Duplication and Overlap Review Act

Summary#

This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO, led by the Comptroller General) to check bills reported by congressional committees for risks of creating new federal programs, offices, or initiatives that duplicate or overlap with ones GAO already identified as problematic. If GAO finds such a risk, it must name the new item, point to the bill section that creates it, cite the prior GAO report that identifies the existing duplicative feature, send that information to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and the reporting committee, and publish it on GAO’s website. The CBO may add GAO’s findings as a supplement to its cost estimate for the bill.

• Who is affected: GAO, CBO, congressional committees that report bills, and federal programs that may be duplicated.
• Main change: GAO must analyze reported bills for new duplication or overlap with items already identified in GAO’s annual duplication and overlap reports.
• Information flow: GAO sends findings to CBO and the committee and posts them publicly; CBO may include the findings with its budget estimate.
• Scope limit: GAO only looks for duplication with features previously listed in its own duplication and overlap reports.
• Effective date: Starts on the earlier of (a) 60 days after OMB next updates a specified public website, or (b) when a new Congress begins after one year from enactment.

What it means for you#

• Members of Congress and committee staff

  • They will receive GAO notes about where a reported bill might create duplicative or overlapping federal activity.
  • Committees may see extra information to consider during markup and debate.

• Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

  • CBO may add GAO’s findings to its formal cost estimates as a supplement.
  • If GAO’s information arrives after CBO’s initial estimate, CBO can send the info later as a supplement.

• Government Accountability Office (GAO)

  • GAO must review each bill reported by committees, to the extent practicable, for risk of creating duplication tied to items GAO already flagged.
  • GAO must publish its findings on its website.

• Federal agencies and programs

  • Existing programs already identified by GAO as overlapping or duplicative may be cited when new bills propose similar programs.
  • Agencies could face more scrutiny if a new bill appears to recreate an activity GAO has already identified as duplicative.

• General public and taxpayers

  • The change mainly affects how Congress reviews legislation. It does not directly change benefits, taxes, or services.
  • The public can read GAO’s findings on GAO’s website when they are published.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

• This law will likely require GAO staff time to review each bill reported by committees and to prepare and publish findings.
• CBO may spend staff time to add GAO material as supplements to cost estimates.
• The bill does not provide a fiscal note or estimate of these administrative costs in the available material.

Proponents' View#

• The bill appears intended to reduce waste by making lawmakers aware when a bill would create a new program that duplicates or overlaps with a federal activity GAO has already identified as problematic.
• This could be seen as improving information available to Congress during bill review and helping lawmakers avoid creating redundant programs.
• Making the findings public on GAO’s website increases transparency about potential duplication.

Opponents' View#

• One concern is that GAO must look only for duplication that matches items already listed in GAO’s prior duplication and overlap reports. This means the review could miss new kinds of overlap that GAO has not yet reported.
• The phrase “to the extent practicable” is vague and could produce uneven or limited reviews without a clear standard for when GAO must act.
• The CBO is allowed, but not required, to include GAO’s findings in its estimates. That makes the practical effect on budget scoring uncertain.
• The effective date depends on an OMB website update or the start of a future Congress, which could delay when reviews begin and create uncertainty about timing.
• Additional GAO and CBO work may increase staff and administrative costs, but the bill does not estimate these costs.