Baseline Reform Act of 2015

Baseline Reform Act of 2015

This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to change the assumptions used in calculating the baseline for discretionary spending, which is the spending that is provided and controlled by appropriations bills.

The baseline is a projection of federal spending and receipts during the fiscal year under current law. It is used by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to estimate the cost of legislation and produce other budget projections.

The bill requires the baseline to cover a ten-year period and changes the assumptions the CBO and the OMB must use to project discretionary spending. It eliminates adjustments required under current law for inflation, expiring housing contracts, social insurance administrative expenses, and changes in federal pay and other benefits. By removing these adjustments, the bill requires the baseline to assume that discretionary spending will continue without an increase or a decrease to account for these factors.

The bill also requires the CBO to annually submit to the congressional budget committees by July 1 the Long-Term Budget Outlook for the fiscal year beginning on October 1 and at least the next 40 fiscal years.