II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 382 

To eliminate the automatic inflation increases for discretionary programs 

built into the baseline projections and require budget estimates to be 

compared with the prior year’s level. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 5, 2015 

Ms. AYOTTE (for herself, Mr. RUBIO, and Mr. PORTMAN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the 

Budget 

A BILL 

To eliminate the automatic inflation increases for discretionary programs built into the baseline projections and 

require budget estimates to be compared with the prior 

year’s level. 

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 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CHANGES IN THE BASELINE. 

2 Section 257(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emer3 gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 907(c)) is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in the second sentence of paragraph (1), by 

6 striking all that follows ‘‘current year,’’ and insert7 ing ‘‘excluding resources designated as an emergency 

8 requirement and any resources provided in supple9 mental appropriation laws.’’; 

10 (2) by striking paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and 

11 (5); 

12 (3) by redesignating paragraph (6) as para13 graph (2); and 

14 (4) by inserting after paragraph (2), as so re15 designated, the following: 

16 ‘‘(3) NO ADJUSTMENT FOR INFLATION.—No 

17 adjustment shall be made for inflation or for any 

18 other factor.’’. 

19 SEC. 3. THE PRESIDENT’S BUDGET. 

20 (a) EXPENDITURES AND APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

21 1105(a)(5) of title 31, United States Code, is amended 

22 to read as follows: 

23 ‘‘(5) except as provided in subsection (b), esti24 mated expenditures and appropriations for the cur25 rent year and estimated expenditures and proposed 

26 appropriations the President decides are necessary 


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1 to support the Government in the fiscal year for 

2 which the budget is submitted and at least the 4 fis3 cal years following that year, and, except for detailed 

4 budget estimates, the percentage change from the 

5 current year to the fiscal year for which the budget 

6 is submitted for estimated expenditures and for ap7 propriations.’’. 

8 (b) RECEIPTS.—Section 1105(a)(6) of title 31, 

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

10 ‘‘(6)(A) estimated receipts of the Government 

11 in the current year and the fiscal year for which the 

12 budget is submitted and at least the 4 fiscal years 

13 after that year under— 

14 ‘‘(i) laws in effect when the budget is sub15 mitted; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) proposals in the budget to increase 

17 revenues; and 

18 ‘‘(B) the percentage change (in the case of each 

19 category referred to in clauses (i) and (ii) of sub20 paragraph (A)) between the current year and the fis21 cal year for which the budget is submitted and be22 tween the current year and each of the 9 fiscal years 

23 after the fiscal year for which the budget is sub24 mitted.’’. 


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1 (c) LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS.—Section 1105(a)(12) 

2 of title 31, United States Code, is amended to read as 

3 follows: 

4 ‘‘(12) for each proposal in the budget for legis5 lation that establishes or expands a Government ac6 tivity or function a table showing— 

7 ‘‘(A)(i) the amount proposed in the budget 

8 for appropriation and for expenditure because 

9 of the proposal in the fiscal year for which the 

10 budget is submitted; 

11 ‘‘(ii) the estimated appropriation required 

12 because of the proposal for each of at least the 

13 4 fiscal years after that year that the proposal 

14 will be in effect; and 

15 ‘‘(iii) the estimated amount for the same 

16 activity or function, if any, in the current fiscal 

17 year; and 

18 ‘‘(B) except for detailed budget estimates, 

19 the percentage change (in the case of each cat20 egory referred to in clauses (i), (ii), and (iii) of 

21 subparagraph (A)) between the current year 

22 and the fiscal year for which the budget is sub23 mitted.’’. 


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1 (d) COMPARISONS.—Section 1105(a)(18) of title 31, 

2 United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘new budget 

3 authority and’’ before ‘‘budget outlays’’. 

4 (e) EXPENDITURES AND TABLES.—Section 1105(a) 

5 of title 31, United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating the second paragraph (37) 

7 (relating to a list of plans and reports) as paragraph 

8 (39); and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(40) a comparison of levels of estimated ex11 penditures and proposed appropriations for each 

12 function and subfunction in the current fiscal year 

13 and the fiscal year for which the budget is sub14 mitted, along with the proposed increase or decrease 

15 of spending in percentage terms for each function 

16 and subfunction. 

17 ‘‘(41) a table on sources of growth in total di18 rect spending under current law and as proposed in 

19 the budget submission for the budget year and at 

20 least the ensuing 9 fiscal years, which shall include 

21 changes in outlays attributable to— 

22 ‘‘(A) cost-of-living adjustments; 

23 ‘‘(B) changes in the number of program 

24 recipients; 


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1 ‘‘(C) increases in medical care prices, utili2 zation and intensity of medical care; and 

3 ‘‘(D) residual factors.’’. 

4 (f) CURRENT PROGRAMS.—Section 1109(a) of title 

5 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the 

6 first sentence the following: ‘‘For discretionary spending, 

7 these estimates shall assume the levels no higher than 

8 those set forth in the discretionary spending limits under 

9 section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

10 Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(c)), as ad11 justed, for the appropriate fiscal years (and if no such lim12 its are in effect, these estimates shall assume adjusted lev13 els no higher than those for the most recent fiscal year 

14 for which such levels were in effect).’’. 

15 SEC. 4. THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET. 

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

17 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(e)) is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 

19 following: ‘‘The basis of deliberations in developing 

20 such joint resolution shall be the estimated budg21 etary levels for the preceding fiscal year. Any budg22 etary levels pending before the committee and the 

23 text of the joint resolution shall be accompanied by 

24 a document comparing such levels or such text to 

25 the estimated levels of the prior fiscal year.’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

3 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

4 (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 

5 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(G) a comparison of levels for the current 

8 fiscal year with proposed spending and revenue 

9 levels for the subsequent fiscal years and the 

10 proposed increase or decrease of spending in 

11 percentage terms for each function.’’. 

12 SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE REPORTS TO 

13 COMMITTEES. 

14 (a) COMPARABLE LEVELS.—Section 202(e)(1) of the 

15 Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 602(e)(1)) 

16 is amended in the first sentence by inserting ‘‘compared 

17 to comparable levels for the current year’’ before the 

18 comma at the end of subparagraph (A) and before the 

19 comma at the end of subparagraph (B). 

20 (b) SOURCES OF SPENDING GROWTH.—Section 

21 202(e)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 

22 U.S.C. 602(e)(1)) is amended by inserting after the first 

23 sentence the following: ‘‘Such report shall also include a 

24 table on sources of spending growth in total direct spend25 ing, revenue, deficit, and debt for the budget year and the 


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1 ensuing 4 fiscal years, which shall include changes in out2 lays attributable to (A) cost-of-living adjustments, (B) 

3 changes in the number of program recipients, (C) in4 creases in medical care prices, utilization and intensity of 

5 medical care, and (D) residual factors.’’. 

6 (c) COMPARISON OF LEVELS.—Section 308(a)(1)(B) 

7 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 

8 639(a)(1)(B)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and shall include 

9 a comparison of those levels to comparable levels for the 

10 current fiscal year’’ before ‘‘, if timely submitted’’. 

Æ 


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