Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Baseline Reform Act of 2013”.
Baseline Reform Act of 2013
A BILL
To eliminate the automatic inflation increases for discretionary programs built into the baseline projections and require budget estimates to be compared with the prior year’s level.
Sec. 2 Changes in the baseline
Section 257(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended—
in the second sentence of paragraph (1), by striking everything that follows “current year,” and inserting “excluding resources designated as an emergency requirement and any resources provided in supplemental appropriation laws.”;
by striking paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (5);
by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (2); and
by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
“(3) No adjustment for inflation—No adjustment shall be made for inflation or for any other factor.”
Sec. 3 The President's budget
Expenditures and appropriations— Paragraph (5) of section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
“(5) except as provided in subsection (b), estimated expenditures and appropriations for the current year and estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations the President decides are necessary to support the Government in the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted and at least the 4 fiscal years following that year, and, except for detailed budget estimates, the percentage change from the current year to the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted for estimated expenditures and for appropriations.”
Receipts— Section 1105(a)(6) of title 31, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
“(6) estimated receipts of the Government in the current year and the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted and at least the 4 fiscal years after that year under—
“(A) laws in effect when the budget is submitted; and
“(B) proposals in the budget to increase revenues,”
Legislative proposals— Section 1105(a)(12) of title 31, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
“(12) for each proposal in the budget for legislation that establishes or expands a Government activity or function, a table showing—
“(A) the amount proposed in the budget for appropriation and for expenditure because of the proposal in the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted;
“(B) the estimated appropriation required because of the proposal for each of at least the 4 fiscal years after that year that the proposal will be in effect; and
“(C) the estimated amount for the same activity or function, if any, in the current fiscal year,”
Comparisons— Section 1105(a)(18) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting “new budget authority and” before “budget outlays”.
redesignating paragraph (37) following paragraph (38) as paragraph (39); and
adding at the end the following:
“(40) a comparison of levels of estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations for each function and subfunction in the current fiscal year and the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted, along with the proposed increase or decrease of spending in percentage terms for each function and subfunction.
“(41) a table on sources of growth in total direct spending under current law and as proposed in this budget submission for the budget year and at least the ensuing 9 fiscal years, which shall include changes in outlays attributable to the following: cost-of-living adjustments; changes in the number of program recipients; increases in medical care prices, utilization and intensity of medical care; and residual factors.”
Current programs— Section 1109(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the first sentence the following: “For discretionary spending, these estimates shall assume the levels no higher than those set forth in the discretionary spending limits under section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, as adjusted, for the appropriate fiscal years (and if no such limits are in effect, these estimates shall assume adjusted levels no higher than those for the most recent fiscal year for which such levels were in effect).”.
Sec. 4 The congressional budget
Section 301(e) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (as amended by section 103) is further amended—
in paragraph (1), by inserting at the end the following: “The basis of deliberations in developing such joint resolution shall be the estimated budgetary levels for the preceding fiscal year. Any budgetary levels pending before the committee and the text of the joint resolution shall be accompanied by a document comparing such levels or such text to the estimated levels of the prior fiscal year.”; and
in paragraph (2)—
in subparagraph (E), by striking “and” after the semicolon;
in subparagraph (F), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and
by adding at the end the following:
“(G) a comparison of levels for the current fiscal year with proposed spending and revenue levels for the subsequent fiscal years along with the proposed increase or decrease of spending in percentage terms for each function.”
Sec. 5 Congressional budget office reports to committees
Comparable levels— The first sentence of section 202(e)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by inserting “compared to comparable levels for the current year” before the comma at the end of subparagraph (A) and before the comma at the end of subparagraph (B).
Sources of spending growth— Section 202(e)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by inserting after the first sentence the following new sentence: “Such report shall also include a table on sources of spending growth in total direct spending, revenue, deficit, and debt for the budget year and the ensuing 4 fiscal years, which shall include changes in outlays attributable to the following:
“(A) Cost-of-living adjustments.
“(B) Changes in the number of program recipients.
“(C) Increases in medical care prices, utilization and intensity of medical care.
“(D) Residual factors.”
Comparison of levels— Section 308(a)(1)(B) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by inserting “and shall include a comparison of those levels to comparable levels for the current fiscal year” before “if timely submitted”.