I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5799 
To establish a commission to conduct a comprehensive review of Federal 
agencies and programs and to recommend the elimination or realignment 
of duplicative, wasteful, or outdated functions, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 4, 2014 
Mr. FLEMING introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the 
Committees on Rules and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a commission to conduct a comprehensive review 
of Federal agencies and programs and to recommend 
the elimination or realignment of duplicative, wasteful, 
or outdated functions, and for other purposes.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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Realign and Eliminate Duplicative Unnecessary Costly 
Excess in Government Act of 2014’’ or the ‘‘REDUCE 
Government Act’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Definitions. 
Sec. 3. Establishment of Commission. 
Sec. 4. Duties of the Commission. 
Sec. 5. Powers of the Commission. 
Sec. 6. Commission personnel matters. 
Sec. 7. Termination of the Commission. 
Sec. 8. Closure and realignment of agencies and programs. 
Sec. 9. Congressional consideration of commission recommendations. 
Sec. 10. Offsetting rescissions. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) AGENCY.—The term ‘‘agency’’ has the 
meaning given the term ‘‘Executive agency’’ under 
section 105 of title 5, United States Code. 
(2) CALENDAR DAY.—The term ‘‘calendar day’’ 
means a calendar day other than one on which ei-
ther House is not in session because of an adjourn-
ment of more than three days to a date certain. 
(3) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, each 
territory or possession of the United States, and 
each federally recognized Indian tribe. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Fed-
eral Realignment and Closure Commission (hereafter in 
this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
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(1) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Com-
mission shall be composed of 9 members, appointed 
by the President by and with the advice and consent 
of the Senate as follows: 
(A) Two in consultation with the Speaker 
of the House of Representatives. 
(B) One in consultation with the minority 
leader of the House of Representatives. 
(C) Two in consultation with the majority 
leader of the Senate. 
(D) One in consultation with the minority 
leader of the Senate. 
(2) MEMBER RESTRICTION.—A member of the 
Commission may not be a sitting Member of Con-
gress or a current employee of the executive branch. 
(3) CHAIRMAN AND VICE CHAIRMAN.—At the 
time the President appoints individuals to the Com-
mission under this paragraph, the President shall 
designate 1 such individual who shall serve as chair-
man and 1 such individual who shall serve as vice 
chairman. The chairman and vice chairman may not 
be of the same political party. 
(c) PERIOD OF APPOINTMENT; VACANCIES.—Mem-
bers shall be appointed for the life of the Commission. Any 
vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its powers, but 
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shall be filled in the same manner as the original appoint-
ment. 
(d) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days after 
the date on which all members of the Commission have 
been appointed, the Commission shall hold its first meet-
ing. 
(e) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet at the 
call of the chairman. 
(f) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the 
Commission shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser num-
ber of members may hold hearings. 
SEC. 4. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION. 
(a) SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF PROGRAMS BY THE 
COMMISSION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (4), not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Commission shall estab-
lish a systematic method for assessing the effective-
ness and accountability of agency programs in ac-
cordance with paragraph (2) and divide the pro-
grams into three approximately equal budgetary 
groupings based on the size of the budget and num-
ber of personnel of the agency program. 
(2) METHOD OBJECTIVES.—The method estab-
lished under paragraph (1) shall— 
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(A) recognize different types of Federal 
programs; 
(B) assess programs based on the achieve-
ment of performance goals (as defined under 
section 1115(h)(9) of title 31, United States 
Code); 
(C) assess programs based in part on the 
adequacy of the program’s performance meas-
ures, financial management, and other factors; 
(D) assess programs based in part on 
whether the program has fulfilled the legislative 
intent surrounding the creation of the program, 
taking into account any change in legislative in-
tent during the program’s existence; and 
(E) assess programs based in part on col-
laborative analysis, with the program or agency, 
of program policy and goals which may not fit 
into easily measurable performance goals. 
(3) COMPTROLLER
GENERAL
RECOMMENDA-
TIONS.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall— 
(A) assist the Commission, to the extent 
requested, in the Commission’s evaluation of 
agencies and programs under subsection (b)(1); 
and 
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(B) by no later than March 30 of each 
year in which an evaluation is carried out under 
subsection (b)(1), submit to the Commission a 
report containing the Comptroller General’s rec-
ommendations for the agencies and programs 
that should be realigned or eliminated within 
the grouping evaluated that year. 
(4) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE EXEMPTION.— 
The Commission shall not consider Department of 
Defense programs. 
(b) EVALUATION, PLAN, AND RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(1) EVALUATION.—Subject to subsection (e), 
during each of 2015, 2017, and 2019 the Commis-
sion shall evaluate all agencies, and programs within 
those agencies, in a grouping identified in the as-
sessment under subsection (a), with one grouping 
evaluated each year over those three years, using the 
criteria under paragraph (3). In carrying out the 
evaluation, the Commission shall consider the report 
of the Comptroller General submitted under sub-
section (a)(3). 
(2) PLAN AND RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than June 30 
of a year in which an evaluation is carried out 
under paragraph (1), the Commission shall, 
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