House Budget Committee Unanimously Advances Two Bills to Improve Budget Process
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the House Budget Committee unanimously voted to advance H.R. 6470, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act and H.R. 4464, the Preventive Health Savings Act. Both pieces of legislation improve the data the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is required to provide Congress, giving lawmakers more frequent and longer-term budget projections to better understand the fiscal impact of public policy.
During the markup, House Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) delivered the following remarks:
[Today's Committee Markup is] aimed at addressing what I refer to as a broken budget process, realign incentives for the right behavior and outcomes, and mainly to provide more accurate, timely, and accountable information for lawmakers to govern responsibly and steward taxpayer monies efficiently. The committee will consider H.R. 6470, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act, led by our Budget Committee colleague, Representative Blake Moore from the great state of Utah. And H.R. 4464, the Preventive Health Savings Act, led by Budget Committee colleague Representative Jay Obernolte of California. Again, these are bipartisan bills, and I want to thank the Ranking Member for his commitment early on when we opened up this reform process, looking at the budget process in ways that we can agree on reforming it, making it work better for the American people.
[House Budget Committee Ranking Member Brendan Boyle] has been the tip of the spear for our getting better information from the administration and the various departments and agencies. I know even recently getting information on the Iranian conflict, which I appreciate. So, this [Committee Markup] is aligned with that in terms of making sure our members have the best information to make decisions.
BACKGROUND
The House Budget Committee approved H.R. 6470, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act led by Representative Blake Moore (R-Utah), by a vote of 26-0. The Increasing Baseline Updates Act will require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to produce at least two baseline updates each year, including one update with economic data. This will ensure Congress has the most up-to-date information on relevant budget and economic figures to inform the appropriations process and major authorizing legislation.
The House Budget Committee approved H.R. 4464, the Preventive Health Savings Act led by Representative Jay Obernolte (R-California), by a vote of 29-0. The Preventive Health Savings Act would establish a mechanism for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to, upon a bipartisan request, assess budgetary savings from preventive health care legislation over a 30-year window. Under current rules, the CBO primarily scores legislation within a 10-year budget window—an approach that often overlooks the full financial benefits of policies aimed at improving long-term health outcomes.
