[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 10815]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REQUIRE A SCORE BEFORE THE FLOOR

  (Ms. JAYAPAL asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, yesterday Congressman Brian Higgins and I 
introduced H. Res. 441, legislation that would require a Congressional 
Budget Office score before a floor vote. This resolution clearly 
enshrines in House rules a fundamental and very simple principle of 
good governance: namely, we should know the budgetary and practical 
impact of legislation before we vote on it.
  Frankly, Mr. Speaker, it should not be necessary for us to introduce 
this legislation. For years, the CBO has been an important nonpartisan 
player in crafting legislation and giving an independent assessment of 
what a bill costs and whom it will benefit or whom it will hurt.
  Unfortunately, we have seen House leadership rush major legislation 
to the floor without a CBO score, preventing Members from knowing the 
impact on their constituents and the budget before voting.
  The most egregious example, of course, was the May 4 vote on the 
TrumpCare bill that barely passed this Chamber and would strip 23 
million Americans of healthcare. That bill was rushed to the House 
floor before it had a CBO score, and Members voted blindly on it 
without knowing the impact on their constituents.
  Our resolution simply says transparency, accountability, and know 
what is in the bill. No score, no floor; it's that simple.

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