[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4907 Referral Instructions Senate (RIS)]
103d CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4907
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 16 (legislative day, August 11), 1994
Received; read twice and referred jointly pursuant to the order of
August 4, 1977, to the Committees on the Budget and Governmental
Affairs, with instructions that if one committee reports, the other
committee have thirty days to report or be discharged
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To reform the concept of baseline budgeting.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Baseline Reform Act of 1994''.
SEC. 2. THE BASELINE.
(a) The second sentence of section 257(c) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended--
(1) by inserting ``but only for the purpose of adjusting
the discretionary spending limits set forth in section
601(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974'' after ``for
inflation as specified in paragraph (5); and
(2) by inserting ``but only for the purpose of adjusting
the discretionary spending limits set forth in section
601(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974'' after ``to
offset pay absorption and for pay annualization as specified in
paragraph (4)''.
(b) Section 1109(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by
adding after the first sentence the following new sentence: ``These
estimates shall not include an adjustment for inflation for programs
and activities subject to discretionary appropriations.''.
SEC. 3. THE PRESIDENT'S BUDGET.
(a) Paragraph (5) of section 1105(a) of title 31, United States
Code, is amended to read as follows:
``(5) except as provided in subsection (b) of this section,
estimated expenditures and appropriations for the current year
and estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations the
President decides are necessary to support the Government in
the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted and the 4
fiscal years following that year;''.
(b) Section 1105(a)(6) of title 31, United States Code, is amended
by inserting ``current fiscal year and the'' before ``fiscal year''.
(c) Section 1105(a)(12) of title 31, United States Code, is amended
by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (A), by striking the
period and inserting ``; and'' at the end of subparagraph (B), and by
adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(C) the estimated amount for the same activity (if any)
in the current fiscal year.''.
(d) Section 1105(a)(18) of title 31, United States Code, is amended
by inserting ``new budget authority and'' before ``budget outlays''.
(e) Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(30) a comparison of levels of estimated expenditures and
proposed appropriations for each function and subfunction in
the current fiscal year and the fiscal year for which the
budget is submitted, along with the proposed increase or
decrease of spending in percentage terms for each function and
subfunction.''.
SEC. 4. THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET.
Section 301(e) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended
by--
(1) inserting after the second sentence the following:
``The starting point for any deliberations in the Committee on
the Budget of each House on the concurrent resolution on the
budget for the next fiscal year shall be the estimated level of
outlays for the current year in each function and subfunction.
Any increases or decreases in the Congressional budget for the
next fiscal year shall be from such estimated levels.''; and
(2) striking paragraph (8) and redesignating paragraphs (9)
and (10) as paragraphs (10) and (11), respectively, and by
inserting after paragraph (7) the following new paragraphs:
``(8) a comparison of levels for the current fiscal year
with proposed spending and revenue levels for the subsequent
fiscal years along with the proposed increase or decrease of
spending in percentage terms for each function and subfunction;
and
``(9) information, data, and comparisons indicating the
manner in which and the basis on which, the committee
determined each of the matters set forth in the concurrent
resolution;''.
SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE REPORTS TO COMMITTEES.
(a) The first sentence of section 202(f)(1) of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 is amended to read as follows: ``On or before
February 15 of each year, the Director shall submit to the Committees
on the Budget of the House of Representatives and the Senate a report
for the fiscal year commencing on October 1 of that year with respect
to fiscal policy, including (A) alternative levels of total revenues,
total new budget authority, and total outlays (including related
surpluses and deficits) compared to comparable levels for the current
year and (B) the levels of tax expenditures under existing law, taking
into account projected economic factors and any changes in such levels
based on proposals in the budget submitted by the President for such
fiscal year.''.
(b) Section 202(f)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is
amended by inserting after the first sentence the following new
sentence: ``That report shall also include a table on sources of
spending growth in total mandatory spending for the budget year and the
ensuing 4 fiscal years, which shall include changes in outlays
attributable to the following: cost-of-living adjustments; changes in
the number of program recipients; increases in medical care prices,
utilization and intensity of medical care; and residual factors.''.
(c) Section 308(a)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is
amended--
(1) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``, and shall include
a comparison of those levels to comparable levels for the
current fiscal year'' before ``if timely submitted''; and
(2) by striking ``and'' at the end of subparagraph (C), by
striking the period and inserting ``; and'' at the end of
subparagraph (D), and by adding at the end the following new
subparagraph:
``(E) comparing the levels in existing programs in
such measure to the estimated levels for the current
fiscal year.''
(d)(1) Title IV of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended
by adding at the end the following new section:
``gao reports to budget committees
``Sec. 408. On or before January 15 of each year, the Comptroller
General, after consultation with appropriate committees of the House of
Representatives and Senate, shall submit to the Congress a report
listing all programs, projects, and activities that fall within the
definition of direct spending under section 250(c)(8) of the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.''.
(2) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents set forth in
section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of
1974 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 407 the
following new item:
``Sec. 408. GAO reports to budget committees.''.
Passed the House of Representatives August 12, 1994.
Attest:
DONNALD K. ANDERSON,
Clerk.