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Title II — Savings and Spending Cuts

H.R. 37 · 113th Congress · Jan 3, 2013 · Lineage

II Savings and Spending Cuts

201. Streamline Government Bureaucracy

(a)
Findings— Congress finds the following:
(1)
Partially as a result of unnecessary Federal spending, the United States national debt is over $15 trillion.
(2)
Bureaucratic complexity and redundancy waste time and money for consumers, businesses, and taxpayers.
(3)
In March 2011, the Government Accountability Office released a report entitled “Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue” that identifies areas where greater efficiencies could be found in Government operations. Some of the findings include:
(A)
Seven different Federal agencies have programs dedicated to meeting the water needs in the United States-Mexico border region.
(B)
There are 82 Federal programs dedicated to improving teacher quality.
(C)
There are 56 programs in 20 different Federal agencies designed to target financial literacy.
(D)
There are 80 Federal programs to boost transportation opportunities for disadvantaged individuals.
(E)
There are over 20 programs in seven different Federal agencies working to combat homelessness.
(4)
The Department of Commerce’s core business and trade functions, the Small Business Administration, the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the United States Trade and Development Agency all serve important, but sometimes overlapping functions for consumers and businesses in the United States. Consolidating these agencies could save $3 billion and eliminate over 1,000 duplicative Federal jobs while improving the service provided to taxpayers and consumers.
(5)
The Federal Government provides important services that can be improved while saving money by consolidating and reforming Federal agencies.
(b)
Consolidation authority—
(1)
Efficiency-Enhancing plan defined— Section 902 of title 5, United States Code, is amended—
(A)
in paragraph (2), by striking “and” after the semicolon;
(B)
in paragraph (3), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and
(C)
by adding at the end the following:

“(4) “efficiency-enhancing plan” means a reorganization plan that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget determines will result in, or is likely to result in—

“(A) a decrease in the number of agencies; and

“(B) cost savings in performing the functions that are the subject of that plan.”

(2)
Modernizing reorganization authority— Section 905(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking the following: “or renaming an existing executive department, abolishing or transferring an executive department or independent regulatory agency, or all the functions thereof, or consolidating two or more executive departments or two or more independent regulatory agencies, or all the functions thereof”.
(c)
Duration and scope of authority—
(1)
In general— Section 905(b) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking “if the plan” and all that follows and inserting the following: “if the plan is—

“(1) transmitted to Congress (in accordance with section 903(b)) on or before the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of the Business and Government Operations Improvement Act; and

“(2) an efficiency-enhancing plan.”

(2)
Exercise of rulemaking power— Section 908(1) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking “December 31, 1984” and inserting “the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of the Business and Government Operations Improvement Act”.

202. Congressional approval for certain obligations exceeding $100,000,000

(a)
Approval requirement— No Federal department or agency may enter into a contract with, award a grant to, or guarantee a loan for, a private entity in excess of $100,000,000 for a fiscal year, unless the department or agency submits to the Congress a request for approval of such contract, grant, or guarantee, and such approval is subsequently granted by enactment of a joint resolution.
(b)
Expedited consideration— A joint resolution of approval under subsection (a) shall be considered in the House of Representatives and the Senate not later then 30 days after the date of submission of a request under such subsection, under expedited procedures.
(c)
Effective date— This section shall take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

203. Prohibition against funding certain foreign programs, projects, and activities

Section 103 of the Clean Air Act is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(l) Prohibition against funding foreign programs, projects, and activities—The Administrator shall not award any grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other financial assistance under this section for any program, project, or activity to occur outside the United States and its territories and possessions.”

204. Reduction of the number of nonessential vehicles purchased and leased by the Federal Government

(a)
Review of nonessential vehicle purchase— The Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the head of the relevant Executive agency, shall complete each of the following:
(1)
Determine the total dollar amount obligated by each Executive agency to purchase civilian vehicles in fiscal year 2010.
(2)
Determine the total dollar amount obligated by each Executive agency to lease civilian vehicles in fiscal year 2010.
(3)
Determine the total number of civilian vehicles purchased by each Executive agency in fiscal year 2010.
(4)
Determine the total number of civilian vehicles leased by each Executive agency in fiscal year 2010.
(5)
Determine the total dollar amount that would be 20 percent less than the dollar amount determined under paragraphs (1) and (2) for each Executive agency.
(b)
Reduction of nonessential vehicle purchase— For each of fiscal years 2013 through 2017, each Executive agency may not obligate more than the dollar amount identified pursuant to subsection (a)(5) to purchase and lease civilian vehicles.
(c)
Sharing— The Administrator of General Services shall ensure that an Executive agency may share excess or unused vehicles with another Executive agency that may need temporary or long-term use of additional vehicles through the Federal Fleet Management System.
(d)
National security exception— The limits on the purchase and procurement of vehicles provided in this section shall not apply to the purchase or procurement of any vehicle that has been determined by the President to be essential for reasons of national security.
(e)
Definitions— In this section:
(1)
Civilian vehicle— The term civilian vehicle means a vehicle that is not used for purposes of military combat, the training or deployment of uniformed military personnel, or such other uses as determined by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Administrator of General Services.
(2)
Executive agency— The term Executive agency has the meaning given that term under section 105 of title 5, United States Code.