zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Honoring Our Trust Relationships Act of 2015 or the HOT-R Act 

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to exempt specified American Indian and Alaska Native programs administered by the Departments of the Interior, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, and Health and Human Services from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.

Date: 2015-07-14
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Native Americans
Giveback Deficit Reduction Act 

This bill requires appropriations for Member's Representational Allowances for the House of Representatives that remain at the end of the fiscal year to be deposited in the Treasury and used for deficit or debt reduction. The Member's Representational Allowance is the budget authorized for each Member of Congress in support of the conduct of official and representational duties.

Date: 2015-07-15
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Congress
Baseline Reform Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to change the assumptions used in calculating the baseline for discretionary spending, which is the spending that is provided and controlled by appropriations bills.

The baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during the fiscal year under current law. It is used by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to estimate the cost of legislation and produce other budget projections.

The bill requires the baseline to cover a ten-year period and changes the assumptions the CBO and the OMB must use to project discretionary spending. It eliminates adjustments required under current law for inflation, expiring housing contracts, social insurance administrative expenses, and changes in federal pay and other benefits. By removing these adjustments, the bill requires the baseline to assume that discretionary spending will continue without an increase or a decrease to account for these factors.

The bill also requires the CBO to annually submit to the congressional budget committees by July 1 the Long-Term Budget Outlook for the fiscal year beginning on October 1 and at least the next 40 fiscal years.

Date: 2015-07-23
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Expedited Consideration of Cuts, Consolidations, and Savings Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish expedited procedures for congressional consideration of legislation to carry out recommendations included in the Office of Management and Budget's annual Cuts, Consolidations, and Savings report. The report lists proposals included in the President's budget to cut, consolidate, or otherwise produce savings from mandatory and discretionary spending programs. The authority provided by this bill terminates on the date of the sine die adjournment of Congress during 2018.

Date: 2015-07-28
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2015 

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to provide a report to Congress prior to any date on which the Secretary anticipates the public debt will reach the statutory limit.

The Secretary must appear before the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee to submit a report including:

 historic, current, and projected levels of debt; historic levels of revenue; the drivers and composition of future debt; how the United States will meet debt obligations if the debt limit is raised; reduction measures Treasury intends to take to fund obligations if the debt limit is not raised; and the President's recommendation regarding a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Secretary must also provide a detailed explanation of:

 proposals to reduce the debt and a progress report on implementing them; the impact an increased debt limit will have on future spending, debt service, and the position of the U.S. dollar as the international reserve currency; projections of the fiscal health and sustainability of major entitlement programs (including Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid); measures Treasury is taking or intends to take to avoid default, including a plan to publicly disclose the details; and Treasury's capability to pay only principal and interest on the debt if the limit is reached. Treasury must make the information required by this bill available to the public on its website.

Date: 2015-09-08
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Prevent a Government Shutdown Act of 2015 

This bill requires the congressional leadership of both parties to appoint an equal number of individuals to negotiate legislation to: (1) increase the security and nonsecurity discretionary spending limits equally for both FY2016 and FY2017, and (2) reduce the deficit by the amount deemed appropriate.

 If a majority of the appointees approve the measure, Congress must consider the legislation using expedited legislative procedures included in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

If the legislation is not enacted prior to October 1, 2015, the bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to increase the discretionary spending limits by specified amounts and eliminate the automatic spending cuts required in FY2016 and FY2017 by sequestration under current law.

Date: 2015-09-10
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Audit U.S. Departments to Insulate Taxpayers Act of 2015 or the AUDIT Act 

This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to submit to Congress within 90 days the required annual report identifying programs, agencies, offices, and initiatives with duplicative goals and activities. The report includes the cost of the duplication and recommendations for consolidation and elimination to reduce the duplication.The GAO must also include with the report a legislative proposal that implements the recommendations. The bill establishes expedited procedures for congressional consideration of legislation based on the report.

Date: 2015-09-17
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Prevent a December Government Shutdown Act of 2015 

This bill requires the congressional leadership of both parties to appoint an equal number of individuals to negotiate legislation to: (1) increase the security and nonsecurity discretionary spending limits equally for FY2016, and (2) reduce the deficit by the amount deemed appropriate.

 If a majority of the appointees approve the measure, Congress must consider the legislation using expedited legislative procedures included in the Budget Control Act of 2011.

If the legislation is not enacted prior to November 17, 2015, the bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to increase the FY2016 discretionary spending limits by specified amounts and eliminate the automatic spending cuts required in FY2016 by sequestration under current law.

Date: 2015-10-08
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Responsibly Paying Our Nation's Bills Act 

 This bill suspends the public debt limit until January 1, 2017. On January 1, 2017, the debt limit is increased to accommodate obligations issued during the suspension period.

Date: 2015-10-09
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Debt Ceiling Alternative Act 

This bill establishes requirements for prioritizing obligations and selling federal assets if the federal debt reaches the statutory limit.

If the Department of the Treasury estimates that the debt will reach the limit during a quarter, the President must ensure that the amount deposited in the Treasury from selling federal assets, disposing of real property, and rescinding unobligated balances is sufficient to prevent the debt from reaching the limit.

To comply with this bill, the President may order the sale of assets, including:

 mortgages and real estate held by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), and mortgage-backed securities held by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any federal reserve bank. The Office of the Management and Budget must establish a Federal Real Property Disposal Pilot Program, under which real property that is not meeting federal government needs may be disposed of using expedited procedures.

If a federal budget deficit exists in 2015 and no later than July 16, 2016, the President may rescind any unobligated balances of funds provided before FY2010.

If the debt reaches the statutory limit, the Department of the Treasury may issue additional obligations solely to pay the principal and interest on debt held by the public and the Social Security trust funds. Obligations issued under this authority are exempt from the debt limit.

Date: 2015-10-09
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Protect America's Credit Act of 2015

This bill revises the statutory debt limit to: (1) apply the limit only to debt held by the public, and (2) require annual adjustments to the limit to account for increases in the gross domestic product.

(Under current law, the debt limit applies to debt held by the public and debt held by government accounts. Debt held by the public consists mainly of securities issued by the Treasury and held by investors. Debt held by the government is debt issued to the federal government's trust funds for programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and military and civil service retirement benefits.)

Date: 2015-10-20
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Pay Down the Debt Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a legislative process to stabilize the debt using the prior year's ratio of debt held by the public to the estimated gross domestic product (GDP) as a target.

 The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must report annually on whether the target will be exceeded in any of the five ensuing fiscal years.

If the OMB reports that the target will be exceeded in any year between FY2017-FY2025, the President's budget for that year must include legislative recommendations to achieve the target.

If the CBO reports that the target will be exceeded in any year between FY2017-FY2025:

 the congressional budget resolution for that year must include reconciliation instructions directing congressional committees to recommend legislation to achieve the target, or any Member of Congress may introduce a bill to reach the target, to be considered using expedited legislative procedures if Congress has not agreed to a budget resolution by June 15th that meets the requirements. If debt stabilization legislation is required, Congress may not consider legislation increasing mandatory budget authority or decreasing revenues until the debt legislation has been agreed to and sent to the President.

The requirements imposed by this bill are suspended if: (1) the Department of the Treasury estimates that real GDP for a year will grow by less than 1% compared to the prior year, or (2) a joint resolution is enacted stating that the debt stabilization legislation would cause or exacerbate an economic downturn.

Date: 2015-10-20
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
End Government Shutdowns Act 

This bill provides specified continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any appropriations measure for a fiscal year has not been enacted before the beginning of the fiscal year or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. The appropriations are provided to continue to fund programs, projects, and activities for which funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year.

Date: 2015-10-21
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
America First Act 

This bill increases discretionary spending limits, repeals sequestration for direct spending, and includes offsets that change direct spending programs and tax provisions.

The bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to increase the discretionary spending limits for FY2016-FY2025 and to eliminate the sequestration for direct spending that is required under current law.

The bill permanently extends two expansions of the Earned Income Tax Credit, limits tax deductions for high-income individuals, and repeals the medical device tax included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

In the health care area, the bill expands means-testing for Medicare, changes certain Medicare cost-sharing requirements and benefits, reduces the Medicaid provider tax threshold, and changes procedures for medical malpractice cases.

The bill changes the measure of inflation that is used for tax provisions and benefits under spending programs such as Social Security to the Chained Consumer Price Index. It also indexes several user fees for inflation, including customs user fees and Transportation Security Administration fees.

The bill decreases the dividend payment that the Federal Reserve pays on stocks held by member banks to participate in the Federal Reserve System.

Federal Employees Retirement System contributions are increased for some current federal employees.

The Higher Education Act of 1965 is amended to consolidate and make several changes to income-based student loan repayment programs.

The Federal Crop Insurance Act is amended to reduce federal payments for crop insurance premium subsidies.

Date: 2015-10-21
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Legally Binding Budget Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to replace the concurrent resolution on the budget required under current law with a legally binding joint resolution on the budget.

(Concurrent resolutions, which are currently used for congressional budget resolutions, address internal congressional matters, are not presented to the President for approval, and are not legally binding. A joint resolution is presented to the President after passing both chambers of Congress and has the force of law.)

At any time after the annual budget resolution has been enacted and before the end of the fiscal year, Congress and the President may enact a new budget resolution revising or reaffirming the most recently enacted budget resolution.

The contents of a budget resolution are limited to material that is permitted by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. For purposes of congressional budget enforcement and the rules of the House and the Senate, the budget resolution is enforceable upon the earlier of enactment or 15 days following presentment to the President.

Date: 2015-10-22
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Cost Estimates Reform Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require any cost estimates prepared by the Congressional Budget Office or the Joint Committee on Taxation to include the cost of servicing the public debt.

Date: 2015-10-22
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Pay Our Bills Act 

This bill permits the President to increase the statutory debt limit unless two-thirds of Congress votes to disapprove the increase.

If the President certifies to Congress that the debt is within $100 billion of the limit and a specified amount of further borrowing is necessary to meet existing commitments, the Department of the Treasury may borrow the specified amount unless a joint resolution of disapproval is enacted within 15 days after Congress receives the certification.

The debt limit is suspended from the date the President submits the certification to Congress until the earlier of: (1) 15 days after Congress receives the certification, or (2) enactment of a joint resolution of disapproval. After the suspension period ends, the limit is increased to accommodate obligations issued during the suspension period.

Congress must consider a joint resolution of disapproval using expedited legislative procedures specified in the bill. If the resolution is approved by Congress, the President may veto the resolution. If Congress votes to override the veto with a two-thirds vote of each chamber, the debt limit may not be increased, except as required during the suspension period.

Date: 2015-10-22
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Protecting America's Solvency Act of 2015 

This bill increases the statutory debt limit by $1 trillion after Congress adopts a balanced budget Constitutional amendment and by an additional $1 trillion after the amendment is ratified by the states.

To comply with the requirements of this bill, the amendment must:

 prohibit total outlays for a year from exceeding receipts, excluding receipts derived from borrowing and outlays for repayment of debt principal; permit the deficit prohibition to be suspended by a majority of both houses of Congress in any year in which the United States is actively engaged in military conflict pursuant to a war declared by Congress or by a fourth-fifths vote in any other year; require the President to ensure that total outlays for a fiscal year do not exceed receipts and consider the failure to prevent a deficit to be an impeachable offense; permit any Member of Congress, governor, or attorney general to have standing and a cause of action to seek judicial enforcement of the amendment; prohibit the President, a court, or any state from ordering a tax increase or other revenue measures to enforce the requirements; and phase-in the requirements using a specified schedule of declining deficits.

Date: 2015-10-27
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Funding Unpaid National Debt with Settlements Act or the FUNDS Act 

This bill requires funds collected by the federal government through legal settlements, fines, and penalties (excluding penalties or interest collected by the Internal Revenue Service under the Internal Revenue Code) to be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury for deficit reduction.

(Under current law, federal agencies are permitted to spend funds from certain settlements, fines, and penalties for specified purposes.)

Date: 2016-02-08
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Relief From Sequestration Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate the sequestration, or automatic spending cuts, scheduled to occur because the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction failed to recommend legislation to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion over 10 years, as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Date: 2016-02-09
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Help Americans Never Get Unwanted Phone Calls Act of 2016 or the HANGUP Act 

This bill amends the Communications Act of 1934 and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 to repeal provisions that authorize the use of automated telephone equipment to call cellular telephones for the purpose of collecting debts owed to the U.S. government.

Date: 2016-03-03
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Common Sense Savings Act of 2016

This bill amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to specify how a state must treat qualified lottery winnings and lump sum income for purposes of determining an individual's income-based eligibility for a state Medicaid program. Specifically, a state shall include such winnings or income as income received: (1) in the month in which it was received, if the amount is less than $60,000; (2) over a period of two months, if the amount is at least $60,000 but less than $70,000; (3) over a period of three months, if the amount is at least $70,000 but less than $80,000; and (4) over an additional one-month period for each increment of $10,000 received, not to exceed 120 months.

Qualified lump sum income includes: (1) monetary winnings from gambling; (2) damages received in lump sums or periodic payments, excluding monthly payments, on account of causes of action other than those arising from personal physical injuries or sickness; and (3) income received as liquid assets from the estate of a deceased individual.

In addition, the bill eliminates the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) with respect to the coverage of individuals who are inmates in public institutions. Under current law, the enhanced FMAP applies to coverage of individuals who are newly eligible for Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).

The bill also amends title XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP]) of the SSAct to terminate increases to the enhanced FMAP as established by the PPACA with respect to CHIP.

Under current law, federal Medicaid reimbursement to states is reduced in proportion to any impermissible state taxes collected from health care providers. The bill lowers a percentage threshold used to determine whether such taxes are impermissible.

The bill terminates the Prevention and Public Health Fund.

Date: 2016-03-10
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Health
Risk Management and Homeowner Stability Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to prohibit the chairs of the congressional budget committees from counting increases to guarantee fees as offsets for budget enforcement purposes. The bill includes an exception for legislation that increases guarantee fees to finance reforms to the secondary mortgage market.

(Guarantee fees are charged by enterprises, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association [Fannie Mae] and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation [Freddie Mac], to guarantee the payment of principal and interest on loans. This bill prevents the fees from being used to offset provisions that increase the deficit in determining whether a budget point of order applies to legislation.)

Date: 2016-04-11
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Pension and Budget Integrity Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to exclude the receipts and disbursements of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) from the federal budget.

(The PBGC is a federal agency that insures the benefits of private sector, defined benefit pension plans. The PBGC receives no federal funds and is financed by insurance premiums paid by sponsors of the plans, investment income, assets from pension plans taken over by the PBGC, and recoveries from the companies formerly responsible for the plans.)

Date: 2016-04-15
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Labor and employment
Article I Regulatory Budget Act 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and other laws to establish and enforce a federal regulatory budget.

The President's annual budget submission must include an analysis of the cost of compliance with current and proposed federal regulations and proposals for complying with the levels and allocations established pursuant to this bill.

The bill amends the Regulatory Flexibility Act to require agencies to provide additional analysis of the private sector costs for compliance with new regulations.

An agency may not issue certain guidance documents setting forth policies or interpretations regarding statutory, regulatory, or technical issues unless it has provided notice and an opportunity for comment.

A concurrent resolution on the budget must include levels for the federal regulatory cost for at least five years. The bill establishes a process for allocating the totals among congressional committees, agencies, programs, and major functional categories.

The bill establishes procedures for enforcing the requirements, including:

 points of order which may be raised against legislation to enforce the allocations, subject to a waiver by Congress; private rights of action in federal court; and a requirement for appropriations legislation to include enforcement provisions. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) must submit: (1) a baseline projecting the federal regulatory cost over at least five years, (2) analysis of the federal regulatory cost of legislation reported by congressional committees, and (3) look-back reviews comparing CBO estimates with actual costs.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the CBO must submit jointly to the President and Congress an analysis of the cost and economic effects of federal regulations, including recommendations for improvements to the regulatory budgeting process.

Federal agencies and the Government Accountability Office must provide reports and cost estimates for specified regulations.

Date: 2016-05-24
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
One Percent Spending Reduction Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to establish and enforce new spending caps.

The bill establishes an outlay cap (less net interest payments) for FY2017 of $3.645 trillion, less 1%. For each year from FY2018-FY2021, the bill reduces the outlay cap by 1% of the previous year's outlay cap.

For FY2022 and subsequent years, total outlays may not exceed 18% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for that year as estimated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Beginning in FY2023, total projected outlays may not be less than the total projected outlays for the preceding year.

The OMB must enforce the spending caps using a sequestration to eliminate any excess spending through automatic cuts. The bill eliminates most of the existing exemptions from sequestration, with the exception of interest payments on the debt.

If the OMB projects a sequestration, the congressional budget committees may report a resolution directing congressional committees to change existing law to achieve the spending reductions necessary to meet the outlay limits.

The bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish procedures for Congress to enforce the outlay caps established by this bill.

Date: 2016-07-06
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Do Your Job Act 

This bill amends the rules of the Senate and the House of Representatives to prohibit a recess or adjournment longer than 24 hours until Congress agrees to a budget resolution that establishes a balanced budget no later than FY2026.

The bill also amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to create points of order against resolutions providing for: (1) the adjournment of the House for more than three days during August until the House has approved all of the annual appropriation bills, or (2) the adjournment of either the House or the Senate for more than three days between October 1 and the duration of the session of Congress until all of the annual appropriation bills have been presented to the President.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Congress
Returned Exclusively For Unpaid National Debt Act or the REFUND Act 

This bill rescinds federal funds identified by a state as unwanted and requires the funds to be used for debt reduction. The bill applies to federal funds required to be allocated by formula among all states that agree to use the funds for a specified purpose. To identify the funds as unwanted, a state legislature must pass a concurrent resolution, and the state must then notify the head of the federal agency responsible for allocating the funds. The Department of the Treasury must deposit the rescinded funds in the Gifts to the United States for Reduction of the Public Debt account, use the funds to reduce the debt, and submit an annual report to Congress identifying funds received.

Date: 2016-09-06
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Accurate Accounting Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990 to permit Social Security spending and revenues to be counted in the totals included in the congressional budget resolution and the President's budget.

The bill amends the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) to prohibit increases in Social Security revenues or decreases in Social Security spending from being counted as savings for the purpose of PAYGO rules that restrict legislation that increases the deficit.

(Under current law, the Social Security trust funds are off-budget and all budgetary effects are excluded from the budget totals and PAYGO calculations.)

The President must submit a budget for each department and agency that includes:

 a description of each activity for which funds were appropriated for the current year or requested for the budget year, the legal basis for each activity, three alternative funding levels and the priorities that could be accomplished with each, and measures of cost efficiency and effectiveness for each activity. The Office of Management and Budget must publish guidelines to require: (1) the baseline budget of each department or agency to be assumed to be zero, and (2) each proposed expenditure to be justified as if it were new.

The Government Accountability Office must revise a study of mandatory spending required under current law at least every five years.

Date: 2016-09-22
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Federal Debt Management Act of 2015 

Limits the Department of the Treasury's authority to manage the debt of the United States by using extraordinary measures to prevent the public debt limit from being exceeded.

Limits Treasury's authority to suspend the investing of amounts or the issuance of obligations for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, the Thrift Savings Fund, the Exchange Stabilization Fund, or any other fund or account for the purposes of preventing the public debt of the United States from exceeding the public debt limit.

Requires Treasury to submit to Congress additional information regarding the Daily Treasury Statement, including: (1) all cash flow and debt transaction information used in preparing the Daily Treasury Statement, and (2) forecasts for the cash flow and debt transactions of the federal government.

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Declares that, in the event the debt of the federal government reaches the statutory limit, the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on debt held by the public, and the authority of the Commissioner of Social Security to pay monthly Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act, shall take priority over all other obligations incurred by the government.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase or guarantee obligations of, issue lines of credit to, or provide direct or indirect grants-and-aid to any state, municipal, local, or county government which, on or after January 26, 2011, has defaulted on its obligations, is at risk of defaulting, or is likely to default, without such federal assistance.

Prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from using, directly or indirectly, general fund revenues or borrowed funds to purchase or guarantee any asset or obligation of any such state, municipal, local, or county government.

Prohibits the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System from: (1) providing or extending to, or authorizing with respect to, such a state, municipal, local, or county government, or other entity with taxing authority or bonding authority, any funds, loan guarantees, credits, or any other financial instrument or other authority, including bond purchases; or (2) otherwise assisting such a government entity under any Board authority.

Waives the application of this Act for federal assistance provided in response to a natural disaster.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act

Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, during a funding gap impacting the Armed Forces, to make available to the Secretary of Defense (the Secretary), and the Secretary of Homeland Security in the case of the Coast Guard, out of any amounts in the general fund of the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such amounts as necessary to continue to provide pay and allowances to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including reserve components, who perform active service during the funding gap. Allows for the provision of such pay and allowances, at the discretion of the Secretary, to: (1) Department of Defense (DOD) civilian personnel providing support to such members, and (2) DOD contractor personnel providing direct support to such members.

 Defines "funding gap" as any period after the beginning of a fiscal year for which interim or full-year appropriations for the personnel accounts of the Armed Forces for that fiscal year have not been enacted.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

National Park Access Act

 (Sec. 3) Requires the Director of the National Park Service to refund to each state all of the funds that it used to reopen and temporarily operate a unit of the National Park System during the period in October 2013 in which there was a lapse in appropriations for that unit.

Funds of the National Park Service appropriated after the enactment of this Act shall be used to carry out this Act.

Date: 2015-01-12
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act 

Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions, biennial appropriations Acts, and biennial government strategic and performance plans.

States that budget biennium is the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year.

Requires the Office of Management and Budget to report to Congress on the impact and feasibility of changing the definition of a fiscal year and the budget process based on that definition to a two-year fiscal period.

Date: 2015-01-13
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Accurate Budgeting Act 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to prepare a macroeconomic impact analysis for major revenue legislation. The estimates are required for revenue legislation considered on the floor of the House or Senate or reported by the House Ways and Means Committee or the Senate Finance Committee.

The macroeconomic impact analysis, commonly referred to as dynamic scoring, includes:

 the changes in economic output, employment, interest rates, capital stock, and tax revenues expected to result from the proposal; revenue feedback (changes in revenue resulting from changes in economic growth as a result of the proposal); and the assumptions and data used for the estimate. The bill requires JCT to prepare the analysis as a supplement to the revenue estimates currently required by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

Date: 2015-01-21
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Dollar-for-Dollar Deficit Reduction Act 

This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to issue a debt limit warning to Congress if Treasury determines that the United States will reach the statutory debt limit within 60 days. The warning must include a determination of when extraordinary measures may be necessary to prolong the funding of the United States government in the absence of a debt limit increase.

Any formal Presidential request to increase the debt limit must include: (1) the amount of the proposed increase, and (2) proposed legislation to reduce spending over the sum of the current and following 10 years by at least the amount of the requested increase.

The bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to create a point of order in the House and Senate against legislation increasing the debt limit, unless the legislation reduces spending over the sum of the current and following 10 years by at least the amount of the increase.

Date: 2015-02-02
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
End Government Shutdowns Act 

This bill provides specified continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any appropriations measure for a fiscal year has not been enacted before the beginning of the fiscal year or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. The appropriations are provided to continue to fund programs, projects, and activities for which funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year.

Date: 2015-02-02
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Baseline Reform Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 and the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to change the assumptions used in calculating the baseline for discretionary spending and to require budget estimates to be compared with the levels from the prior year.

The baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during the fiscal year under current law. This bill changes the assumptions used for the discretionary spending baseline to eliminate adjustments required under current law for inflation, expiring housing contracts, social insurance administrative expenses, pay adjustments, and changes to other personnel benefits. The bill prohibits adjustments for inflation or any other factor.

The President's budget must include: (1) comparisons of the proposed budgetary levels with the prior year's levels, (2) the sources of growth in direct spending under current law and as proposed in the budget, and (3) estimates of discretionary spending for current programs that assume compliance with discretionary spending limits under current law.

The congressional budget committees must use budgetary levels from the prior fiscal year as the basis for deliberations in developing the congressional budget resolution and include comparisons with the prior fiscal year in the report accompanying the resolution.

The Congressional Budget Office must include additional details in required reports to Congress, including comparisons to the prior year and the sources of growth in spending.

Date: 2015-02-05
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Biennial Appropriations Act 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to change the annual appropriations process to a biennial process for nondefense spending. Congress must consider the defense appropriations bill annually and the remaining appropriations bills in either odd-numbered or even-numbered years. In each year that the appropriations bill for an agency is not considered, Congress must conduct oversight hearings.

The bill requires the congressional budget resolution to be accompanied by committee allocations for biennial appropriations and the President's budget to include details that reflect the biennial process.

It also creates a point of order against considering: (1) legislation authorizing appropriations for less than two years unless the program requires no further appropriations and will be completed after appropriations are expended, and (2) authorization or revenue legislation until Congress completes action on the budget resolution, appropriations bills, and reconciliation bills.

The Office of Management and Budget must report to Congress on the impact and feasibility of a biennial budget process.

Date: 2015-02-05
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2015

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise the budgetary treatment of federal loans and loan guarantees to account for them on a fair value basis. Under a fair value approach, costs are measured using market rates rather than the lower Treasury interest rates currently used.

Estimates for loan guarantees and direct loans in the President's budget are required to include a risk component that reflects the impact of using a fair value estimate to account for market risk. The President's budget is also required to include agency-by-agency estimates without the risk component. A risk component must be included in estimates used for requirements under current law that appropriations be provided in advance for the costs of new direct loans, loan guarantees, or modifications that increase costs.

The bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to permit adjustments to discretionary spending limits for this Act.

The bill also changes the budgetary treatment of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac).

 Agency budget justification materials are required to be posted on the public website of the agency on the same day the materials are submitted to Congress.

Date: 2015-02-05
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Commerce
Sequestration Relief Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to revise the discretionary spending limits for FY2016 and FY2017 and eliminate spending reductions required by sequestration. Current law requires a sequestration, or automatic across-the-board spending cuts, to enforce deficit reduction requirements.

Date: 2015-02-12
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act of 2015 

This bill requires federal employees furloughed or required to work due to a lapse in appropriations beginning on February 28, 2015, to be compensated after the lapse in appropriations ends. Employees required to work during the lapse in appropriations are permitted to use leave. The bill addresses a lapse in appropriations scheduled to begin after continuing FY2015 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security expire on February 27, 2015.

Date: 2015-02-24
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Returned Exclusively For Unpaid National Debt Act or the REFUND Act 

This bill rescinds federal funds identified by a state as unwanted and requires the funds to be used for debt reduction. The bill applies to federal funds required to be allocated by formula among all states that agree to use the funds for a specified purpose. To identify the funds as unwanted, a state legislature must pass a concurrent resolution, and the state must then notify the head of the federal agency responsible for allocating the funds. The Department of the Treasury must deposit the rescinded funds in the Gifts to the United States for Reduction of the Public Debt account, use the funds to reduce the debt, and submit an annual report to Congress identifying funds received.

Date: 2015-03-16
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
National Debt and Taxation Transparency Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of the Treasury, beginning not later than October 1, 2017, to provide each individual who has a valid social security number, who received a Form W-2 in the previous taxable year, and who has filed a tax return in any previous taxable year (eligible individual) with a taxpayer account statement. An initial statement must be provided to each eligible individual with a current mailing address not later than September 30, 2020.

The taxpayer account statement shall include: (1) a summary of the most recent Financial Report of the U.S. government, including the Statement of Long Term Fiscal Projections; (2) a calculation by Treasury of the eligible individual's share of the total obligations of the federal government; and (3) a 30-year calculation of the proportional increase in the federal income tax rates necessary to entirely finance the current fiscal path of the federal government, assuming there are no changes in current fiscal policy and no budget deficit.

Date: 2015-03-16
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Taxation
The Honest Scoring Act of 2015

This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to provide estimates of the macroeconomic effects of major legislation. These estimates are frequently referred to as dynamic scoring and include estimates of the budgetary effects from changes in economic output, employment, capital stock, interest rates, and other macroeconomic variables resulting from the legislation.

The CBO and the JCT must provide the estimates for legislation that has a budgetary effect exceeding $15 billion in any fiscal year before incorporating macroeconomic effects, or is designated as major legislation by either the Chairman of the House Budget Committee or the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. The CBO and the JCT must also continue to provide estimates of budgetary effects without macroeconomic effects.

Date: 2015-03-17
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Military Sequester Flexibility Act 

This bill permits the Department of Defense (DOD) to transfer authorizations of funds made available to DOD. DOD may transfer amounts between authorizations for the same fiscal year if: (1) the transfer is necessary to mitigate the effects of spending reductions due to a reduction in the discretionary spending limit or a sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, and (2) it is in the national interest.

Transfers in a fiscal year are limited to a total of $50 billion, excluding transfers between military personnel authorizations. The transfers must be used for higher priority items, may not be used for an item that has been denied an authorization by Congress, and may not reduce an authorization by more than 50%.

DOD must notify Congress of each proposed transfer, and Congress may prohibit a transfer by enacting a joint resolution disapproving the transfer within 30 days of notification. The transfer authority expires on September 30, 2023.

Date: 2015-03-19
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Federal Law Enforcement Self-Defense and Protection Act of 2015

Grants covered federal law enforcement officers the same rights to carry a government-issued firearm during a covered furlough as they had before such furlough was in effect.

Defines: (1) "covered federal law enforcement officer" to mean any agency employee who has the authority to make arrests or apprehensions for or prosecute violations of federal law and who, on the day before the applicable covered furlough begins, is authorized by the agency to carry a firearm in the course of official duties; and (2) "covered furlough" to mean a planned event by an agency during which employees are involuntarily furloughed due to downsizing, reduced funding, lack of work, or any budget situation other than a lapse in appropriations, and an event during which agency employees are involuntarily furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations.

Date: 2015-04-30
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Default Prevention Act 

This bill requires the following obligations to be granted priority over all other U.S. obligations if the public debt reaches the statutory limit:

 principal and interest on debt held by the public; compensations, allowances, and benefits for members of the Armed Forces on active duty; Social Security benefits; and Medicare benefits.

Date: 2015-10-19
Topic: Macroeconomics (National Budget)
Subject: Economics and public finance