Congressional Budgetary Procedures Act

(LATEST SUMMARY)

Congressional Budget Act - Declares the purposes of this Act. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in the Act.

=Title I: Establishment of Senate and House Budget Committees= - Establishes a Standing Committee of the Senate to be known as the Committee on the Budget. Outlines the composition and duties of the committee. Provides that the committee shall make a continuing study of the effects of budget outlays and devise methods of coordinating tax policies with budget outlays.

=Title II: Congressional Office of the Budget= - Creates a Congresional Office of the Budget and outlines the duties of such Office. States that the function of the office is to provide information to the Budget Committees of the two Houses and to other Committees of the two Houses with respect to the budget, appropriation bills, and other bills providing budget authority or tax expenditures.

Abolishes the Joint Committee on Reduction of Federal Expenditures. Provides for public access to budget data.

Directs the Director of the Office to submit to the Congress on or before May 1 of each year a National goal and priorities report.

=Title III: Congressional Budget Process= - Sets up a timetable with respect to the Congressional budget process for any fiscal year. Prescribes, under such timetable, the rules for consideration of concurrent resolutions on the budget. Requires that concurrent resolutions on the budget must be adopted before appropriations and changes in revenues and the public debt limit are made. Sets forth exceptions to this provision.

=Title IV: Additional Provisions to Improve Fiscal Procedures= - Provides that it shall not be in order for either House to consider any bill which provides new advance spending authority unless that bill provides that such authority is to be effective only to the extent as is provided in appropriation Acts.

Requires the Director of the Congressional Office of the Budget, to the extent practical, to prepare an estimate of costs expected to be incurred in carrying out each bill or resolution.

Defines "new advance budget authority" for purposes of this Act. Provides that it shall not be in order for either the Senate or House to consider any bill authorizing a new budget authority for any fiscal year unless such bill or resolution is reported on or before May 15 preceding the beginning of such fiscal year.

=Title V: Change of Fiscal Year= - Changes the fiscal year of the Treasury, beginning on October 1, 1976, to commerce on October 1 of each year and to end on September 30 of the following year. Provides for the conversion of authorizations of appropriations to comply with the new fical year.

=Title VI: Amendments to Budget and Accounting Act, 1921= - Provides that the Presidential budget shall include the same elements as the Congressional Budget. Provides for five-year budget projections.

=Title VII: Program Review and Evaluation= - Requires the Comptroller General, upon request, to assist any Congressional committee in developing a statement of legislative objectives and goals, methods of assessment, and the feasibility of pilot testing. Requires Government agencies, when requested, to assist congressional committees in making program reviews and evaluations under this jurisdiction.

=Title VIII: Fiscal and Budgetary Information and Controls= - Provides that the Secretary of the Treasury, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, in cooperation with the Comptroller General of the United States, shall develop, establish and maintain information systems for fiscal, budgetary, and related information. Provides that such information shall be furnished to Congressional committees upon request.

=Title IX: Miscellaneous Provisions: Effective Dates= - Makes technical and conforming amendments to the provisions of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946.

Provides for the application of the Congressional budget process to the fiscal year 1976.

=Title X: Appropriation Reserves= - Makes technical amendments to the Antideficiency Act.

States that nothing contained in this Act shall be interpreted by any person or court as constituting a ratification or approval of any reservation of budget authority by the President or any other Federal officer or employee, in the past or in the future, unless done pursuant to statutory authority in effect at the time of such reservation.