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HR9777FEDERALIN_COMMITTEE

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

September 24, 2024

federal budgetgovernment transparencycongressional procedurepublic debtfederal spending

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Where This Stands

Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Signed

Currently IN_COMMITTEE. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Version history

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

View official text →

The Frame

What this does

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.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Congressional Budget Office

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

United States citizens

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

What changed

Current stage: IN_COMMITTEE.

What's next

Floor Vote.

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

Summary

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.

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.

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.

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.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Sponsors

Discoveries

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

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 →

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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