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HR9777FEDERALFederal Billfiled

HR 9777: Requiring CBO to Calculate Per-Citizen Cost of New Legislation

Original title: HR 9777: Bill to Require CBO Cost Estimates Include Citizen Costs

Record date · September 24, 2024

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What This Bill Would Do

This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to calculate and include the per-citizen cost of any new federal spending or debt increase in its official cost estimates for proposed legislation. By dividing the total projected impact by the number of U.S. citizens, the bill aims to show the individual financial burden of federal measures.

Why it matters

If enacted, this change would force the CBO to provide a per-person dollar figure for every bill, potentially altering how lawmakers and the public perceive the individual impact of federal spending and debt accumulation.

Background
  • The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is a nonpartisan federal agency that provides budget and economic information to Congress. context
  • Section 402 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 currently mandates that the CBO provide cost estimates for reported bills. context

Who It Would Affect

Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

Congressional Budget Office

The agency is required to change its methodology for preparing cost estimates to include per-citizen calculations.

Directly affected

United States citizens

Citizens will be the denominator used to calculate the per-person cost of federal spending and debt measures.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 'pro rata' mean in this context?
It means the total cost or debt increase of a bill will be divided equally among all United States citizens to show an individual share.
Does this apply to all bills?
It applies to any bill or for which the Congressional Budget Office is required to prepare a cost estimate.

What else do you want to know?

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Where This Stands

Currently filed. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Committee.

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

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Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Individualization of Federal Fiscal Data

The bill represents a shift toward presenting macro-level federal fiscal data in individual, per-citizen terms.

Congressional Budget Office

Connected Entities

Congress, Mr. Smucker, 2 U.S.C. 653 and 8 more
OrganizationCongress“The legislative branch of the U.S. government.”Map →
PersonMr. Smucker“Co-sponsor of the bill.”Map →
bill number2 U.S.C. 653“Section of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 being am”Map →
OrganizationHouse of Representatives“The lower house of the U.S. Congress.”Map →
bill number9777“House Bill number introduced in the House.”Map →
PersonMr. Lopez“Co-sponsor of the bill.”Map →
OrganizationCongressional Budget Office“The CBO prepares cost estimates for legislation.”Map →
other118th Congress“The current Congress.”Map →
OrganizationU.S. Government Publishing Office“The office that publishes congressional documents.”Map →
OrganizationSenate“The upper house of the U.S. Congress.”Map →
PersonMr. Brecheen“Introduced the bill.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.congress.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance65
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

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