Lubbock Times

Yesterday, the House Budget Committee marked up five bills concerning Budget Process Reform. All five were favorably reported out of the Committee to the House. The proposed legislation aims to reform the budget process and ensure American taxpayers' money is not wasted.

The bills marked up include:

H.R. 8341, known as the “Cost Estimates Improvement Act.” Sponsors include Rep. Michael Cloud (R-TX), Rep. Ed Case (D-HI), Rep. Dan Meuser (R-PA), Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), and Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA). This bill would require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to include, where practicable, the cost of servicing public debt in legislative cost estimates. It was reported to the House with a favorable recommendation by a vote of 17-7.

H.R. 8195, named the “Strengthening Administration PAYGO Act of 2024.” Sponsors are Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) and Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX). This bill aims to provide transparency on unchecked administrative spending by ensuring that costly executive actions are accountable by the Executive Branch. It was reported to the House with a favorable recommendation by a vote of 16-9.

H.R. 8372, titled the “Debt Per Taxpayer Information Act.” The sponsor is Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX). This bill was reported to the House with a favorable recommendation by a vote of 21-4.

H.R. 8342, referred to as the “Improper Payments Transparency Act.” Sponsors include Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI), and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA). This bill would direct the President to include in the annual budget request the amounts and rates of improper payments at each executive agency, year-over-year trends, a detailed explanation of trends, and a summary of any corrective actions taken to address improper payments. It was reported to the House with a favorable recommendation by a vote of 18-7.

H.R. 8343, known as the “Enhancing Improper Payment Accountability Act.” Sponsors are Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI), and Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA). This bill would direct the President to include in the annual budget request the amounts and rates of improper payments at each executive agency, year-over-year trends, a detailed explanation of trends, and a summary of any corrective actions taken to address improper payments. It was reported to the House with a favorable recommendation by a vote of 18-7.

For more details on key moments from each bill's markup, please refer to comments from Congressman Burgess on H.R. 8241, Congressman Bergman on H.R. 8195, Chairman Jodey Arrington on H.R. 8372, Congressman Yakym on H.R. 8342, and Congressman Moore on H.R. 8343.

Read House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington’s (R-TX) opening remarks from the markup HERE.