Federal Manager's Daily Report

The Congressional Budget Office says there is “no basis to estimate” the impact of a bill that has cleared a Senate committee to give fast-track consideration in Congress to proposed agency reorganizations.

The measure, S-3137, is designed to create a process similar to the defense base closing process for reorganization proposals. It would authorize the President to develop a plan to reorganize the federal government and to present that plan to the Congress under an expedited legislative procedure.  The authority would last for two years after enactment.

The White House would need to report regularly to the Congress on the status, costs, and savings of any resulting reorganization and the CBO would prepare a financial analysis of any plan submitted to the Congress.

The measure, which has passed the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is largely aimed at carrying out changes in law that would be needed under the reorganization plan the administration unveiled in June. However, it still has not specified exactly what would require changes in law and what it believes could be done administratively.