H.R. 821: To require zero-based budgeting for departments and agencies of the Government.

112th Congress · introduced 2011-02-18 · Economics and Public Finance · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on the Budget.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-02-18 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Ross, Dennis A. [R-FL-12] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on the Budget. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

To require zero-based budgeting for departments and agencies of the Government.

Plain summary

Requires the President to submit with materials related to each federal budget transmitted to Congress by January 1, 2013, a budget for each agency that contains: (1) a description of each activity for which an agency receives an appropriation in the current fiscal year or for which the agency requests an appropriation for the budget year; (2) the legal basis for each activity; (3) for each activity, three alternative funding levels for the budget year (at least two of which shall be below the funding level for the current fiscal year), a summary of the priorities that would be accomplished within each level, and the additional increments of value that would be added by the higher funding levels; and (4) for each activity, one or more measures of its cost efficiency and effectiveness. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish guidelines to carry out this Act that shall require: (1) the baseline budget of each agency to be assumed to be zero, and (2) each proposed expenditure to be justified as if it were a new expenditure.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

To require zero-based budgeting for departments and agencies of the Government.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Ross, Dennis A. [R-FL-12] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hr821.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hr>

Record fed-us-cong112-hr821 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112