Peters Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Efficiency of Legislative Process Signed into Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, has been signed into law. The CBO Data Access Act will provide the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) with timely access to information they need to complete estimates on the budgetary impacts of legislation before it can be voted on in the Senate. CBO estimates are required to advance almost all legislation through Congress, but procedural issues can delay this office's ability to obtain the information needed from federal agencies to complete these analyses. The delays in CBO's receipt of agency information and data can also adversely impact their ability to provide the most accurate analyses.

"The Congressional Budget office ensures that lawmakers clearly understand the financial impacts of proposed reforms. Thanks to a bipartisan effort to move this critical legislation, we have removed roadblocks that will allow the Congressional Budget Office to more readily access data, issue reports and inform Congress," said Senator Peters. "This law is an important step to help Congress make timely, informed decisions on legislation that will benefit all Americans."

Peters' Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Data Access Act will eliminate procedural delays in CBO's ability to access information from federal agencies by providing CBO with the same exemption to the Privacy Act granted to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and both chambers of Congress. Similar to the GAO's exemption, CBO would still be required to maintain agencies' data at the same level of confidentiality that is required of the agency from which the data originated. This law's passage exemplifies Peters' efforts to improve the lives of Michiganders, and by making the Congressional process more efficient, he makes meaningful progress for all Americans.

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