I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1913
To require reauthorizations of budget authority for Government programs
at least every 10 years, to provide for review of Government programs
at least every 10 years, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 17, 1997
Mr. DOGGETT introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Commit-
tee on Rules, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Gov-
ernment Reform and Oversight, 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 require reauthorizations of budget authority for Govern-
ment programs at least every 10 years, to provide for
review of Government programs at least every 10 years,
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 ‘‘Sunset Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to require that Government programs be re-
authorized according to a schedule at least once
every 10 years;
(2) to limit the length of time for which Gov-
ernment programs can be authorized to 10 years;
(3) to bar the expenditure of funds for Govern-
ment programs which have not been provided for by
a law enacted during the 10-year sunset reauthoriza-
tion cycle; and
(4) to encourage the reexamination of selected
Government programs during each Congress.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS, BUDGET CATEGORIES, REAUTHOR-
IZATION DATE.
(a) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this Act—
(1) The term ‘‘budget authority’’ has the mean-
ing given to it by section 3(2) of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974.
(2) The term ‘‘permanent budget authority’’
means budget authority provided for an indefinite
period of time or an unspecified number of fiscal
years which does not require recurring action by the
Congress, but does not include budget authority pro-
vided for a specified fiscal year which is available for
obligation or expenditure in one or more succeeding
fiscal years.
(3) The term ‘‘Comptroller General’’ means the
Comptroller General of the United States.
(4) The term ‘‘agency’’ means an executive
agency as defined in section 105 of title 5, United
States Code, except that such term includes the
United States Postal Service and the Postal Rate
Commission but does not include the General Ac-
counting Office.
(5) The term ‘‘sunset reauthorization cycle’’
means the period of five Congresses beginning with
the One Hundred Sixth Congress and with each
sixth Congress following the One Hundred Sixth
Congress.
(b) BUDGET CATEGORIES.—For purposes of this Act,
each program (including any program exempted by a pro-
vision of law from inclusion in the Budget of the United
States) shall be assigned to the functional and subfunc-
tional categories to which it is assigned in the Budget of
the United States Government, fiscal year 1997. Each
committee of the Senate or the House of Representatives
which reports any bill or resolution which authorizes the
enactment of new budget authority for a program not in-
cluded in the fiscal year 1997 budget shall include, in the
committee report accompanying such bill or resolution
(and, where appropriate, the conferees shall include in
their joint statement on such bill or resolution), a state-
ment as to the functional and subfunctional category to
which such program is to be assigned.
(c) REAUTHORIZATION DATE.—For purposes of titles
I, II, and III of this Act, the reauthorization date applica-
ble to a program is the date specified for such program
under section 101(b).
TITLE I—REAUTHORIZATION OF GOVERNMENT
PROGRAMS
SEC. 101. REAUTHORIZATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Each Government program (ex-
cept those listed in section 102) shall be reauthorized at
least once during each sunset reauthorization cycle during
the Congress in which the reauthorization date applicable
to such program (pursuant to subsection (b)) occurs.
(b) REAUTHORIZATION DATE.—The first reauthor-
ization date applicable to a Government program is the
date specified in the following table, and each subsequent
reauthorization date applicable to a program is the date
that a statute enacted by the Congress establishes.
Programs included within subfunctional category
First reauthorization
date
272 Energy Conservation.
September 30, 2000.
301 Water Resources.
352 Agricultural Research and Services.
371 Mortgage Credit.
373 Deposit Insurance.
376 Other Advancement of Commerce.
501 Elementary, Secondary, and Vocational Edu-
cation.
Programs included within subfunctional category
First reauthorization
date
601 General Retirement and Disability Insurance
(excluding social security).
602 Federal Employee Retirement and Disability.
703 Hospital and Medical Care for Veterans.
808 Other General Government.
051 Department of Defense—Military
September 30, 2002.
053 Atomic Energy Defense Activities.
154 Foreign Information and Exchange Activi-
ties.
251 General Science and Basic Research.
306 Other Natural Resources.
351 Farm Income Stabilization.
401 Ground Transportation.
502 Higher Education.
701 Income Security for Veterans.
752 Federal Litigative and Judicial Activities.
802 Executive Direction and Management.
803 Central Fiscal Operations.
054 Defense Related Activities
September 30, 2004.
152 International Security Assistance.
155 International Financial Programs.
252 Space Flight, Research, and Supporting Ac-
tivities.
274 Emergency Energy Preparedness.
302 Conservation and Land Management.
304 Pollution Control and Abatement.
407 Other Transportation.
504 Training and Employment.
506 Social Services.
554 Consumer and Occupational Health and
Safety.
704 Veterans Housing.
751 Federal Law Enforcement Activities.
801 Legislative Functions.
806 General Purpose Fiscal Assistance.
153 Conduct of Foreign Affairs
September 30, 2006.
271 Energy Supply.
303 Recreational Resources.
402 Air Transportation.
505 Other Labor Services.
551 Health Care Services.
604 Housing Assistance.
702 Veterans Education, Training, and Rehabili-
tation.
753 Federal Correctional Activities.
805 Central Personnel Management.
908 Other Interest.
151 International Development and Humani-
tarian Assistance.
September 30, 2008.
276 Energy Information, Policy and Regulation.
372 Postal Service.
403 Water Transportation.
451 Community Development.
Programs included within subfunctional category
First reauthorization
date
452 Area and Regional Development.
453 Disaster Relief and Insurance.
503 Research and General Education Aids.
552 Health Research and Training.
603 Unemployment Compensation.
705 Other Veterans Benefits and Services.
754 Criminal Justice Assistance.
804 General Property and Record Management.
901 Interest on the Public Debt.
(c) PROCEDURES.—
(1) CONSIDERATION.—It shall not be in order
in either the Senate or the House of Representatives
to consider any bill or resolution, or amendment
thereto, which authorizes the enactment of new
budget authority for a program for a period of more
than 10 fiscal years, for an indefinite period, or (ex-
cept during the Congress in which such next reau-
thorization date occurs or the Congress immediately
preceding such Congress) for any fiscal year begin-
ning after the next reauthorization date applicable to
such program. Notwithstanding the preceding sen-
tence, it shall be in order to consider a bill or resolu-
tion for the purpose of considering an amendment to
the bill or resolution which would make the author-
ization period conform to the requirement of such
sentence. It shall not be in order in either the Sen-
ate or the House of Representatives to consider any
bill or resolution, or amendment thereto, which pro-
sultation with the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office and the Director of the Congressional Research
Service, shall submit the program inventory to the Senate
and House of Representatives.
(d) GROUPING OF PROGRAMS.—In the report submit-
ted under subsection (c), the Comptroller General, after
consultation and in cooperation with and consideration of
the views and recommendations of the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office, shall group programs into
program areas appropriate for the exercise of the review
and reexamination requirements of this Act. Such
groupings shall identify program areas in a manner which
classifies each program in only one functional and only
one subfunctional category and which is consistent with
the structure of national needs, agency missions, and basic
programs developed pursuant to section 1105 of title 31,
United States Code.
(e) INVENTORY CONTENT.—The program inventory
shall set forth for each program each of the following mat-
ters:
(1) The specific provision or provisions of law
authorizing the program.
(2) The committees of the Senate and the
House of Representatives which have legislative or
oversight jurisdiction over the program.
are not required to be reauthorized pursuant to section
102.
(g) BUDGET AUTHORITY.—The report also shall set
forth for each program whether the new budget authority
provided for such programs is—
(1) authorized for a definite period of time;
(2) authorized in a specific dollar amount but
without limit of time;
(3) authorized without limit of time or dollar
amounts;
(4) not specifically authorized; or
(5) permanently provided,
as determined by the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office.
(h) CBO INFORMATION.—For each program or
group of programs, the program inventory also shall in-
clude information prepared by the Director of the Con-
gressional Budget Office indicating each of the following
matters:
(1) The amounts of new budget authority au-
thorized and provided for the program for each of
the preceding four fiscal years and, where applicable,
the four succeeding fiscal years.
(2) The functional and subfunctional category
in which the program is presently classified and was
classified under the fiscal year 1997 budget.
(3) The identification code and title of the ap-
propriation account in which budget authority is
provided for the program.
SEC. 202. MUTUAL EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION.
The General Accounting Office, the Congressional
Research Service, and the Congressional Budget Office
shall permit the mutual exchange of available information
in their possession which would aid in the compilation of
the program inventory.
SEC. 203. ASSISTANCE BY EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
The Office of Management and Budget, and the Ex-
ecutive agencies and the subdivisions thereof shall, to the
extent necessary and possible, provide the General Ac-
counting Office with assistance requested by the Comp-
troller General in the compilation of the program inven-
tory.
SEC. 204. REVISION OF PROGRAM INVENTORY.
(a) REVIEW.—Each committee of the Senate and the
House of Representatives, the Congressional Budget Of-
fice, and the Congressional Research Service shall review
the program inventory as submitted under section 201 and
not later than 90 days after the date of such submission
such committee, Office, and Service shall advise the Comp-
troller General of any revisions in the composition or iden-
tification of programs and groups of programs which it
recommends. After full consideration of the reports of all
such committees and officials, the Comptroller General in
consultation with the committees of the Senate and the
House of Representatives shall report, not later than 60
days after the date the advice was given in accordance
with this subsection, a revised program inventory to the
Senate and the House of Representatives.
(b) BEGINNING OF PROCESS.—The Comptroller Gen-
eral, after the close of each session of the Congress, shall
revise the program inventory and report the revisions to
the Senate and the House of Representatives.
(c) REPORT.—After the close of each session of the
Congress, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office
shall prepare a report, for inclusion in the revised inven-
tory, with respect to each program included in the pro-
gram inventory and each program established by law dur-
ing such session, which includes the amount of the new
budget authority authorized and the amount of new budg-
et authority provided for the current fiscal year and each
of the five succeeding fiscal years. If new budget authority
is not authorized or provided or is authorized or provided
for an indefinite amount for any of such five succeeding
fiscal years with respect to any program, the Director shall
make projections of the amounts of such new budget au-
thority necessary to be authorized or provided for any such
fiscal year to maintain a current level of services.
(d) NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY NOT AUTHORIZED.—
Not later than one year after the first or any subsequent
reauthorization date, the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office, in consultation with the Comptroller Gen-
eral and the Director of the Congressional Research Serv-
ice, shall compile a list of the provisions of law related
to all programs subject to such reauthorization date for
which new budget authority was not authorized. The Di-
rector of the Congressional Budget Office shall include
such a list in the report required by subsection (b). The
committees with legislative jurisdiction over the affected
programs shall study the affected provisions and make any
recommendations they deem to be appropriate with regard
to such provisions to the Senate and the House of Rep-
resentatives.
SEC. 205. ASSESSMENT OF CATEGORIES.
The Director of the Congressional Budget Office and
the Comptroller General shall include in their respective
reports to the Congress pursuant to section 202(f) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and section 719 of title
31, United States Code, an assessment of the adequacy
of the functional and subfunctional categories contained
in section 101(b) of this Act for grouping programs of like
missions or objectives.
TITLE III—PROGRAM REEXAMINATION
SEC. 301. JOINT COMMITTEE ON SUNSET REVIEW.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—
(1) COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP.—There is estab-
lished a Joint Committee on Sunset Review (in this
title referred to as the ‘‘Joint Committee’’) to be
composed of 8 Members of the Senate to be ap-
pointed by the President of the Senate, and 8 Mem-
bers of the House of Representatives to be appointed
by the Speaker. In each instance, not more than 5
Members shall be members of the same political
party. No Member shall serve on the Joint Commit-
tee for more than 6 years (excluding any period of
service of less than 1 year) but a Member may be
reappointed after the expiration of 2 years.
(2) CHAIRMAN.—The Chairman shall be elected
by the members of the Joint Committee and the
chairmanship shall rotate between the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate with the first Chairman
being selected from Members of the House of Rep-
resentatives.
(3) VACANCIES.—Vacancies in the membership
of the Joint Committee shall not affect the power of
the remaining members to execute the functions of
the Joint Committee and shall be filled in the same
manner as in the case of the original appointment.
(4) HEARINGS, ETC.—The Joint Committee is
authorized to hold such hearings as it deems advis-
able. The Joint Committee may appoint and fix the
compensation of such experts, consultants, techni-
cians, and other personnel as it deems necessary and
advisable. The Joint Committee may use the serv-
ices, information, and facilities of the departments
and agencies of the Federal Government which have
jurisdiction of the programs being reviewed by the
Joint Committee.
(b) FUNCTION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In each odd-numbered year,
the Joint Committee shall review the programs
which have reauthorization dates, set under section
101(b), which will occur on September 30 of the fol-
lowing even-numbered year to determine if such pro-
grams should be terminated or reauthorized.
(2) CRITERIA.—The Joint Committee shall con-
sider the following criteria in determining if a pro-
gram should be terminated or reauthorized: