Fond Du Lac Times

Congressmen Glenn Grothman (R-WI) and Kweisi Mfume (D-MD) introduced H.R. 7184, the CBO Data Access Act, on February 1, 2024. This week, the House passed the Senate companion version of the bill by unanimous consent.

This bipartisan initiative aims to enhance the efficiency of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) process for projecting the fiscal impact of proposed legislation. The bill seeks to streamline CBO operations to provide taxpayers with more timely information on legislative costs. Specifically, it exempts CBO from the Privacy Act, removing procedural delays that hinder access to vital data needed for budget projections and economic assessments.

“I am proud to have introduced the House companion to the CBO Data Access Act, H.R. 7184, alongside my Democrat colleague, Representative Mfume. I would also like to thank Senators Peters and Collins for their work on this legislation,” said Congressman Grothman. “This bicameral and bipartisan effort demonstrates the shared recognition across party lines of the importance of ensuring that CBO has the tools it needs to provide Congress with the best possible data and analysis.”

“The bipartisan legislation Congressman Grothman and I co-led in the U.S. House will remove a barrier that too often hinders the Congressional Budget Office from carrying out its mission of providing timely cost estimates and ensures our federal government is fiscally responsible," said Congressman Mfume. "Simultaneously, privacy protections will remain in place when the CBO receives necessary agency information pertinent to their work, safeguarding personal information utilized by CBO to improve transparency in government operation."

The Senate version of the CBO Data Access Act, S.1549, was introduced by Senators Gary Peters (D-MI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) and passed on June 22, 2024. The act aims to accelerate and improve confidence in CBO's budgetary assessments by exempting it from Privacy Act constraints that cause procedural delays.

The bill authorizes agencies to disclose records directly to CBO without requiring prior written consent under the Privacy Act. This change is expected to reduce negotiation times for data-sharing agreements between agencies and CBO, thereby improving analysis quality.

In 2022 alone, agency data helped CBO produce numerous cost estimates, technical assistance requests, reports, working papers, testimonies, and interactive tools. Improved access to data can enhance baseline projections' quality and robustness.

The bill clarifies that while agencies can share personal information with CBO without violating privacy laws, confidentiality protections remain intact.