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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Government Agency 
Reform Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Partially as a result of unnecessary Federal 
spending, the United States national debt is over 
$15 trillion. 
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(2) Bureaucratic complexity and redundancy 
waste time and money for consumers, businesses, 
and taxpayers. 
(3) In March 2011, the Government Account-
ability Office released a report entitled ‘‘Opportuni-
ties to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government 
Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Rev-
enue’’ that identifies areas where greater efficiencies 
could be found in Government operations. Some of 
the findings include: 
(A) Seven different Federal agencies have 
programs dedicated to meeting the water needs 
in the United States-Mexico border region. 
(B) There are 82 Federal programs dedi-
cated to improving teacher quality. 
(C) There are 56 programs in 20 different 
Federal agencies designed to target financial 
literacy. 
(D) There are 80 Federal programs to 
boost transportation opportunities for disadvan-
taged individuals. 
(E) There are over 20 programs in seven 
different Federal agencies working to combat 
homelessness. 
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(4) The Department of Commerce’s core busi-
ness and trade functions, the Small Business Ad-
ministration, the Office of the United States Trade 
Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Over-
seas Private Investment Corporation, and the United 
States Trade and Development Agency all serve im-
portant, but sometimes overlapping functions for 
consumers and businesses in the United States. Con-
solidating these agencies could save $3 billion and 
eliminate over 1,000 duplicative Federal jobs while 
improving the service provided to taxpayers and con-
sumers. 
(5) The Federal Government provides impor-
tant services that can be improved while saving 
money by consolidating and reforming Federal agen-
cies. 
SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATION AUTHORITY. 
(a) EFFICIENCY-ENHANCING PLAN DEFINED.—Sec-
tion 902 of title 5, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 
the semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(4) ‘efficiency-enhancing plan’ means a reorga-
nization plan that the Director of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget determines will result in, or is 
likely to result in— 
‘‘(A) a decrease in the number of agencies; 
and 
‘‘(B) cost savings in performing the func-
tions that are the subject of that plan.’’. 
(b) MODERNIZING REORGANIZATION AUTHORITY.— 
Section 905(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amend-
ed by striking the following: ‘‘or renaming an existing ex-
ecutive department, abolishing or transferring an execu-
tive department or independent regulatory agency, or all 
the functions thereof, or consolidating two or more execu-
tive departments or two or more independent regulatory 
agencies, or all the functions thereof’’. 
SEC. 4. DURATION AND SCOPE OF AUTHORITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 905(b) of title 5, United 
States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘if the plan’’ and all 
that follows and inserting the following: ‘‘if the plan is— 
‘‘(1) transmitted to Congress (in accordance 
with section 903(b)) on or before the date that is 2 
years after the date of enactment of the Government 
Agency Reform Act of 2012; and 
‘‘(2) an efficiency-enhancing plan.’’. 
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(b) EXERCISE
OF RULEMAKING POWER.—Section 
908(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘December 31, 1984’’ and inserting ‘‘the date that 
is 2 years after the date of enactment of the Government 
Agency Reform Act of 2012’’. 
Æ 
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