S. 399: Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-02-05 · Commerce · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-02-05 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the 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

Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2015

Plain summary

Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2015 This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise the budgetary treatment of federal loans and loan guarantees to account for them on a fair value basis. Under a fair value approach, costs are measured using market rates rather than the lower Treasury interest rates currently used. Estimates for loan guarantees and direct loans in the President's budget are required to include a risk component that reflects the impact of using a fair value estimate to account for market risk. The President's budget is also required to include agency-by-agency estimates without the risk component. A risk component must be included in estimates used for requirements under current law that appropriations be provided in advance for the costs of new direct loans, loan guarantees, or modifications that increase costs. The bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to permit adjustments to discretionary spending limits for this Act. The bill also changes the budgetary treatment of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). Agency budget justification materials are required to be posted on the public website of the agency on the same day the materials are submitted to Congress.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), 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

Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2015

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Tom Cotton (R-AR)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE] reported raising $976,129 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s399.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s399 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114