S 3267 — MAKE CENTS Act

Summary

Making Americans Know about Excessive spending through Commonsense Efforts to Notice and Target Shenanigans Act or the MAKE CENTS Act This bill modifies the federal budget process to add reporting requirements, limit spending at the end of a fiscal year, and impose penalties on Congress for failing to approve a budget resolution or the annual appropriations bills on a timely basis. Among other changes, the bill requires federal agencies to report annually to Congress regarding federally funded projects that are more than five years behind schedule or have expenditures that are at least $1 billion more than the original cost estimate for the project; requires recipients of federal funding to disclose specified details regarding the cost to the federal government and nongovernmental sources; prohibits an executive agency from spending more in the last 2 months of a fiscal year than the agency's average monthly spending for the previous 10 months; prohibits Members of Congress from being paid in a fiscal year until both chambers approve the budget resolution and pass all of the regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year; and limits congressional recesses, adjournments, and travel if Congress has not completed work on a budget resolution and the annual appropriations bills by certain deadlines.

Bill Text

• Introduced Introduced in Senate Current html February 11, 2020

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill introduces new provisions that limit Congressional pay in the absence of timely budget resolutions and enhance transparency in federal spending.

• 2 U.S.C. § 632

  If both Houses of Congress have not approved a concurrent resolution on the budget as described under section 301 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632) for a fiscal year before October 1 of that fiscal year and have not passed all the regular appropriations bills for the next fiscal year before October 1 of that fiscal year, the pay of each Member of Congress may not be paid for each day following that October 1 until the date on which both Houses of Congress approve a concurrent resolution on the budget for that fiscal year and all the regular appropriations bills.

  This change prevents Congress members from receiving pay if they do not pass the budget and appropriations bills on time.

• 2 U.S.C. § 632

  Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds may be appropriated or otherwise be made available from the United States Treasury for the pay of any Member of Congress during any period determined by the Chairpersons of the Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate or the Chairpersons of the Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives under section 404.

  This establishes a restriction on appropriating funds for Congressional pay based on budgetary compliance.

Action History

1. February 11, 2020

   Introduced in Senate

2. February 11, 2020

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Sponsors

• Joni Ernst · Primary

Subjects