Bill Summary
The "Duplication Scoring Act of 2025" is a legislative proposal aimed at enhancing the efficiency of federal programs by requiring the Comptroller General of the United States to analyze bills reported by Congress for potential duplication and overlap with existing federal initiatives.
Key provisions of the bill include:
1. **Definitions**: The Act defines key terms such as "covered bill or joint resolution," which refers to any public legislation reported by congressional committees, and describes what constitutes "existing duplicative or overlapping features."
2. **Assessment Requirement**: For each covered bill, the Comptroller General must assess the risk of creating new duplicative or overlapping federal programs. This includes identifying the name and section of the new initiative and referencing existing duplicative features from previous GAO reports.
3. **Reporting**: The Comptroller General is required to submit findings to the Director of the Congressional Budget Office and the relevant congressional committee, as well as publish this information on the GAO's website.
4. **Integration with Budget Estimates**: The Director of the Congressional Budget Office can incorporate the Comptroller General's findings into budget estimates for the covered bill, ensuring that lawmakers are aware of potential redundancies when considering new legislation.
5. **Effective Date**: The amendments will take effect either 60 days after the Office of Management and Budget updates relevant information or at the start of the next Congress, one year after the Act's enactment.
Overall, the Act seeks to promote accountability and prevent federal waste by scrutinizing new legislative proposals for any unnecessary duplication of government resources.
Possible Impacts
The "Duplication Scoring Act of 2025" is designed to evaluate new legislation to prevent redundancy with existing federal programs. Here are three examples of how this legislation could affect people:
1. **Increased Efficiency in Government Services**: By requiring an analysis of proposed bills to identify any duplicative or overlapping features with existing programs, the legislation can lead to more efficient allocation of federal resources. This means that taxpayers could potentially see reduced waste in government spending, allowing funds to be redirected toward more effective programs that address critical needs, such as education, healthcare, or infrastructure.
2. **Greater Transparency for Citizens**: The requirement for the Comptroller General to publish findings regarding duplicative programs on the Government Accountability Office's website enhances transparency in government operations. Citizens would have access to clear information about how their tax dollars are being spent, which can empower them to hold lawmakers accountable and encourage public engagement in the legislative process.
3. **Impact on Legislative Process and Policy Creation**: The additional analysis step may slow down the legislative process, as bills would need to undergo scrutiny for potential duplication before being passed. While this could delay some initiatives, it may also lead to more thoughtful and strategic policymaking. Lawmakers would be encouraged to collaborate and innovate rather than create new programs that might already exist, leading to more comprehensive and cohesive public policy that better serves the needs of communities.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2733 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2733
To require the Comptroller General of the United States to analyze
certain legislation in order to prevent duplication of and overlap with
existing Federal programs, offices, and initiatives.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 8, 2025
Mr. Paul (for himself and Ms. Hassan) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Comptroller General of the United States to analyze
certain legislation in order to prevent duplication of and overlap with
existing Federal programs, offices, and initiatives.
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 ``Duplication Scoring Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. ASSESSMENTS OF REPORTED BILLS BY GAO.
Section 719 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(i)(1) In this subsection--
``(A) the term `covered bill or joint resolution' means a
bill or joint resolution of a public character reported by any
committee of Congress (including the Committee on
Appropriations and the Committee on the Budget of either
House);
``(B) the term `Director' means the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office;
``(C) the term `existing duplicative or overlapping
feature' means an element of the Federal Government previously
identified as an area of duplication, overlap, or fragmentation
in a GAO duplication and overlap report;
``(D) the term `GAO duplication and overlap report' means
each annual report prepared by the Comptroller General under
section 21 of the Joint Resolution entitled `Joint Resolution
increasing the statutory limit on the public debt', approved
February 12, 2010 (31 U.S.C. 712 note); and
``(E) the term `new duplicative or overlapping feature'
means a new Federal program, office, or initiative created
under a covered bill or joint resolution that would duplicate
or overlap with an existing duplicative or overlapping feature.
``(2) For each covered bill or joint resolution--
``(A) the Comptroller General shall, to the extent
practicable--
``(i) determine the extent to which the covered
bill or joint resolution creates a risk of a new
duplicative or overlapping feature and, if the risk so
warrants, identify--
``(I) the name of the new Federal program,
office, or initiative;
``(II) the section of the covered bill or
joint resolution at which the new duplicative
or overlapping feature is established; and
``(III) the GAO duplication and overlap
report in which the existing duplicative or
overlapping feature is identified; and
``(ii) submit the information described in clause
(i) to the Director and the committee that reported the
covered bill or joint resolution; and
``(iii) publish the information prepared under
clause (i) on the website of the Government
Accountability Office; and
``(B) subject to paragraph (3), the Director may include
the information submitted by the Comptroller General under
subparagraph (A)(ii) as a supplement to the estimate for the
covered bill or joint resolution to which the information
pertains submitted by the Director under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 653).
``(3) If the Comptroller General has not submitted to the Director
the information for a covered bill or joint resolution under paragraph
(2)(A)(ii) on the date on which the Director submits the estimate for
the covered bill or joint resolution to which the information pertains
under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C.
653), the Director may, on the date on which the Comptroller General
submits the information to the Director, prepare and submit to each
applicable committee the information as a supplement to the estimate
for the covered bill or joint resolution.''.
SEC. 3. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendment made by this Act shall take effect on the earlier
of--
(1) the date that is 60 days after the date on which the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget next, in
accordance with section 1122(a) of title 31, United States
Code, updates the information made available on the website
required under that section; or
(2) the date on which a new Congress begins after the date
that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.
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