[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 631 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 631

    To prohibit Federal agencies from obligating funds for earmarks 
    included only in congressional reports, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 23, 2007

Mr. Flake (for himself, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Terry, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. 
Campbell of California, Mr. Fortuno, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Pence, 
   Mr. Sali, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. Walberg, and Mr. Bartlett of Maryland) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                    Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To prohibit Federal agencies from obligating funds for earmarks 
    included only in congressional reports, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Earmark Transparency and 
Accountability Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON OBLIGATION OF FUNDS FOR EARMARKS INCLUDED ONLY 
              IN CONGRESSIONAL REPORTS.

    (a) In General.--No Federal agency may obligate any funds made 
available in an appropriation Act or other Act to implement an earmark 
that is included in a congressional report accompanying the 
appropriation Act or other Act, unless the earmark is also included in 
such Act.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    As used in this Act:
            (1) The term ``congressional report'' means a report of a 
        committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate, or a 
        joint explanatory statement of a committee of conference.
            (2) The term ``earmark'' means a provision in a bill or 
        conference report, or language in an accompanying committee 
        report or joint statement of managers with respect to a general 
        appropriation bill, or conference report thereon, providing or 
        recommending an amount of budget authority for a contract, 
        loan, loan guarantee, grant, or other expenditure with or to 
        any entity, if--
                    (A) such entity is specifically identified in the 
                report or bill; or
                    (B) if the discretionary budget authority is 
                allocated outside of the statutory or administrative 
                formula-driven or competitive bidding process and is 
                targeted or directed to an identifiable entity, 
                specific State, or Congressional district.
            (3) The term ``entity'' includes a private business, State, 
        territory or locality, or Federal entity.
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