I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3645 

To require the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a legislative proposal to Congress to reorganize executive branch agencies, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 3, 2013 

Ms. KUSTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, 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 require the Comptroller General of the United States 

to submit a legislative proposal to Congress to reorganize 

executive branch agencies, 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 ‘‘Executive Agency Sim5 plification and Efficiency Act’’ or the ‘‘EASE Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REQUIREMENT FOR COMPTROLLER GENERAL TO 

2 SUBMIT LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL TO REOR3 GANIZE EXECUTIVE BRANCH AGENCIES. 

4 (a) LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL REQUIREMENT.—The 

5 Comptroller General of the United States shall submit one 

6 legislative proposal to Congress, with a copy transmitted 

7 to the President at the same time, to reorganize executive 

8 branch agencies in order to achieve the following: 

9 (1) A decrease in the total number of Federal 

10 agencies that promote American competitiveness, ex11 ports, and businesses, in order to improve and sim12 plify support and services for American businesses. 

13 (2) Cost savings in the performance by the 

14 Federal Government of support and services for 

15 American businesses. 

16 (b) DEADLINE.—The Comptroller General shall sub17 mit the legislative proposal required by subsection (a) not 

18 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 

19 Act. 

20 (c) AGENCY DEFINED.—In this Act, the term ‘‘agen21 cy’’ has the meaning provided in section 551(1) of title 

22 5, United States Code. 

23 SEC. 3. EXPEDITED CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF 

24 GAO LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL. 

25 (a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘bill’’ 

26 means only a bill that implements the legislative proposal 


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1 submitted to Congress under section 2(a) and that is in2 troduced within the 90-day period beginning on the date 

3 on which the Comptroller General submits the legislative 

4 proposal to Congress under section 2(a). 

5 (b) REFERRAL.—A bill described in subsection (a) 

6 that is introduced in the House of Representatives shall 

7 be referred to the committee with jurisdiction over the 

8 subject matter concerned. A bill described in subsection 

9 (a) introduced in the Senate shall be referred to the com10 mittee with jurisdiction over the subject matter concerned. 

11 An amendment to the bill is not in order in the committee 

12 in either House. 

13 (c) DISCHARGE.—If the committee to which a bill de14 scribed in subsection (a) is referred has not reported such 

15 a bill (or an identical bill) by the end of the 20-day period 

16 beginning on the date on which the Comptroller General 

17 submits the proposal to the Congress under section 2, such 

18 committee shall be, at the end of such period, discharged 

19 from further consideration of such bill, and such bill shall 

20 be placed on the appropriate calendar of the House in21 volved. 

22 (d) CONSIDERATION.—(1) On or after the third day 

23 after the date on which the committee to which such a 

24 bill is referred has reported, or has been discharged (under 

25 subsection (c)) from further consideration of, such a bill, 


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1 it is in order (even though a previous motion to the same 

2 effect has been disagreed to) for any Member of the re3 spective House to move to proceed to the consideration 

4 of the bill. A Member may make the motion only on the 

5 day after the calendar day on which the Member an6 nounces to the House concerned the Member’s intention 

7 to make the motion, except that, in the case of the House 

8 of Representatives, the motion may be made without such 

9 prior announcement if the motion is made by direction of 

10 the committee to which the bill was referred. All points 

11 of order against the bill (and against consideration of the 

12 bill) are waived. The motion is highly privileged in the 

13 House of Representatives and is privileged in the Senate 

14 and is not debatable. The motion is not subject to amend15 ment, or to a motion to postpone, or to a motion to pro16 ceed to the consideration of other business. A motion to 

17 reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or 

18 disagreed to shall not be in order. If a motion to proceed 

19 to the consideration of the bill is agreed to, the respective 

20 House shall immediately proceed to consideration of the 

21 bill without intervening motion, order, or other business, 

22 and the bill shall remain the unfinished business of the 

23 respective House until disposed of. 

24 (2) Debate on the bill, and on all debatable motions 

25 and appeals in connection therewith, shall be limited to 


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1 not more than 2 hours, which shall be divided equally be2 tween those favoring and those opposing the bill. An 

3 amendment to the bill is not in order. A motion further 

4 to limit debate is in order and not debatable. A motion 

5 to postpone, or a motion to proceed to the consideration 

6 of other business, or a motion to recommit the bill is not 

7 in order. A motion to reconsider the vote by which the 

8 bill is agreed to or disagreed to is not in order. 

9 (3) Immediately following the conclusion of the de10 bate on a bill described in subsection (a) and a single 

11 quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested 

12 in accordance with the rules of the appropriate House, the 

13 vote on final passage of the bill shall occur. 

14 (4) Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating 

15 to the application of the rules of the Senate or the House 

16 of Representatives, as the case may be, to the procedure 

17 relating to a bill described in subsection (a) shall be de18 cided without debate. 

19 (e) CONSIDERATION BY OTHER HOUSE.—(1) If, be20 fore the passage by one House of a bill of that House de21 scribed in subsection (a), that House receives from the 

22 other House a bill described in subsection (a), then the 

23 following procedures shall apply: 

24 (A) The bill of the other House shall not be re25 ferred to a committee and may not be considered in 


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1 the House receiving it except in the case of final 

2 passage as provided in subparagraph (B)(ii). 

3 (B) With respect to a bill described in sub4 section (a) of the House receiving the bill— 

5 (i) the procedure in that House shall be 

6 the same as if no bill had been received from 

7 the other House; but 

8 (ii) the vote on final passage shall be on 

9 the bill of the other House. 

10 (2) Upon disposition of the bill received from the 

11 other House, it shall no longer be in order to consider the 

12 bill that originated in the receiving House. 

13 (f) COMPUTATION OF PERIOD.—For purposes of sub14 sections (a) and (c), the days on which either House of 

15 Congress is not in session because of an adjournment of 

16 more than three days to a day certain shall be excluded 

17 in the computation of a period. 

18 (g) RULES OF THE SENATE AND HOUSE.—This sec19 tion is enacted by Congress— 

20 (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of 

21 the Senate and House of Representatives, respec22 tively, and as such it is deemed a part of the rules 

23 of each House, respectively, but applicable only with 

24 respect to the procedure to be followed in that 

25 House in the case of a bill described in subsection 


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1 (a), and it supersedes other rules only to the extent 

2 that it is inconsistent with such rules; and 

3 (2) with full recognition of the constitutional 

4 right of either House to change the rules (so far as 

5 relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, 

6 in the same manner, and to the same extent as in 

7 the case of any other rule of that House. 

Æ 


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