Lubbock Times

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate has passed H.R. 7032, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Data Sharing Act, by unanimous consent. This marks the first time a bipartisan House Budget Committee bill has passed both the House and Senate unanimously.

The passage of H.R. 7032 was led by House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-TX) and Ranking Member Brendan Boyle (D-PA). The CBO Data Sharing Act was considered by the House Budget Committee in February 2024 and passed the House in April by voice vote. The bill now awaits President Biden’s signature to become law.

Chairman Arrington commented on the passage: "For the first time in history, a bipartisan House Budget Committee bill has unanimously passed both the House and the Senate. In order for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide lawmakers accurate and timely information about the cost of legislation, they need access to all relevant government data. Our budget reform bill will empower CBO to provide information critical to good public policy and stewardship of tax dollars."

He added, "I am proud of our committee’s great work in advancing common sense, bipartisan budget reform legislation. I am grateful to my friend and Ranking Member, Brendan Boyle, for working hard to find common ground to address our nation’s broken budget process on behalf of all Americans."

The CBO Data Sharing Act aims to address challenges faced by the CBO in accessing data from executive branch agencies, which can delay important budget analyses and economic forecasts. The legislation will expand CBO’s authority to access necessary data while maintaining legal confidentiality protections, thereby enhancing lawmakers’ ability to make informed fiscal decisions.

The act was advanced favorably by the House Budget Committee with a unanimous vote of 30-0 on February 6, 2024, during a full committee markup session and subsequently passed under suspension of rules on April 29, 2024.

This Congress has seen significant activity from the House Budget Committee, which has passed a record ten bipartisan bills out of committee since the start of the 118th Congress. Notably, two bills with sole jurisdiction under the House Budget Committee were passed out of the House of Representatives for the first time in over a decade.

Further details about this legislation can be found through various resources provided by the House Budget Committee.