Budget Committee Passes Boyle Bill to Keep Congress Better Informed

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, the House Budget Committee passed H.R. 7032, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Data Sharing Act, introduced by Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan F. Boyle, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee. He was joined by House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington as an original cosponsor. This legislation will strengthen CBO's access to critical data from federal agencies, improving CBO’s ability to provide Congress and the American people with timely analysis of pending legislation and reports on the federal budget.

“For nearly 50 years, CBO has provided critical assistance and information to Congress, the Budget Committee, and the public,” said Ranking Member Boyle. “Unfortunately, CBO also often faces delays and roadblocks in receiving the data they need to inform Congressional decision-making. This bipartisan bill will expedite CBO’s work and improve accuracy by ensuring executive branch agencies are responsive to CBO’s requests, and I’m proud to see it pass out of committee today. I want to thank Chairman Arrington again for his support in this effort, and I look forward to working alongside him to pass this commonsense bill into law.”

“As Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I am proud to join my friend and Ranking Member, Brendan Boyle in supporting this commonsense legislation to ensure the Congressional Budget Office has the tools it needs to provide accurate, timely cost accounting to help Congress serve the American people,” said Chairman Arrington.

Watch Ranking Member Boyle’s remarks at today’s markup here:

(Click here for video of remarks as delivered. A transcript is available here.)

Background:

• Each year, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) provides hundreds of cost estimates and dozens of reports to keep Congress informed on the impact of proposed legislation on the federal budget.

• In order to provide accurate estimates and information to Congress, CBO works collaboratively with federal agencies to get access to data. For example, CBO might work with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to study the impact of legislation on Medicaid payments.

• CBO sometimes experiences delays in receiving necessary data due to federal agencies concerned about the handling of sensitive data.

• By strengthening CBO’s data access authority and detailing CBO’s obligations to protect sensitive data, the CBO Data Sharing Act will enable CBO to provide Congress with more timely information.

A fact sheet on the CBO Data Sharing Act is available here and the text is available here.

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