I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7438 

To amend section 719 of title 31, United States Code, to require the Comptroller General of the United States to analyze certain legislation in 

order to prevent duplication of and overlap with existing Federal programs, offices, and initiatives, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 1, 2020 

Mr. GOSAR (for himself, Mr. BIGGS, Mr. HARRIS, Mrs. LESKO, Mr. 

GROTHMAN, Mr. COMER, Mr. HICE of Georgia, Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. 

PERRY, and Mr. YOHO) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and 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 amend section 719 of title 31, United States Code, to 

require the Comptroller General of the United States 

to analyze certain legislation in order to prevent duplication of and overlap with existing Federal programs, offices, and initiatives, 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 ‘‘Duplication Scoring 

5 Act of 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ASSESSMENTS OF REPORTED BILLS BY GAO. 

2 Section 719 of title 31, United States Code, is 

3 amended by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(i)(1) In this subsection— 

5 ‘‘(A) the term ‘covered bill or resolution’ means 

6 a bill or joint resolution of a public character re7 ported by any committee of Congress (including the 

8 Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on 

9 the Budget of either House); 

10 ‘‘(B) the term ‘Director’ means the Director of 

11 the Congressional Budget Office; 

12 ‘‘(C) the term ‘existing duplicative or overlap13 ping feature’ means an element of the Federal Gov14 ernment previously identified as an area of duplica15 tion, overlap, and fragmentation in a GAO duplica16 tion and overlap report; 

17 ‘‘(D) the term ‘GAO duplication and overlap re18 port’ means each annual report prepared by the 

19 Comptroller General under section 21 of the Joint 

20 Resolution entitled ‘Joint Resolution increasing the 

21 statutory limit on the public debt’, approved Feb22 ruary 12, 2010 (31 U.S.C. 712 note); and 

23 ‘‘(E) the term ‘new duplicative or overlapping 

24 feature’ means a new Federal program, office, or 

25 initiative created under a covered bill or joint resoluVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7438.IH H7438

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1 tion that would duplicate or overlap with an existing 

2 duplicative or overlapping feature. 

3 ‘‘(2) For each covered bill or joint resolution, to the 

4 extent practicable, the Comptroller General shall deter5 mine the extent to which the covered bill or joint resolution 

6 risks creating a new duplicative or overlapping feature. 

7 ‘‘(3) If the covered bill or joint resolution risks cre8 ating a new duplicative or overlapping feature, the Comp9 troller General shall prepare information that includes— 

10 ‘‘(A) the name of the new Federal program, of11 fice, or initiative; and 

12 ‘‘(B) a reference to— 

13 ‘‘(i) the section of the covered bill or joint 

14 resolution in which the new duplicative or over15 lapping feature is established; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) the GAO duplication and overlap re17 port in which the existing duplicative or over18 lapping feature is identified. 

19 ‘‘(4) For the information prepared under paragraph 

20 (3) the Comptroller General shall to the extent prac21 ticable— 

22 ‘‘(A) submit such information to the Director; 

23 and 

24 ‘‘(B) publish such information on the website of 

25 the Government Accountability Office. 


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1 ‘‘(5) Subject to paragraph (3), the Director may in2 clude the information submitted by the Comptroller Gen3 eral under subparagraph (4)(A) with the estimate for the 

4 covered bill or joint resolution to which the assessment 

5 pertains submitted by the Director under section 402 of 

6 the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 653). 

7 ‘‘(6) If the Comptroller General has not submitted 

8 to the Director the information for a covered bill or joint 

9 resolution under paragraph (4)(A) on the date on which 

10 the Director submits the estimate for the covered bill or 

11 joint resolution to which the information pertains under 

12 section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 

13 U.S.C. 653), the Director may, on the date on which the 

14 Comptroller General submits the information to the Direc15 tor, prepare and submit to each applicable committee a 

16 version of the estimate for the covered bill or joint resolu17 tion that includes the information.’’. 

18 SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

19 The amendment made by this Act shall take effect 

20 on the earlier of— 

21 (1) the date that is 60 days after the date on 

22 which the Director of the Office of Management and 

23 Budget next, in accordance with section 1122(a) of 

24 title 31, United States Code, updates the informaVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:13 Jul 23, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7438.IH H7438

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1 tion made available on the website required under 

2 that section; or 

3 (2) the date on which a new Congress begins 

4 after the date that is 1 year after the date of enact5 ment of this Act. 

Æ 


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