HR 6105
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.'.
END
