HR 3844 · 112th Congress 2011–2013, ended

Honest Budget Act of 2012

Latest action · Feb 2, 2012 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H383, E119-120)

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedJan 31, 2012
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Honest Budget Act of 2012 - Amends procedures in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that make it out of order in the Senate to consider appropriations legislation until the Senate agrees to a concurrent resolution on the budget. Permits waivers or suspension of such requirements, or successful appeals from a ruling of the Chair, by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60) of the Senate.

Makes it out of order in either chamber to consider certain bills, joint resolutions, or conference reports that designate as: (1) an emergency requirement any provision that creates discretionary or direct spending or decreases revenues, or (2) being for disaster relief. Requires an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members to successfully appeal a ruling of the Chair on a point of order against such a measure.

Establishes a procedure for emergency designations by amendment.

Makes it out of order in the House of Representatives to consider a rule or order that waives the application of such prohibitions against consideration of such measures or amendments.

Amends the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (FCRA) to revise the budgetary treatment of federal direct loans and loan guarantees to account for them on a fair value basis (currently, a FCRA accrual basis).

Expands such new budgetary treatment to financial investments beginning in FY2015. Defines "financial investment" as a federal government investment in any securities (debt or equity) or futures, swaps, or other derivatives, issued by a non-federal entity, regardless of whether the issuances are federally guaranteed, or issued by a federal entity if the issuance consists of marketable securities.

Requires the President's budget: (1) from FY1992 on to reflect the Treasury discounting component of direct loan and loan guarantee programs; and (2) from FY2015 on to reflect the costs of direct loan, loan guarantee, and financial investment programs.

Defines "Treasury discounting component" as the estimated long-term cost to the federal government of a direct loan, loan guarantee, or financial investment calculated on a net present value basis, excluding administrative costs and any incidental effects on governmental receipts or outlays.

Revises other requirements for the President's budget including conditions for new direct loan obligations incurred and loan guarantee commitments made for FY1992 and thereafter, and new financial investment commitments for FY2015 and thereafter. Requires new budget authority for such loans or loan guarantee or financial investment commitments to be provided in advance in an appropriations Act.

Exempts a direct loan or loan guarantee program that constitutes an entitlement (such as the guaranteed student loan program or the veteran's home loan guaranty program) as well as all existing credit programs of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) from: (1) the above requirement; and (2) the prohibition against modification of an outstanding direct loan, loan guarantee, or financial investment in a manner that increases its costs unless budget authority for the additional cost has been provided in advance in an appropriations Act.

Revises requirements for Treasury transactions with financing accounts (nonbudget accounts associated with each program account which holds balances, receives the cost payment from the program account, and also includes all other cash flows to and from the federal government resulting from such obligations or commitments made on or after October 1, 1991).

Limits the availability of amounts in liquidating accounts to specified payments resulting from direct loan obligations or loan guarantee commitments made before October 1, 1991.

Prescribes requirements for consideration of legislation in both chambers after agreement on a budget resolution (in effect, extending a point of order against certain changes in mandatory programs to all such programs in appropriations bills).

Prohibits the congressional budget committees from counting rescissions of budget authority that do not result in outlay savings over the period covered by a budget resolution when determining the levels of new budget authority, outlays, direct spending, new entitlement authority, and revenues for a fiscal year.

Suspends within-grade step increases in the compensation of certain federal employees from the date of enactment of this Act until December 31, 2012.

Makes it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation that would provide an advance appropriation, except for specified programs or activities, including the Employment and Training Administration, education for the disadvantaged, Head Start, rental assistance, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and veterans' medical services. Allows: (1) waiver of this rule in either chamber by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members; and (2) successful appeals in the Senate from the ruling of the Chair, only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths (60). Makes it out of order in the House, notwithstanding the allowance of such a waiver by the vote of a super-majority, to consider a rule or order that waives the application of such prohibition.

Prohibits shifts in outlays or revenues from one year to another by a date change to act as an offset for other provisions that increase the deficit for a time period. Makes it out of order in the House to consider a rule or order that waives the application of such prohibition.

Prescribes a budget scoring rule for transfers from the Treasury General Fund to the Highway Trust Fund that increase the level of indebtedness subject to the current applicable statutory public debt limit. Makes it out of order in the House to consider a rule or order that waives the application of such requirement.

Cosponsors 30

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 31, 2012 to Feb 15, 2012; 28 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-ILAdam KinzingerOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-FLAllen B. WestOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-GAAustin ScottOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-TXBill FloresOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-MIBill HuizengaOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-OHBill JohnsonOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-OHBob GibbsOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-MNChip CravaackOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-COCory GardnerOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-FLDennis A. RossOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-TNDiane BlackOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-AREric A. "Rick" CrawfordOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-TXFrancisco "Quico" CansecoOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-SCJeff DuncanOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-PAMichael G. FitzpatrickOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-ALMo BrooksOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-NYNan A. S. HayworthOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-ILRandy HultgrenOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-NCRenee L. EllmersOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-NDRick BergOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-ILRobert J. DoldOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-FLSandy AdamsOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-WISean P. DuffyOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-ALSpencer BachusOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-FLSteve Southerland IIOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-ARTim GriffinOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-KSTim HuelskampOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-NYTom ReedOriginalJan 31, 2012
R-AZBenjamin QuayleFeb 2, 2012
R-SDKristi L. NoemFeb 15, 2012

Committees 3

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseBudget Committee
Referred Jan 31, 2012
HouseRules Committee
Referred Jan 31, 2012
HouseOversight and Government Reform Committee
Referred Jan 31, 2012

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Feb 2, 2012Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H383, E119-120)
  2. Jan 31, 2012Introduced in House
  3. Jan 31, 2012Referred to the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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.

In the Congressional Record 1

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
House · ExtensionsDebate and remarks E119, H383Martha Roby R-ALFeb 2, 2012

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: The constitutional authority on which this bill rests is the power of Congress in regards to appropriations, as enumerated in Article I, Section 7, Clause 1, Article I, Section 8, Clause I, and Article 1, Section 9 of the United States Constitution. Article I, Section 7, Clause 1 (Bills of Revenue): ``All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.'' Article I, Section 8 (Enumerated Powers of Congress): ``The Congress shall have power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.'' Article I, Section 9 (Limits on Congress): ``No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H219.

Printed hearings 1

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 112-90AFRICA'S NEWEST NATION: THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTHERN SUDAN95 pagesForeign Affairs CommitteeJun 16, 2011

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 1651Honest Budget ActRelated billOct 4, 2011
HR 3414Honest Budget ActRelated billNov 14, 2011
HR 3581Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2012Related billFeb 9, 2012

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To provide for greater transparency and honesty in the Federal budget process.
Short Titles as Introduced
Honest Budget Act of 2012
Short Titles as Introduced for portions of this bill
Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Economics and Public Finance.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Jan 31, 2012Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.