Title: Bipartisan Budget and Appropriations Reform Act of 2018
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance

Summary:
Bipartisan Budget and Appropriations Reform Act of 2018
This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require biennial congressional budget resolutions, instead of the annual budget resolutions required under current law. The bill retains the existing annual process for budget reconciliation and appropriations bills.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7191 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7191

 To implement reforms to the budget and appropriations process in the 
                       House of Representatives.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 29, 2018

Mr. Womack (for himself and Mr. Yarmuth) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to 
 the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To implement reforms to the budget and appropriations process in the 
                       House of Representatives.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 ``Bipartisan Budget 
and Appropriations Reform Act of 2018''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
                  TITLE I--BIENNIAL BUDGET RESOLUTIONS

Sec. 101. Purposes.
Sec. 102. Definitions.
Sec. 103. Revision of timetable.
Sec. 104. Biennial concurrent resolutions on the budget.
Sec. 105. Committee allocations.
Sec. 106. Revision of biennial budget.
Sec. 107. Additional amendments to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
                            to effectuate biennial budgeting.
Sec. 108. Reconciliation process.
Sec. 109. Amendments to the Rules of the House of Representatives to 
                            effectuate biennial budgeting.
Sec. 110. Membership of the Committee on the Budget.
Sec. 111. Rulemaking authority.
Sec. 112. Effective date.
                        TITLE II--OTHER MATTERS

Sec. 201. Views and estimates of committees.
Sec. 202. Annual supplemental budget submission by the President.
Sec. 203. Hearing on the fiscal state of the Nation.

                  TITLE I--BIENNIAL BUDGET RESOLUTIONS

SEC. 101. PURPOSES.

    Paragraph (2) of section 2 of the Congressional Budget and 
Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended to read as follows:
            ``(2) to facilitate the determination biennially of the 
        appropriate level of Federal revenues and expenditures by the 
        Congress;''.

SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 3 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act 
of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 622) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ``for a fiscal year'' 
        each place it appears and inserting ``for a biennium''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(12) The term `direct spending' has the meaning given to 
        such term in section 250(c)(8) of the Balanced Budget and 
        Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
            ``(13) The term `biennium' means any period of 2 
        consecutive fiscal years beginning with an even-numbered fiscal 
        year.
            ``(14) The term `budget year' has the meaning given that 
        term in section 250(c)(12) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
        Control Act of 1985.''.

SEC. 103. REVISION OF TIMETABLE.

    Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 631) 
is amended to read as follows:

                              ``timetable

    ``Sec. 300. The timetable with respect to the congressional budget 
process for any Congress is as follows:


                                                 ``First Session
On or before:                             Action to be completed:
First Monday in February................  President submits budget.
February 15.............................  Congressional Budget Office submits report to Budget Committees.
 March 1................................  Committees submit views and estimates to Budget Committees.
April 1.................................  Senate Budget Committee reports biennial budget.
May 1...................................  Congress completes action on the biennial budget.
May 15..................................  Appropriation bills may be considered in the House of Representatives.
June 10.................................  House Appropriations Committee reports last annual appropriation bill.
October 1...............................  First fiscal year of the biennium begins.
 



                                                ``Second Session
On or before:                             Action to be completed:
First Monday in February................  President submits budget.
February 15.............................  Congressional Budget Office submits report to Budget Committees.
June 10.................................  House Appropriations Committee reports last annual appropriation bill.
October 1...............................  Second fiscal year of the biennium begins.''.
 

SEC. 104. BIENNIAL CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS ON THE BUDGET.

    (a) Contents of Resolution.--
            (1) In general.--Section 301(a) of the Congressional Budget 
        Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(a)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``On or before April 15'' and all 
                that follows through ``the following:'' and inserting 
                the following: ``On or before May 1 of each odd-
                numbered calendar year, the Congress shall complete 
                action on a concurrent resolution on the budget for the 
                biennium beginning on October 1 of that calendar year. 
                The concurrent resolution shall set forth appropriate 
                levels for each fiscal year in the biennium and for at 
                least each fiscal year in the next 2 bienniums for the 
                following--'';
                    (B) in paragraph (6)--
                            (i) by striking ``for the fiscal year'' and 
                        inserting ``for each fiscal year in the 
                        biennium''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (C) in paragraph (7)--
                            (i) by striking ``for the fiscal year'' and 
                        inserting ``for each fiscal year in the 
                        biennium''; and
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and'';
                    (D) by adding after paragraph (7) the following:
            ``(8) subtotals of new budget authority and outlays for 
        nondefense discretionary spending; defense discretionary 
        spending; direct spending; and net interest.''; and
                    (E) by adding at the end of the matter following 
                paragraph (8) (as added by subparagraph (D)) the 
                following: ``The concurrent resolution on the budget 
                for a biennium shall include procedures for adjusting 
                spending and revenue levels, committee allocations, and 
                other amounts in the resolution during the second 
                session of a Congress to reflect an updated baseline 
                that will be used for scoring purposes.''.
    (b) Additional Matters in Concurrent Resolution.--Section 301(b) of 
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``for such fiscal year'' 
        and inserting ``for either fiscal year in such biennium'';
            (2) in paragraph (8), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in paragraph (9), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(10) include total combined outlays and revenues for tax 
        expenditures.''.
    (c) Hearings and Report.--Section 301(e)(1) of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(e)) is amended by striking ``fiscal 
year'' and inserting ``biennium''.
    (d) Goals for Reducing Unemployment.--Section 301(f) of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(f)) is amended by 
striking ``fiscal year'' each place it appears and inserting 
``biennium''.
    (e) Economic Assumptions.--Section 301(g)(1) of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(g)(1)) is amended by striking ``for a 
fiscal year'' and inserting ``for a biennium''.
    (f) Section Heading.--The section heading of section 301 of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632) is amended by striking 
``annual adoption of'' and inserting ``adoption of biennial''.

SEC. 105. COMMITTEE ALLOCATIONS.

    Section 302 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 633) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)--
                    (A) by striking ``for that period of fiscal years'' 
                and inserting ``for all fiscal years covered by the 
                resolution''; and
                    (B) by striking ``only for the fiscal year of that 
                resolution'' and inserting ``only for each fiscal year 
                of the biennium'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``subsection (a)'' and inserting 
                ``subsection (a)(1)'';
                    (B) by striking ``for a fiscal year'' and inserting 
                ``for a budget year''; and
                    (C) by striking ``for that fiscal year'' and 
                inserting ``for that budget year'';
            (3) in subsection (f)(1)--
                    (A) by striking ``for a fiscal year''; and
                    (B) by striking ``the first fiscal year'' and 
                inserting ``either fiscal year of the biennium of that 
                resolution''; and
            (4) in subsection (f)(2)(A), by--
                    (A) striking ``the first fiscal year'' and 
                inserting ``either fiscal year of the biennium of that 
                resolution''; and
                    (B) striking ``the total of fiscal years'' and 
                inserting ``the total of all fiscal years covered by 
                the resolution''.

SEC. 106. REVISION OF BIENNIAL BUDGET.

    Section 304 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 635) 
is amended to read as follows:

    ``permissible revisions of concurrent resolutions on the budget

    ``Sec. 304. At any time after the concurrent resolution on the 
budget has been agreed to pursuant to section 301 and before the end of 
the biennium, the two Houses may adopt a concurrent resolution that 
revises or reaffirms the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution 
on the budget. Any concurrent resolution that revises or reaffirms the 
most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget shall be 
considered under the procedures set forth in section 305.''.

SEC. 107. ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET ACT OF 1974 
              TO EFFECTUATE BIENNIAL BUDGETING.

    (a) Enforcement of Section 303.--Section 303 of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 634) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking ``for a fiscal year'' and inserting 
                ``for a biennium''; and
                    (B) by striking ``the first fiscal year covered by 
                that resolution'' and inserting ``either fiscal year of 
                that biennium'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(1)(B), by striking ``the fiscal 
        year'' and inserting ``the biennium''; and
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``for a fiscal year'' and 
                        inserting ``for a biennium''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``for that year'' each 
                        place it appears and inserting ``for each year 
                        of that biennium''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``after the year 
                the allocation referred to in that paragraph is made'' 
                and inserting ``after the years the allocations 
                referred to in that paragraph are made''.
    (b) Section 305.--Subsections (a)(3) and (b)(3) of section 305 of 
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 636) are amended by 
striking ``for a fiscal year''.
    (c) Section 311 Point of Order.--
            (1) In the house of representatives.--Section 311(a)(1) of 
        the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 642(a)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) by striking ``for a fiscal year'';
                    (B) by striking ``the first fiscal year'' each 
                place it appears and inserting ``either of the first 
                two fiscal years covered by such resolution''; and
                    (C) by striking ``that first fiscal year'' and 
                inserting ``either of the first two fiscal years''.
            (2) In the senate.--Section 311(a)(2) of the Congressional 
        Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 642(a)(2)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``for the 
                first fiscal year'' and inserting ``for either of the 
                first two fiscal years''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) by striking ``that first fiscal year'' 
                        the first place it appears and inserting 
                        ``either of the first two fiscal years''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``that first fiscal year 
                        and the ensuing fiscal years'' and inserting 
                        ``all fiscal years''.
            (3) Social security levels.--Section 311(a)(3) of the 
        Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 642(a)(2)) is 
        amended by--
                    (A) striking ``for the first fiscal year'' and 
                inserting ``for either of the first two fiscal years''; 
                and
                    (B) striking ``that fiscal year and the ensuing 
                fiscal years'' and inserting ``all fiscal years''.

SEC. 108. RECONCILIATION PROCESS.

    Section 310(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 
641(a)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by striking ``A 
        concurrent'' and all that follows through ``shall'' and 
        inserting ``A concurrent resolution on the budget for a 
        biennium shall, for each fiscal year of the biennium'';
            (2) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``for such fiscal 
        year'' and inserting ``for each fiscal year of the biennium'';
            (3) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ``such fiscal year'' 
        and inserting ``each fiscal year of the biennium''; and
            (4) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking ``such fiscal year'' 
        and inserting ``each fiscal year of the biennium''.

SEC. 109. AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO 
              EFFECTUATE BIENNIAL BUDGETING.

    (a) Clause 4(a)(4) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by striking ``any allocations'' and 
inserting ``its allocations for the budget year'' and by striking 
``fiscal year'' and inserting ``biennium''.
    (b) Clause 4(b)(2) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by striking ``for each fiscal year''.
    (c) Clause 4(b) of rule X is amended by striking ``and'' at the end 
of subparagraph (5), by striking the period and inserting ``; and'' at 
the end of subparagraph (6), and by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph:
            ``(7) use the second session of each Congress to study 
        issues with long-term budgetary and economic implications.''.
    (d) Clause 4(f) of rule X is amended--
            (1) by striking ``fiscal year'' the first place it appears 
        and inserting ``biennium'';
            (2) by striking ``that fiscal year'' and inserting ``each 
        fiscal year in such ensuing biennium''; and
            (3) in subparagraph (1) by striking ``six weeks after the 
        submission of the budget by the President'' and inserting 
        ``March 1''.
    (e) Clause 3(d)(1)(A) of rule XIII is amended by striking ``five'' 
both places it appears and inserting ``six''.

SEC. 110. MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE BUDGET.

    (a) Clause 5(a)(2) of rule X of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended--
            (1) by striking subdivisions (B) and (C); and
            (2) in subdivision (A), by striking ``(A)'' and by 
        redesignating items (i), (ii), and (iii) as subdivisions (A), 
        (B), and (C), respectively.
    (b) The amendment made by subsection (a) shall take effect 
immediately before noon, January 3, 2019.

SEC. 111. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY.

    Sections 109 and 110 are enacted by the Congress--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House of 
        Representatives, and as such they shall be considered as part 
        of the rules of the House and such rules shall supersede other 
        rules only to the extent that they are inconsistent therewith; 
        and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        the House to change such rules at any time, in the same manner, 
        and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of the 
        House.

SEC. 112. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This title and the amendments made by this title shall take effect 
immediately before noon January 3, 2019.

                        TITLE II--OTHER MATTERS

SEC. 201. VIEWS AND ESTIMATES OF COMMITTEES.

    Section 301(d) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(d)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Views and Estimates of Other Committees.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than March 1 of the first 
        session of a Congress, or upon the request of the Committee on 
        the Budget of the House of Representatives or the Senate, each 
        committee of the House of Representatives and the Senate having 
        legislative jurisdiction shall submit to its respective 
        Committee on the Budget its views and estimates (as determined 
        by the committee making such submission) with respect to the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Any legislation to be considered during that 
                Congress that is a priority for the committee.
                    ``(B) Any legislation within the jurisdiction of 
                the committee that would establish, amend, or 
                reauthorize any Federal program and likely have a 
                significant budgetary impact.
            ``(2) Additional matters.--Any committee of the House of 
        Representatives or the Senate and any joint committee of the 
        Congress may submit to the appropriate Committees on the Budget 
        its views and estimates with respect to all matters set forth 
        in subsections (a) and (b) which relate to matters within its 
        jurisdiction.
            ``(3) Joint economic committee.--The Joint Economic 
        Committee shall submit to the Committees on the Budget of both 
        Houses its recommendations as to the fiscal policy appropriate 
        to the goals of the Employment Act of 1946.''.

SEC. 202. ANNUAL SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET SUBMISSION BY THE PRESIDENT.

    Section 1106 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(d) On or before December 1 of each calendar year, the President 
shall submit to Congress an administrative budget for the fiscal year 
beginning in the ensuing calendar year, which shall include up-to-date 
estimates for current year and prior year data and credit reestimates 
for the current year (as included in the Federal credit supplement of 
such budget).''.

SEC. 203. HEARING ON THE FISCAL STATE OF THE NATION.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 45 days (excluding Saturdays, 
Sundays, and holidays) after the date on which the Secretary of the 
Treasury submits to Congress the audited financial statement required 
under paragraph (1) of section 331(e) of title 31, United States Code, 
on a date agreed upon by the chairs of the Committees on the Budget of 
the House of Representatives and the Senate and the Comptroller General 
of the United States, the chairs shall conduct a hearing to receive a 
presentation from the Comptroller General reviewing the findings of the 
audit required under paragraph (2) of such section and providing, with 
respect to the information included by the Secretary in the report 
accompanying such audited financial statement, an analysis of the 
financial position and condition of the Federal Government, including 
financial measures (such as the net operating cost, income, budget 
deficits, or budget surpluses) and sustainability measures (such as the 
long-term fiscal projection or social insurance projection) described 
in such report.
    (b) Effective Date.--The requirement under subsection (a) shall 
apply with respect to any audited financial statement submitted on or 
after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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