Government Agency Reform Act of 2012 - Defines "efficiency-enhancing plan," for purposes of executive authority to reorganize federal executive agencies, as a reorganization plan that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) determines will or is likely to result in a decrease in the number of agencies and cost savings in performing the functions that are the subject of the plan.
Expands executive authority to reorganize agencies by allowing: (1) the renaming of an existing executive department, (2) the abolition or transfer of an executive department or independent regulatory agency, or (3) the consolidation of two or more executive departments or two or more independent regulatory agencies.
Allows a provision in a reorganization plan to take effect only if such plan is transmitted to Congress within two years of the enactment of this Act and is an efficiency-enhancing plan.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4409 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4409
To provide for reforming and consolidating agencies of the Federal
Government to improve efficiency and save money, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 19, 2012
Mr. Barrow introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for reforming and consolidating agencies of the Federal
Government to improve efficiency and save money, 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 ``Government Agency Reform Act of
2012''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Partially as a result of unnecessary Federal spending,
the United States national debt is over $15 trillion.
(2) Bureaucratic complexity and redundancy waste time and
money for consumers, businesses, and taxpayers.
(3) In March 2011, the Government Accountability Office
released a report entitled ``Opportunities to Reduce Potential
Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and
Enhance Revenue'' that identifies areas where greater
efficiencies could be found in Government operations. Some of
the findings include:
(A) Seven different Federal agencies have programs
dedicated to meeting the water needs in the United
States-Mexico border region.
(B) There are 82 Federal programs dedicated to
improving teacher quality.
(C) There are 56 programs in 20 different Federal
agencies designed to target financial literacy.
(D) There are 80 Federal programs to boost
transportation opportunities for disadvantaged
individuals.
(E) There are over 20 programs in seven different
Federal agencies working to combat homelessness.
(4) The Department of Commerce's core business and trade
functions, the Small Business Administration, the Office of the
United States Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the
Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and the United States
Trade and Development Agency all serve important, but sometimes
overlapping functions for consumers and businesses in the
United States. Consolidating these agencies could save $3
billion and eliminate over 1,000 duplicative Federal jobs while
improving the service provided to taxpayers and consumers.
(5) The Federal Government provides important services that
can be improved while saving money by consolidating and
reforming Federal agencies.
SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATION AUTHORITY.
(a) Efficiency-Enhancing Plan Defined.--Section 902 of title 5,
United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' after the
semicolon;
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) `efficiency-enhancing plan' means a reorganization
plan that the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
determines will result in, or is likely to result in--
``(A) a decrease in the number of agencies; and
``(B) cost savings in performing the functions that
are the subject of that plan.''.
(b) Modernizing Reorganization Authority.--Section 905(a)(1) of
title 5, United States Code, is amended by striking the following: ``or
renaming an existing executive department, abolishing or transferring
an executive department or independent regulatory agency, or all the
functions thereof, or consolidating two or more executive departments
or two or more independent regulatory agencies, or all the functions
thereof''.
SEC. 4. DURATION AND SCOPE OF AUTHORITY.
(a) In General.--Section 905(b) of title 5, United States Code, is
amended by striking ``if the plan'' and all that follows and inserting
the following: ``if the plan is--
``(1) transmitted to Congress (in accordance with section
903(b)) on or before the date that is 2 years after the date of
enactment of the Government Agency Reform Act of 2012; and
``(2) an efficiency-enhancing plan.''.
(b) Exercise of Rulemaking Power.--Section 908(1) of title 5,
United States Code, is amended by striking ``December 31, 1984'' and
inserting ``the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of the
Government Agency Reform Act of 2012''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government.
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