I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7438 
To amend section 719 of title 31, United States Code, to require the Comp-
troller General of the United States to analyze certain legislation in 
order to prevent duplication of and overlap with existing Federal pro-
grams, 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 Com-
mittees on the Budget, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined 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 duplica-
tion of and overlap with existing Federal programs, of-
fices, and initiatives, 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 ‘‘Duplication Scoring 
Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. ASSESSMENTS OF REPORTED BILLS BY GAO. 
Section 719 of title 31, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i)(1) In this subsection— 
‘‘(A) the term ‘covered bill or resolution’ means 
a bill or joint resolution of a public character re-
ported by any committee of Congress (including the 
Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on 
the Budget of either House); 
‘‘(B) the term ‘Director’ means the Director of 
the Congressional Budget Office; 
‘‘(C) the term ‘existing duplicative or overlap-
ping feature’ means an element of the Federal Gov-
ernment previously identified as an area of duplica-
tion, overlap, and fragmentation in a GAO duplica-
tion and overlap report; 
‘‘(D) the term ‘GAO duplication and overlap re-
port’ means each annual report prepared by the 
Comptroller General under section 21 of the Joint 
Resolution entitled ‘Joint Resolution increasing the 
statutory limit on the public debt’, approved Feb-
ruary 12, 2010 (31 U.S.C. 712 note); and 
‘‘(E) the term ‘new duplicative or overlapping 
feature’ means a new Federal program, office, or 
initiative created under a covered bill or joint resolu-
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tion that would duplicate or overlap with an existing 
duplicative or overlapping feature. 
‘‘(2) For each covered bill or joint resolution, to the 
extent practicable, the Comptroller General shall deter-
mine the extent to which the covered bill or joint resolution 
risks creating a new duplicative or overlapping feature. 
‘‘(3) If the covered bill or joint resolution risks cre-
ating a new duplicative or overlapping feature, the Comp-
troller General shall prepare information that includes— 
‘‘(A) the name of the new Federal program, of-
fice, or initiative; and 
‘‘(B) a reference to— 
‘‘(i) the section of the covered bill or joint 
resolution in which the new duplicative or over-
lapping feature is established; and 
‘‘(ii) the GAO duplication and overlap re-
port in which the existing duplicative or over-
lapping feature is identified. 
‘‘(4) For the information prepared under paragraph 
(3) the Comptroller General shall to the extent prac-
ticable— 
‘‘(A) submit such information to the Director; 
and 
‘‘(B) publish such information on the website of 
the Government Accountability Office. 
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‘‘(5) Subject to paragraph (3), the Director may in-
clude the information submitted by the Comptroller Gen-
eral under subparagraph (4)(A) with the estimate for the 
covered bill or joint resolution to which the assessment 
pertains submitted by the Director under section 402 of 
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 653). 
‘‘(6) If the Comptroller General has not submitted 
to the Director the information for a covered bill or joint 
resolution under paragraph (4)(A) on the date on which 
the Director submits the estimate for the covered bill or 
joint resolution to which the information pertains under 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 
U.S.C. 653), the Director may, on the date on which the 
Comptroller General submits the information to the Direc-
tor, prepare and submit to each applicable committee a 
version of the estimate for the covered bill or joint resolu-
tion that includes the information.’’. 
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
The amendment made by this Act shall take effect 
on the earlier of— 
(1) the date that is 60 days after the date on 
which the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget next, in accordance with section 1122(a) of 
title 31, United States Code, updates the informa-
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tion made available on the website required under 
that section; or 
(2) the date on which a new Congress begins 
after the date that is 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
Æ 
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