[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6105 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6105
To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
to require that concurrent resolutions on the budget limit the growth
of Federal spending to the mean of annual percentage growth of wages
and gross domestic product (GDP) in the United States, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 21, 2008
Mr. McCotter (for himself, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, and Mr. Carter)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on
Rules, Budget, and Ways and Means, 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 amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974
to require that concurrent resolutions on the budget limit the growth
of Federal spending to the mean of annual percentage growth of wages
and gross domestic product (GDP) in the United States, and for other
purposes.
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 ``Fiscal Integrity through
Transparency (FIT) Act of 2008''.
TITLE I--CONSTRAINING THE GROWTH OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
SEC. 101. CONSTRAINING GROWTH.
(a) Constraining Growth.--Title III of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
``constraining the growth of the federal government
``Sec. 316. (a) Point of Order.--It shall not be in order in the
House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any concurrent
resolution on the budget for any fiscal year if the percentage increase
for the projected total outlays for such fiscal year compared to the
projected total outlays for the preceding fiscal year set forth in the
most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget exceeds the
allowable growth percentage.
``(b) Allowable Growth Percentage.--As used in subsection (a), the
term `allowable growth percentage' for the applicable fiscal year
refers to the mean of the annual percentage growth of mean earnings of
full-time, year-round workers; compensation of employees; and gross
domestic product (GDP) for the United States for the most recent
calendar year for which such data may be obtained from the U.S. Census
Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) of the Department of
Commerce compared to the immediately preceding calendar year before the
concurrent resolution on the budget for the applicable fiscal year is
reported by the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives
or Senate, as the case may be.
``(c) Super Majority Required for Waiver.--Subsection (a) may be
waived or suspended in the House of Representatives or the Senate by a
two-thirds vote of its Members voting, a quorum being present.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents set forth in
section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Act of 1974 is
amended by adding after the item relating to section 315 the following
new item:
``Sec. 316. Constraining the Growth of the Federal Government.''.
TITLE II--EFFICIENCY AND RESPONSIBILITY FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
SEC. 201. ANNUAL REPORTS BY FEDERAL DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES TO
GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE.
(a) Report Requirement.--Each Federal department and agency
annually shall submit to the Comptroller General a report on the total
operating costs of the department or agency for the year covered by the
report, with a separate statement containing details on waste, fraud,
and abuse during such year.
(b) Audit by GAO.--Each year the Comptroller General shall randomly
select 10 percent of the reports submitted under subsection (a) and
audit the reports.
(c) Intelligence Report Requirement.--Each intelligence department
and agency of the Federal Government, and each intelligence-related
division within a department or agency, shall submit to the Select
Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives the total
operating costs of the agency, department, or division for the year
covered by the report, with a separate statement containing details on
waste, fraud, and abuse during such year.
(d) First Reports.--The first reports under this section shall be
submitted not later than one year after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 202. ANNUAL REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.
(a) Annual GAO Report on Reports of Federal Departments and
Agencies.--The Comptroller General shall submit to Congress an annual
report on the results of the reports submitted under section 201(a).
(b) First Report.--The first report under this section shall be
submitted not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of
this Act.
SEC. 203. PLAN FOR REDUCTION OF OPERATIONAL COSTS OF FEDERAL
DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES.
(a) Plan Requirement.--Not later than one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, each Federal department or agency shall
design a plan to reduce its operational costs from $.36 of every $1.00
appropriated to the department or agency to $.15 of every $1.00 (or
reduce their operational costs by 41.67 percent) appropriated to the
department or agency through the use of new technologies and standard
management practices.
(b) Implementation of Plan.--Not later than 10 years after the date
of the enactment of this Act, each Federal department or agency shall
implement the plan for the department or agency developed under
subsection (a).
(c) Annual Progress Reports.--Each Federal department or agency
shall submit to Congress a report each year detailing the progress of
the department or agency in implementing the plan for the department or
agency developed under subsection (a).
SEC. 204. INFORMING TAXPAYERS.
(a) Statement To Appear on Tax Returns.--The Secretary of the
Treasury shall include, on each form for making the return of tax
imposed under chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, a
statement of the aggregate dollar amount of waste, fraud, and abuse by
all Federal departments and agencies for the most recent year for which
the Secretary has received information under subsection (b).
(b) Determination of Aggregate Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by
Comptroller General.--The Comptroller General shall annually report to
the Secretary of the Treasury the aggregate dollar amount of waste,
fraud, and abuse by all Federal departments and agencies as determined
by the Comptroller General on the basis of the reports submitted by
Federal departments and agencies under section 201.
TITLE III--PROVIDING EARMARK TRANSPARENCY
SEC. 301. EARMARK TRANSPARENCY.
(a) Earmark Transparency.--
Title III of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 as
amended by section 101 is further amended by adding at the end
the following new section:
``earmark transparency
``Sec. 317. (a) In General.--All requests for earmarks received by
the Committee on Appropriations (or any subcommittee thereof) of the
House of Representatives or the Senate shall be posted by the
applicable Committee on Appropriations (or subcommittee thereof) on its
website at least 14 calendar days before the committee or subcommittee,
as applicable, begins marking up the applicable measure. Each such
posting of an earmark shall include the name of the Member requesting
the earmark, the cost of the earmark, and a justification of why the
earmark is needed.
``(b) Definition.--As used in subsection (a), the term `earmark'
means--
``(1) in the case of the House of Representatives,
`congressional earmark' as such term is defined by clause 9(d)
of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives; and
``(2) in the case of the Senate, `congressionally directed
spending item' as such term is defined by clause 5 of rule XLIV
of the Standing Rules of the Senate.''.
<all>