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To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office to include the effects of using baseline assumptions when preparing estimates under such Act, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill would require the Congressional Budget Office to provide more detailed information about how baseline assumptions affect its cost estimates for legislation. When preparing budget estimates, the CBO would need to quantify the difference between its estimate and what the cost would be if baseline assumptions were not used, identify which specific assumptions caused the difference, and explain which programs or provisions appear to have lower or no budgetary cost due to baseline assumptions. Baseline assumptions typically assume the continuation of current law and spending levels. The bill aims to make CBO estimates more transparent so Congress can better understand which costs in an estimate are driven by assumed continuation of existing programs versus the actual effects of new legislation. This applies to estimates prepared under the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Cline, Ben [R-VA-6] (R-VA)
Actions (2)
- Apr 29, 2026 Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. · house
- Apr 29, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
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Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 29, 2026
Mr. Cline introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office to include the effects of using baseline assumptions when preparing estimates under such Act, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Cost Estimate Clarity Act”.
SEC. 2. EFFECT OF BASELINE ON CBO ESTIMATES.
Section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 653) is amended—
(1) by striking “The Director” and inserting the following:
“(a) In General.—The Director”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(b) Effects of Baseline.—With respect to any estimate prepared under subsection (a), the Office shall, to the greatest extent practicable, include a description of the effects of using baseline assumptions under section 257 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 907) on the estimate, including—
“(1) a quantitative estimate of the difference between the estimate and the cost of the measure if baseline assumptions were not used to prepare such estimate;
“(2) which baseline assumption caused such difference; and
“(3) an explanation of any programs or provisions for which the baseline assumptions results in the estimate showing lower or no budgetary cost relative to actual expected Federal expenditures, including any instance where the baseline assumes the extension or continuation of a program, benefit, or payment rate.”. <all>
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