Trade 

4 Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Over5 seas Private Investment Corporation, and the United 

6 States Trade and Development Agency all serve im7 portant, but sometimes overlapping functions for 

8 consumers and businesses in the United States. Con9 solidating these agencies could save $3 billion and 

10 eliminate over 1,000 duplicative Federal jobs while 

11 improving the service provided to taxpayers and con12 sumers. 

13 (5) The Federal Government provides impor14 tant services that can be improved while saving 

15 money by consolidating and reforming Federal agen16 cies. 

17 SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATION AUTHORITY. 

18 (a) EFFICIENCY-ENHANCING PLAN DEFINED.—Sec19 tion 902 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

21 the semicolon; 

22 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 

23 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

24 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(4) ‘efficiency-enhancing plan’ means a reorga2 nization plan that the Director of the Office of Man3 agement and Budget determines will result in, or is 

4 likely to result in— 

5 ‘‘(A) a decrease in the number of agencies; 

6 and 

7 ‘‘(B) cost savings in performing the func8 tions that are the subject of that plan.’’. 

9 (b) MODERNIZING REORGANIZATION AUTHORITY.— 

10 Section 905(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amend11 ed by striking the following: ‘‘or renaming an existing ex12 ecutive department, abolishing or transferring an execu13 tive department or independent regulatory agency, or all 

14 the functions thereof, or consolidating two or more execu15 tive departments or two or more independent regulatory 

16 agencies, or all the functions thereof’’. 

17 SEC. 4. DURATION AND SCOPE OF AUTHORITY. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 905(b) of title 5, United 

19 States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘if the plan’’ and all 

20 that follows and inserting the following: ‘‘if the plan is— 

21 ‘‘(1) transmitted to Congress (in accordance 

22 with section 903(b)) on or before the date that is 2 

23 years after the date of enactment of the Government 

24 Agency Reform Act of 2012; and 

25 ‘‘(2) an efficiency-enhancing plan.’’. 


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1 (b) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWER.—Section 

2 908(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by strik3 ing ‘‘December 31, 1984’’ and inserting ‘‘the date that 

4 is 2 years after the date of enactment of the Government 

5 Agency Reform Act of 2012’’. 

Æ 


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