Government Economy and Spending Reform Act

(Reported to Senate from the Committee on Government Operations with amendment, S. Rept. 94-1137)

Government Economy and Spending Reform Act - =Title I: Authorizations of New Budget Authority= - Terminates on specified dates budget authority for all Government programs except health care services, general retirement and disability insurance, and Federal employee retirement and disability programs which are funded by trust funds.

Requires the Comptroller General to present by April 1, 1977, to the Appropriations and Budget Committees of the House and Senate a report which identifies the various programs subject to termination and review under this Act. Sets forth guidelines for the Comptroller General to follow in identifying such programs.

Requires the Budget and Appropriations Committees of the Senate and House to review the Comptroller General's report by July 1, 1977, and to submit it to their respective Houses.

Prohibits new budget authority for any program for any fiscal year beginning after the first review date applicable unless such new budget authority is specifically authorized by law.

Provides that it is not in order for either House to consider legislation authorizing a program after its next review date unless a zero-base review of that program has been submitted to the Senate or the House of Representatives. Permits the enactment of an authorization for less than five years.

Requires all legislation relating to changes in the review dates for programs under this Act to be referred to the Budget Committee in the House in which they are introduced.

=Title II: Zero-Base Program Review= - Establishes a timetable for the zero-base review of government programs. Defines the term "zero-base review" to mean a systematic evaluation by legislative committees of government programs to determine if they merit continuation at a level less than, equal to, or greater than the existing level, or termination.

Requires the appropriate Senate and House committees to submit to their Houses a tentative plan as part of the formal zero-base review process by March 1 of the year preceding the review and termination year for a program.

Requires that a final plan be adopted and reported by April 1.

Sets forth the elements to be considered by the Committees in designing a zero-base review of a program.

Directs that, by December 1 of the year prior to the review year for a program, the department which administers such program submit a report thereon to the appropriate Congressional committees.

Directs the Comptroller General to provide Senate and House committees with the results of any prior audits or investigations of programs under each committee's jurisdiction.

Authorizes any legislative committee of the House or Senate to obtain additional information on programs from the administering department or agency, the Comptroller General, or from the Congressional Budget Office in conducting their zero-base reviews.

Requires the committees of the Senate and House to provide the Comptroller General with the plans for the zero-base review of programs.

=Title III: Continuing Review= - Requires any agency to submit reports to the General Accounting Office and to the appropriate legislative committees where any program of such agency has any substantial deficiency in the achievement of the objectives of such program.

Requires that the President's budget include the specific objectives of the programs for the fiscal year, and a comparison of the achievement of the objectives of the program for the last fiscal year with the planned objectives for the program.

=Title IV: Citizen's Bicentennial Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government= - Establishes the Citizen's Bicentennial Commission on the Organization and Operation of Government. Declares that the policy of Congress in establishing the Commission is the promotion of economic, efficient and improved service in the transaction of the public business in the departments, instrumentalities, and other authorities of the Executive branch of the government.

Directs the Commission to undertake a comprehensive review of all programs and functions of the Government. Requires the Commission to submit to the President and to Congress such interim reports as necessary and a final report by September 30, 1979. Sets forth the membership, and the specific powers and duties of the Commission.

=Title V: Zero-Base Review of Tax Expenditures= - Requires the Congress during the first session of the Ninety-fifth Congress to complete action on a bill prescribing termination dates for all tax expenditure provisions. Directs that any tax expenditure provision enacted after such bill include a termination date.

Requires that on or before March 1 of the year preceding the year in which occurs the review date of a tax expenditure provision, the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Finance shall adopt, and report to their respective Houses, a tentative plan for the zero-base review of such provision. Requires that on or before April 1 of such year, such committees shall adopt, and report to their respective Houses, a final plan for the zero-base review of such provision.

Sets forth the elements which should be considered by the Ways and Means and Finance Committees in designing a zero-base review of a tax expenditure.

Requires the Department of the Treasury, the Comptroller General, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Technology Assessment and the Congressional Research Service to assist the Congress in its zero-base review of tax expenditures through reports and other information.

=Title VI: Miscellaneous= - Requires the Office of Management and Budget to conduct a study of the feasibility of establishing a zero-base budgeting system for the departments and agencies of the Executive branch and for furnishing zero-base budgeting information to Congress.

Requires the head of each department or agency to provide the Senate and House with a copy of their budget requests and their statement of proposed expenditures which they have submitted to the President.

Terminates the zero-base review process as provided in this Act after the first review cycles, unless Congress acts to continue it by law or concurrent resolution.