Budget

To amend section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, to require that annual budget submissions of the President to Congress provide an estimate of the cost per taxpayer of the deficit and of the public debt.

United States · United States Congress · 19 December 2019

This bill requires the President's annual budget submission to Congress to include estimates of the cost per individual taxpayer for (1) the public debt, and (2) any projected budget deficit for the fiscal year.

Public Housing Residents Protection Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 17 December 2019

Public Housing Residents Protection Act of 2019 This bill requires public housing agencies (PHAs) to take certain actions when selling or leasing assets. Specifically, a PHA must ensure that such a sale or lease financially benefits the residents of the public housing project as well as the budget of the PHA. Further, if a buyer or lessee intends to derive a product or service from the asset, the PHA must require that the product or service be offered and provided to residents of the public housing project before being offered and provided to nonresidents. Additionally, a PHA must include certain information regarding assets it intends to sell or lease in the upcoming year in its annual plan.

Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 11 December 2019

Payment Integrity Information Act of 201 9 This bill reorganizes and revises several existing improper payments statutes, which establish requirements for federal agencies to cut down on improper payments made by the federal government. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) may establish one or more pilot programs to test potential accountability mechanisms for compliance with requirements regarding improper payments and the elimination of improper payments. The bill requires the OMB to update its plan for improving the death data maintained by the Social Security Administration and improving federal agency use of death data. The bill establishes an interagency working group on payment integrity.

Diversify Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 December 2019

Diversifying by Investing in Educators and Students to Improve Outcomes For Youth Act or the Diversify Act This bill increases the maximum grant award under the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program. The TEACH program awards grants to college students who plan to teach in low-income areas. The bill also exempts the TEACH program from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.

Freedom from Government Competition Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019

Freedom from Government Competition Act of 201 9 This bill requires the federal government to procure from the private sector the goods and services necessary for the operations and management of government agencies. Specifically, it requires each executive or military department or independent establishment to obtain all goods and services necessary for or beneficial to the accomplishment of its authorized functions by procurement from private sources, with specified exceptions, such as where there is no private source capable of providing the good or service. This bill requires such private sector provision of goods and services to be performed through (1) the divestiture of federal involvement, (2) the award of a contract using competitive procedures, or (3) conducting a public-private competitive sourcing analysis in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures and determining that using the private sector is in the best interest of the United States and provides the best value to the taxpayer. The bill authorizes an agency to utilize federal employees to provide goods or services previously provided by a private sector entity upon completion of a public-private competitive sourcing analysis and after determining that provision by federal employees provides the best value. The OMB must carry out a study to evaluate the activities carried out in each agency.

Freedom from Government Competition Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2019

Freedom from Government Competition Act of 201 9 This bill requires the federal government to procure from the private sector the goods and services necessary for the operations and management of government agencies. Specifically, it requires each executive or military department or independent establishment to obtain all goods and services necessary for or beneficial to the accomplishment of its authorized functions by procurement from private sources, with specified exceptions, such as where there is no private source capable of providing the good or service. This bill requires such private sector provision of goods and services to be performed through (1) the divestiture of federal involvement, (2) the award of a contract using competitive procedures, or (3) conducting a public-private competitive sourcing analysis in accordance with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures and determining that using the private sector is in the best interest of the United States and provides the best value to the taxpayer. The bill authorizes an agency to utilize federal employees to provide goods or services previously provided by a private sector entity upon completion of a public-private competitive sourcing analysis and after determining that provision by federal employees provides the best value. The OMB must carry out a study to evaluate the activities carried out in each agency.

Enhancing Financial Stability Research and Oversight Act

United States · United States Congress · 4 December 2019

Enhancing Financial Stability Research and Oversight Act This bill gives the Director of the Office of Financial Research (OFR) within the Department of the Treasury sole discretion over the OFR's annual budget. It also establishes minimum funding and staffing levels for the OFR and for the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Sustainable Budget Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 21 November 2019

Sustainable Budget Act of 2019 This bill establishes the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform within the legislative branch to identify policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and achieve fiscal sustainability over the long term. The commission must propose recommendations that (1) are designed to balance the budget, excluding interest payments on the debt, within 10 years; and (2) meaningfully improve the long-term fiscal outlook, including changes to address the growth of entitlement spending and the gap between projected federal revenues and expenditures. Congress must consider the commission's recommendations using specified expedited legislative procedures.

RAFT Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2019

Reforming America's Fiscal Toolkit Act of 2019 or the RAFT Act of 2019 This bill modifies the federal budget process to provide for the establishment of a target for the ratio of the public debt to the estimated gross domestic product (GDP). Specifically, the bill requires congressional budget resolutions to include a recommended ratio of public debt to GDP. In addition, congressional budget resolutions for even-numbered fiscal years must either (1) instruct one or more congressional committees to recommend changes in existing laws necessary to achieve the target ratio, or (2) request the establishment of a Joint Select Committee on Fiscal Responsibility to make the recommendations. The bill also sets forth requirements for (1) establishing the Joint Select Committee on Fiscal Responsibility if it is requested, and (2) considering the recommendations of the joint committee or other congressional committees using expedited legislative procedures in the Senate.

Budget Process Enhancement Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2019

Budget Process Enhancement Act This bill modifies the federal budget process to withhold the salaries of Members of Congress and cancel the salaries of certain employees of the Office of Management and Budget when certain budget process requirements are not met. The bill also changes the assumptions that the Congressional Budget Office uses to calculate its baseline for discretionary spending to eliminate certain adjustments for inflation and other factors. (A baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during a fiscal year under current law.)

Debt Ceiling Alternative Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2019

Debt Ceiling Alternative Act This bill establishes requirements and authorities for notifying Congress, issuing bonds, proposing rescissions, and selling assets if the debt limit will be reached. The Department of the Treasury must notify Congress if it estimates that the U.S. debt will reach the statutory debt limit during a quarter. After Congress is notified, Treasury must issue bonds that (1) have an interest rate linked to the nominal gross domestic product of the United States, (2) may only be used to pay the principal and interest on obligations of the United States held by the public or the Social Security trust funds, and (3) are exempt from the debt limit. Once Congress is notified that the debt limit will be reached, the President may issue a message to Congress containing a list of budget authority proposed to be rescinded. The list may only contain items related to unobligated balances of funds made available before the beginning of the fiscal year during which such notification is provided. Congress must consider the message using specified expedited legislative procedures. If the debt limit notice has been provided to Congress, the President may also order the sale of specified mortgage-related assets owned or held by the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association (Freddie Mac), and the Federal Reserve. The proceeds from the sales must be deposited in the Treasury.

A Just Society: The Uplift Our Workers Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 November 2019

A Just Society: The Uplift Our Workers Act This bill requires an employer to be scored on worker-friendliness before entering into a federal contract and establishes a contracting preference for such score. Specifically, each executive agency shall ensure that (1) contracting officers consider the score at least approximately equal in importance to cost or price, and (2) an offeror for a prime contract does not subcontract with any entity that violates specified labor laws and executive orders. The Department of Labor, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, shall, among other things develop a method to score the worker-friendliness of each prospective contractor or subcontractor that submits a bid for a federal contract that takes into account specified factors, such as whether the employer provides paid overtime for any work that exceeds 40 hours per work week; provide each executive agency with recommendations on how to evaluate such a score in making contracting decisions; identify best practices for the implementation of the scoring process; create a process for an employer to appeal a score; review each score every five years to ensure that such score is up-to-date; and enable employers that are not federal contractors to request such a score for purposes of promoting worker-friendly policies.

Homebuyer Protection Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 12 November 2019

Homebuyer Protection Act of 2019 This bill prohibits 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.)

Know Debt Resolution

United States · United States Congress · 8 November 2019

Know Debt Resolution This resolution directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to place a real-time display of the gross national debt in the main hearing rooms of the House Appropriations Committee and the House Budget Committee.

Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act

United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019

Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act This bill makes several modifications to the federal budget process, including the procedures for considering congressional budget resolutions and adjusting the debt limit. Among other modifications, the bill includes provisions that require biennial congressional budget resolutions, instead of the annual budget resolutions required under current law; retain the existing annual appropriations process; require a budget resolution to specify a target for the ratio of the debt held by the public to the gross domestic product (GDP) for each year covered by the resolution; require the debt-to-GDP target to be enforced using a mandatory reconciliation process that requires deficit reduction legislation to be considered using expedited legislative procedures; provide for automatic adjustments of the debt limit and statutory discretionary spending limits to conform to the levels in the budget resolution; modify the procedures for considering budget resolutions in the Senate; allow budget resolutions that have bipartisan support and meet specified requirements to be considered in the Senate using expedited procedures; rename the Committee on the Budget of the Senate as the Committee on Fiscal Control and the Budget of the Senate; and expand reporting requirements for congressional committees, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office.

Congressional Reporting Burden Reduction Act

United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019

Congressional Reporting Burden Reduction Act This bill eliminates or consolidates various federal reporting requirements. Such reports include a Transportation Security Administration report on unclaimed money at airports, several required from the Department of Homeland Security (e.g., regarding antidumping and countervailing duties), and reports from the General Services Administration on the reimbursement costs of travel and use of photovoltaic energy in public buildings. The bill eliminates various National Archives and Records Administration and Office of Management and Budget reports. The bill reduces the frequency of U.S. Digital Service reports to Congress.

Pro-Growth Budgeting Act

United States · United States Congress · 31 October 2019

Pro-Growth Budgeting Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation to incorporate a macroeconomic impact analysis in their cost estimates for major legislation. The macroeconomic impact analysis (commonly referred to as dynamic scoring) must include the budgetary effects of changes in economic output, employment, capital stock, and other macroeconomic variables resulting from the legislation.

THE FY20 BUDGET: EXAMINING THE ADMINISTRATION'S POLICY OBJECTIVES FOR A TURBULENT MIDDLE EAST

United States · United States House of Representatives · 29 October 2019

SWAG Act

United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019

Stop Wasteful Advertising by the Government Act or the SWAG Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds for publicity, propaganda, swag, or mascots, with exceptions. Swag is a product or merchandise distributed at no cost with the sole purpose of advertising or promoting an agency, organization, program, or agenda. Each agency shall, as part of the annual budget justification submitted to Congress, report on the public relations and advertising spending of the agency for the preceding fiscal year.

Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019

Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2019 This bill requires federal agencies to make budget justification materials available to the public. The bill also requires the Office of Management and Budget to make certain details regarding the materials available to the public, including a list of the agencies that submit budget justification materials to Congress, the dates that the materials are submitted to Congress and posted online, and links to the materials.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S FISCAL YEAR BUDGET AND U.S. POLICY TOWARD LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

United States · United States House of Representatives · 23 October 2019

Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2019

Putting Our Veterans Back to Work Act of 2019 This bill addresses programs and policies related to the employment of veterans. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through December 31, 2021, the veterans retraining assistance program, which previously provided assistance for programs of education that led to in-demand jobs. The bill authorizes up to 50,000 veteran participants in the program during FY2020 through December 31, 2023. Under the bill, the program entitles veterans for an aggregate of 12 months retraining assistance. The bill also reauthorizes through (1) March 31, 2022, additional Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs for certain disabled veterans who have completed a VA rehabilitation program and have exhausted their rights to state unemployment benefits; and (2) FY2023, the collaborative veterans' training, mentoring, and placement program. The VA must develop a single, unified federal web-based employment portal for veterans to access information on federal programs and activities concerning veteran employment, unemployment, and training. The bill requires the (1) Department of Homeland Security to award grants to hire veterans as firefighters, and (2) Department of Justice to award grants to hire veterans as law enforcement officers. Finally, the bill requires the Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the Office of Management and Budget to establish a preference for the procurement of certain contracts (including defense contracts) valued at $25 million or higher. Specifically, the office must establish a preference for contracting with offerors that employ a specified percent of veterans as full-time employees.

HIRE Act

United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2019

Helping Infrastructure Restore the Economy Act or the HIRE Act This bill requires certain federal agencies, including 10 departments, to be abolished or relocated outside the National Capital region. The bill designates a state for the new location of each department. The Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration must, for each agency, develop a proposal to relocate the agency to an area that has experienced economic distress. Relocation proposals must include three proposed locations in one state. Locations may not be within 30 miles of a city that has a population of more than 800,000. States may select a location for a relocating agency from the proposed locations. The bill requires relocations to take place within 10 years of the selection of a location and provides penalties for failure to relocate. Federal courts are denied jurisdiction over a case or controversy in which a party challenges a selection or action taken under this bill.

American Innovation Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2019

American Innovation Act This bill requires certain adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2020-FY2024 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that perform basic science research. Adjustments are required for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, Department of Defense science and technology programs, National Institute of Standards and Technology scientific and technical research and services, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Science Mission Directorate. The bill also requires annual appropriations during FY2020-FY2024 for each of the programs and agencies referenced in this bill to be at least the amount appropriated for FY2019. The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill 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.

America Grows Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2019

America Grows Act of 2019 This bill require certain adjustments to the discretionary spending limits for FY2020-FY2024 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that conduct agricultural research. The bill requires adjustments for the following agencies within the Department of Agriculture: the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The bill also requires annual appropriations for each of these agencies to be at least the amount appropriated for FY2019. The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill 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.

Paul J. Ray, of Tennessee, to be Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, vice Neomi Rao, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 15 October 2019

PUBLIC Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2019

Protecting Undergraduates with Board Limitations from Influence and Conflicts Act or the PUBLIC Act This bill revises provisions related to the recognition of an accrediting agency or association to preclude potential conflicts of interest. Specifically, if an accrediting agency or association has a voluntary membership of institutions of higher education (IHE) and has as its primary purpose the accrediting of IHEs, it must be separate and independent of certain trade associations, membership organizations, and IHEs. To be separate and independent, members of the accrediting agency or association may not be (1) chosen by the board or chief executive of any related trade association or membership organization, or (2) individuals who exercise substantial control over specified IHEs. Further, there must be at least one public member for every three members of the board of the accrediting agency or association. Dues paid to the accrediting agency or association must be paid separately from any dues paid to a related trade association or membership organization, and the budget of the accrediting agency must be developed and determined without consulting any other entity or organization.

U.S. NONPROLIFERATION POLICY AND THE FISCAL YEAR BUDGET

United States · United States House of Representatives · 26 September 2019

Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019

Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution This concurrent resolution requires the congressional budget committees to conduct an annual joint hearing to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General regarding (1) the Government Accountability Office's audit of the financial statement of the executive branch, and (2) the financial position and condition of the federal government.

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2020

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019

Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2020 This bill provides FY2020 appropriations for the legislative branch, including the Senate and Joint Items such as the Joint Economic Committee, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies of 2021, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Office of the Attending Physician, and the Office of Congressional Accessibility Services. In addition, the bill provides FY2020 appropriations for the Capitol Police; the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights; the Congressional Budget Office; the Architect of the Capitol; the Library of Congress, including the Congressional Research Service and the Copyright Office; the Government Publishing Office; the Government Accountability Office; the Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund; and the John C. Stennis Center for Public Service Training and Development. (Pursuant to the longstanding practice of each chamber of Congress determining its own requirements, funds for the House of Representatives are not included in the Senate bill.) The bill also sets forth permissible and prohibited uses for funds provided by this bill.

Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019

Congressional Budget Justification Transparency Act of 2019 This bill requires federal agencies to make budget justification materials available to the public. The bill also requires the Office of Management and Budget to make certain details regarding the materials available to the public, including a list of the agencies that submit budget justification materials to Congress, the dates that the materials are submitted to Congress and posted online, and links to the materials.

Indian Health Service Advance Appropriations Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2019

Indian Health Service Advance Appropriations Act of 201 9 This bill authorizes advance appropriations for the following Indian Health Service appropriations accounts: Indian Health Services, Indian Health Facilities, and Contract Support Costs. The advance appropriations provide new budget authority that first becomes available in the first fiscal year after the budget year. The bill requires the President's budget request to include information on estimates for the advance appropriations.

National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2019

National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum Act of 2019 This bill designates the memorial and museum that is being constructed on an approximately 26-acre area on the POW-MIA Memorial Parkway in Jacksonville, Florida, as the "National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum." The director of the memorial and museum shall submit a report to Congress that includes a budget for the memorial and museum.

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020

United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020 This bill provides FY2020 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. The bill provides appropriations to USDA for Agricultural Programs, including the Office of the Secretary, Executive Operations, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the Office of Civil Rights, Agriculture Buildings and Facilities, Hazardous Materials Management, the Office of Inspector General, the Office of the General Counsel, the Office of Ethics, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Agricultural Research Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Agricultural Marketing Service, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The bill also provides appropriations to USDA for Farm Production and Conservation Programs, including the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center, the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The bill provides appropriations to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund and the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund. For USDA Rural Development programs, the bill includes appropriations for Rural Development Salaries and Expenses, the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and the Rural Utilities Service. Within the Food and Nutrition Service budget, the bill includes appropriations for Child Nutrition Programs; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program); the Commodity Assistance Program; and Nutrition Programs Administration. Within the Foreign Agricultural Service budget, the bill provides appropriations for Food for Peace Title II Grants and McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants. The bill also provides appropriations for the Food and Drug Administration and the Farm Credit Administration. Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.

STORM Aid for Disasters Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2019

Streamlining The Official Response and Monetary Aid for Disasters Act or the STORM Aid for Disasters Act This bill requires any federal agency that sustained specified damage as a result of a presidentially-declared major disaster to submit to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget a report that describes the damage incurred, an estimate of the cost of such damage, and any effects to operations if the agency does not receive additional resources. Specified damage is defined as damage to federal facilities and property; negative impacts on federal operations, including damage to equipment, loss of program support, and any other calculable costs, as well as costs necessary to resume operations; and loss of services, totaling a cost exceeding $500,000, that would have been provided by the agency but for the disaster. The bill provides for expedited consideration of a bill making supplemental appropriations to agencies in response to such report.

PREPARE Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2019

Preparedness and Risk Management for Extreme Weather Patterns Assuring Resilience and Effectiveness Act of 2019 or the PREPARE Act of 2019 This bill directs the President to establish the Interagency Council on Extreme Weather Resilience, Preparedness, and Risk Identification and Management, which shall establish government-wide goals and provide recommendations for addressing extreme weather resilience, preparedness, and risk identification and management. Each federal agency shall submit biannually to the Office of Management and Budget and to the council a comprehensive plan that integrates consideration of extreme weather into its operations and overall mission objectives.

Fight Illicit Finance through Technical Assistance Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2019

Fight Illicit Finance through Technical Assistance Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to support increasing the use of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) administrative budget for technical assistance to help IMF members fight money laundering and funding for terrorism. The National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Policies shall report on such efforts.

Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2020

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2019

Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2020 This bill provides FY2020 appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) for military activities. The bill excludes military construction, military family housing, civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers, and nuclear warheads, which are all considered in other appropriations bills. Within the DOD budget, the bill provides appropriations for Military Personnel; Operation and Maintenance; Procurement; Research, Development, Test and Evaluation; and Revolving and Management Funds. The bill provides appropriations for Other Department of Defense Programs, including the Defense Health Program, Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction, Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities, and the Office of the Inspector General. The bill also provides appropriations for (1) Related Agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund and the Intelligence Community Management Account; and (2) Overseas Contingency Operations. The bill sets forth restrictions and requirements for using funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.

Water Justice Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2019

Water Justice Act This bill addresses affordable access to clean water by establishing, expanding, or extending various programs or requirements related to drinking water infrastructure, water pollution control, water supply, water recycling, water efficiency, or conservation programs. Specifically, the bill provides $50 billion in FY2020 supplemental appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for programs that reduce contaminants of concern in drinking water, such as grant programs for lead testing or remediation efforts in schools, child care programs, or high-risk communities. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. Each year, the EPA must obligate specified amounts of funding for several water infrastructure programs, including state revolving fund programs and grant programs for managing or controlling water pollution. The EPA must also establish a grant program to help communities that serve environmentally at-risk households and low-income households afford the costs for remediating contaminated drinking water. Further, the Department of Health and Human Services may make grants to states to assist low-income households in meeting their needs for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services. In addition, the EPA must promulgate an interim national primary drinking water regulation for perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, which may have adverse human health effects. Finally, the bill establishes or reauthorizes a variety of programs that provide financial support for water supply projects, water recycling or reuse projects, rural water systems, water efficiency improvements, or conservation programs.

America Grows Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2019

America Grows Act of 2019 This bill require certain adjustments to the discretionary spending limits for FY2020-FY2024 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that conduct agricultural research. The bill requires adjustments for the following agencies within the Department of Agriculture: the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The bill also requires annual appropriations for each of these agencies to be at least the amount appropriated for FY2019. The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill 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.

LEAP Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2019

Leveraging and Energizing America's Apprenticeship Programs Act or the LEAP Act This bill allows employers a business-related tax credit of $1,500 for hiring an apprenticeship employee who has not attained age 25 at the close of the taxable year or $1,000 for hiring an apprenticeship employee who has attained age 25. The credit is available for no more than two taxable years with respect to any apprenticeship employee. An apprenticeship employee is any employee who is employed by an employer in an officially recognized apprenticeable occupation and pursuant to an apprentice agreement registered with the Office of Apprenticeship of the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor or a state apprenticeship agency. As an offset to the cost of this bill, the Office of Management and Budget shall coordinate with federal department heads and independent agencies to impose limits on government printing costs.

Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation Accounting Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2019

Nuclear Security and Nonproliferation Accounting Act This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to annually report to Congress an assessment of the budgets for nuclear-security and nuclear-nonproliferation programs in the President's budget for that fiscal year. The report shall include (1) assessments of any changes in budget estimates from the previous fiscal year; and (2) recommendations for developing new metrics for evaluating such programs, as appropriate.

BASIC Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 August 2019

Budgetary Accuracy in Scoring Interest Costs Act of 2019 or the BASIC Act This bill requires cost estimates prepared by the Congressional Budget Office or the Joint Committee on Taxation to include the costs of servicing the public debt.

REG Act

United States · United States Congress · 31 July 2019

Reducing Excessive Government Act of 2019 or the REG Act This bill requires Congress, within 60 days after the debt limit is increased or suspended, to enact legislation eliminating agency rules that effectuates a reduction of the direct cost of federal regulation during a specified 10-fiscal-year period by at least 15% of the amount of the increase of the debt limit. If the debt limit is increased or suspended, each agency must submit to the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Government Accountability Office a report identifying each major rule of the agency. A major rule is an agency rule likely to result in (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, or innovation or on the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises in domestic and export markets. The bill further specifies procedures for both houses to recommend a list of rules for repeal and the expedited consideration of a joint resolution to repeal such rules. If the Office of Management and Budget determines that such legislation has not been enacted by the prescribed deadline, then the public debt limit must be set equal to the total amount of outstanding obligations on that date.

Department of Veterans Affairs Information Technology Reform Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019

Department of Veterans Affairs Information Technology Reform Act of 2019 This bill revises several policies and procedures related to the management of information technology projects and programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Among other requirements, the bill requires the VA to do the following: update the review process for information technology projects to ensure active risks are factored into the Information Technology Dashboard Chief Information Officer ratings; submit a plan for expenditures relating to large information technology projects and investments; include a specific accounting of funds requested for VA information technology programs in budget justification materials; comply with applicable requirements of the Data Center Optimization Initiative of the Office of Management and Budget; submit a comprehensive, prioritized list of information technology projects being funded by the VA; assess information technology investments to determine the suitability of the investments for migration to a cloud computing service; create a mechanism to track savings and cost avoidances from migration to cloud computing services and deployment of such services; ensure that information technology management policies address the role of the Chief Information Officer with respect to key responsibilities; develop a continuous monitoring strategy to address organization metrics, frequency of monitoring metrics, ongoing status monitoring of metrics, and reporting of security status; and revise Office of Information and Technology processes relating to risk management. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to review the VA's updated processes related to the review of information technology projects and risk management.

To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish a point of order against long-term direct spending, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2019

This bill establishes a point of order against legislation that increases long-term direct spending. The point of order may be raised in the House or the Senate against legislation that would cause a net increase in direct spending of more than $5 billion in any of the four consecutive 10-fiscal year periods beginning with the first fiscal year that is 10 fiscal years after the current fiscal year.

Make Rules Matter Act

United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2019

Make Rules Matter Act This resolution modifies the requirements for raising and waiving several budget points of order that apply to legislation in the Senate. Among other provisions, the resolution requires an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Senate to waive certain budget points of order. (Under current law, most budget points of order may be waived by a vote of three-fifths of the Senate.)

Superfund Reinvestment Act

United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2019

Superfund Reinvestment Act This bill authorizes the use of amounts in the Hazardous Substance Superfund for environmental cleanup costs under the Superfund program (which provides funding to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances). Receipts and disbursements of the Hazardous Substance Superfund must (1) not be counted for purposes of the President's budget, the congressional budget, the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, or the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010; (2) be exempt from general budget limitations imposed by statute on expenditures and net lending; and (3) be available only for the purposes specified under Superfund. This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to (1) reinstate through 2028, and adjust for inflation annually after 2020, the Hazardous Substance Superfund financing rate and the corporate environmental income tax threshold amount; (2) extend the borrowing authority of the Superfund through 2028; and (3) modify the definition of crude oil for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum and petroleum products to include a bitumen or bituminous mixture (e.g., tar sands), oil derived from a bitumen or bituminous mixture, and oil derived from kerogen-bearing sources (e.g., shale oil).

Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2019

Otto Warmbier North Korea Nuclear Sanctions Act of 2019 This bill imposes financial sanctions and restrictions related to North Korea. The Department of the Treasury shall  restrict correspondent and payable-through accounts that are used to facilitate significant transactions or provide services to sanctioned entities, specifically North Korean financial institutions, companies, and certain North Korean individuals, such as those named in certain executive orders. (Correspondent and payable-through accounts are often maintained by foreign financial institutions in U.S. banks to access the U.S. financial system.) Treasury shall use its vote and voice in international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), to oppose the provision of assistance by such institutions to governments that fail to enforce the sanctions provided under this bill. The Export-Import Bank may not guarantee, insure, or extend credit in relation to exports to entities sanctioned under this bill. Treasury shall support increasing use of the IMF administrative budget for technical assistance to help IMF members fight money laundering and funding for terrorism. Various sanctions and restrictions under this bill shall be suspended if the President certifies to Congress that (1) North Korea has committed to suspending its weapons of mass destruction programs and engaging in multilateral talks on limiting such programs, or (2) it is in U.S. national security interests to do so.

Water Justice Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 July 2019

Water Justice Act This bill addresses affordable access to clean water by establishing, expanding, or extending various programs or requirements related to drinking water infrastructure, water pollution control, water supply, water recycling, water efficiency, or conservation programs. Specifically, the bill provides $50 billion in FY2020 supplemental appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for programs that reduce contaminants of concern in drinking water, such as grant programs for lead testing or remediation efforts in schools, child care programs, or high-risk communities. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. Each year, the EPA must obligate specified amounts of funding for several water infrastructure programs, including state revolving fund programs and grant programs for managing or controlling water pollution. The EPA must also establish a grant program to help communities that serve environmentally at-risk households and low-income households afford the costs for remediating contaminated drinking water. Further, the Department of Health and Human Services may make grants to states to assist low-income households in meeting their needs for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services. In addition, the EPA must promulgate an interim national primary drinking water regulation for perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, which may have adverse human health effects. Finally, the bill establishes or reauthorizes a variety of programs that provide financial support for water supply projects, water recycling or reuse projects, rural water systems, water efficiency improvements, or conservation programs.