103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4907

AN ACT

To reform the concept of baseline budgeting.

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 ‘‘Baseline Reform Act

5 of 1994’’.

6 SEC. 2. THE BASELINE.

7 (a) The second sentence of section 257(c) of the Bal8 anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985

9 is amended—
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1 (1) by inserting ‘‘but only for the purpose of

2 adjusting the discretionary spending limits set forth

3 in section 601(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget

4 Act of 1974’’ after ‘‘for inflation as specified in

5 paragraph (5); and

6 (2) by inserting ‘‘but only for the purpose of

7 adjusting the discretionary spending limits set forth

8 in section 601(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget

9 Act of 1974’’ after ‘‘to offset pay absorption and for

10 pay annualization as specified in paragraph (4)’’.

11 (b) Section 1109(a) of title 31, United States Code,

12 is amended by adding after the first sentence the following

13 new sentence: ‘‘These estimates shall not include an ad14 justment for inflation for programs and activities subject

15 to discretionary appropriations.’’.

16 SEC. 3. THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET.

17 (a) Paragraph (5) of section 1105(a) of title 31,

18 United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

19 ‘‘(5) except as provided in subsection (b) of this

20 section, estimated expenditures and appropriations

21 for the current year and estimated expenditures and

22 proposed appropriations the President decides are

23 necessary to support the Government in the fiscal

24 year for which the budget is submitted and the 4 fis25 cal years following that year;’’.
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1 (b) Section 1105(a)(6) of title 31, United States

2 Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘current fiscal year and

3 the’’ before ‘‘fiscal year’’.

4 (c) Section 1105(a)(12) of title 31, United States

5 Code, is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara6 graph (A), by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’

7 at the end of subparagraph (B), and by adding at the end

8 the following new subparagraph:

9 ‘‘(C) the estimated amount for the same activ10 ity (if any) in the current fiscal year.’’.

11 (d) Section 1105(a)(18) of title 31, United States

12 Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘new budget authority

13 and’’ before ‘‘budget outlays’’.

14 (e) Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code,

15 is amended by adding at the end the following new para16 graph:

17 ‘‘(30) a comparison of levels of estimated ex18 penditures and proposed appropriations for each

19 function and subfunction in the current fiscal year

20 and the fiscal year for which the budget is submit21 ted, along with the proposed increase or decrease of

22 spending in percentage terms for each function and

23 subfunction.’’.
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1 SEC. 4. THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET.

2 Section 301(e) of the Congressional Budget Act of

3 1974 is amended by—

4 (1) inserting after the second sentence the fol5 lowing: ‘‘The starting point for any deliberations in

6 the Committee on the Budget of each House on the

7 concurrent resolution on the budget for the next fis8 cal year shall be the estimated level of outlays for

9 the current year in each function and subfunction.

10 Any increases or decreases in the Congressional

11 budget for the next fiscal year shall be from such es12 timated levels.’’; and

13 (2) striking paragraph (8) and redesignating

14 paragraphs (9) and (10) as paragraphs (10) and

15 (11), respectively, and by inserting after paragraph

16 (7) the following new paragraphs:

17 ‘‘(8) a comparison of levels for the current fis18 cal year with proposed spending and revenue levels

19 for the subsequent fiscal years along with the pro20 posed increase or decrease of spending in percentage

21 terms for each function and subfunction; and

22 ‘‘(9) information, data, and comparisons indi23 cating the manner in which and the basis on which,

24 the committee determined each of the matters set

25 forth in the concurrent resolution;’’.
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1 SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE REPORTS TO

2 COMMITTEES.

3 (a) The first sentence of section 202(f)(1) of the Con4 gressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended to read as fol5 lows: ‘‘On or before February 15 of each year, the Direc6 tor shall submit to the Committees on the Budget of the

7 House of Representatives and the Senate a report for the

8 fiscal year commencing on October 1 of that year with

9 respect to fiscal policy, including (A) alternative levels of

10 total revenues, total new budget authority, and total out11 lays (including related surpluses and deficits) compared

12 to comparable levels for the current year and (B) the levels

13 of tax expenditures under existing law, taking into account

14 projected economic factors and any changes in such levels

15 based on proposals in the budget submitted by the Presi16 dent for such fiscal year.’’.

17 (b) Section 202(f)(1) of the Congressional Budget

18 Act of 1974 is amended by inserting after the first sen19 tence the following new sentence: ‘‘That report shall also

20 include a table on sources of spending growth in total

21 mandatory spending for the budget year and the ensuing

22 4 fiscal years, which shall include changes in outlays at23 tributable to the following: cost-of-living adjustments;

24 changes in the number of program recipients; increases

25 in medical care prices, utilization and intensity of medical

26 care; and residual factors.’’.
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1 (c) Section 308(a)(1) of the Congressional Budget

2 Act of 1974 is amended—

3 (1) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘, and

4 shall include a comparison of those levels to com5 parable levels for the current fiscal year’’ before ‘‘if

6 timely submitted’’; and

7 (2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara8 graph (C), by striking the period and inserting ‘‘;

9 and’’ at the end of subparagraph (D), and by adding

10 at the end the following new subparagraph:

11 ‘‘(E) comparing the levels in existing pro12 grams in such measure to the estimated levels

13 for the current fiscal year.’’

14 (d) Title IV of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974

15 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

16 ‘‘GAO REPORTS TO BUDGET COMMITTEES

17 ‘‘SEC. 408. On or before January 15 of each year,

18 the Comptroller General, after consultation with appro19 priate committees of the House of Representatives and

20 Senate, shall submit to the Congress a report listing all

21 programs, projects, and activities that fall within the defi22 nition of direct spending under section 250(c)(8) of the

23 Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of

24 1985.’’.

25 (e) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con26 tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget
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1 and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by in2 serting after the item relating to section 407 the following

3 new item:

‘‘Sec. 408. GAO reports to budget committees.’’.

Passed the House of Representatives August 12,

1994.

Attest:

Clerk.
103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4907

AN ACT

To reform the concept of baseline budgeting.