H.R. 4464, the Preventive Health Savings Act; H.R. 6470, the Increasing Baseline Updates Act

Okay.

Okay.

The committee will come to order. Good morning everybody, welcome. Today uh we will meet to mark up two bipartisan bills aimed at addressing the what I refer to as a broken budget process, a realign uh incentives for the right behavior and outcomes and um mainly to provide more accurate timely and accountable information uh for lawmakers uh to govern responsibly um and steward uh taxpayer monies efficiently. So the committee will consider hr sixty four seventy the increasing baseline updates act led by our budget committee colleague, representative Blake Moore from the great state of Utah and HR forty four sixty four the preventive health savings act led by budget committee colleague representative Jay Obernolte of California next time I will put my democrat colleagues who are also cosponsors and supporters of this bill again these are bipartisan bills and I wanna thank the uh ranking member for his commitment early on when we opened up uh this uh reform process uh, looking at the budget process and and ways that we can agree on, on uh, reforming it, making it work better for the American people. Consistent with the agreement that I've reached with Mr. Boyle, without objection, the debate time w- for each bill will be ten minutes equally divided. To insure we have the flexibility to accommodate the schedule, I've asked unanimous consent that the chairman be authorized to declare recess at any time and the committee roll uh any request for recorded votes, so ordered. In the interest of time. If any member has an opening statement I ask that you submit it for the record. I'll hold the record open to the end of the day to accommodate those members who may not yet have prepared written statements. The committee is n will now proceed to the consideration of HR sixty-four seventy, the increasing baseline updates act. Again, led by Mister Moore, this legislation will help us return to the Congressional Budget Office, uh, providing three baseline updates per year, allowing us to better respond to changes in legislation, administrative action, and of course economic uh uh developments. I ask unanimous consent that the first reading of the bill be dispensed with. The bill be considered as read, an open amendment at any point, and that the reading of the amendments be dispensed with without objection, so ordered. There will be up to ten minutes of debate on HR sixty four seventy with equal time divided but I repeat myself I now recognize Mister Moore for uh of Utah for five minutes. Mr. Moore.

Thank you, Mister Chairman, appreciate uh your support in getting this bill to the committee and to ranking member Boyle as well for his support as we work through these really important matters um this important mark-up and I'm appreciative that this bill is included HR sixty four seventy. Two years ago, the increasing baseline updates act passed our committee and the house unanimously. We talked frequently about finding ways to work across the aisle to improve the budget process and make more informed decisions. Today we have an opportunity to do that again. Each year the CBO sends their projections to Congress by February fifteenth. Although they have produced mid-year baseline updates previously, there is no statutory requirement for them to do so. As a result, CBO has not published a baseline update after the month of July since twenty twenty. The last time CBO produced three three baseline updates in a calendar year was actually twenty nineteen. The increasing baseline updates act requires the Congressional Budget Office to produce at least two additional updates to its annual baseline projection. This bill also ensures that CBO receives the required technical data from the executive branch by February first of each year, which will help CBO be able to produce their annual baselines on time. When asked about this bill, CBO Director, Doctor Phil Swagle said that regular baseline updates would make members and the public better informed about what was happening within the budget. Doctor Swagle rightly highlights the most important aspect of this bill that will That it will make Congress and the public more informed about the realities of our economic outlook. If we wanna make any progress on our ever-growing debt, we need to have reliable, accurate baselines. A lot can change throughout the year, and having frequent updates to the baseline as new policies are implemented, it will help return the budget process to more regular and consistent order. This is not a large change, but this will help us do our jobs better. We need ways to understand the reality of what we're working with and not only rely and and not rely on data that can sometimes be nearly a year old. It goes without saying that we need to find bi bipartisan ways to address our growing national debt. Everyone on this committee shares these concerns, and I applaud the work that our Chairman has done to capitalize on our shared desire to make actual improvements to the congressional processes and procedures. I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle can recognize the opportunity to this bill to make a legitimate improvement on how Congress creates a budget, and urge them to vote " yes". Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.

I thank the gentleman, also thank the leadership of Mister Boyle. He's been uh uh the tip of the spear for our getting better information from uh the uh administration and the various departments and agencies i know you've been recently getting information on the iranian conflict uh which i appreciate so this i think is aligned with that in terms of making sure our members have the best information to make decisions with that i yield five minutes to my ranking member

well thank you uh mister chairman um and and before i uh Well, I can do it now anyway. I want to thank uh Congressman Moore um for his work on increasing baseline updates act. I was gonna say before I talk more about it, I'll I'll just briefly uh address what you said, Mister Chairman. Uh, the last couple years I think we have done uh good work in terms of helping CBO get the information they need in order to get us the information we need as lawmakers. You were my strongest supporter in that when we passed the CBO data sharing act. um, uh, was my bill with you as lead cosponsor under your leadership, passed this committee, passed the house unanimously, passed the senate, and, uh, on the last possible day signed into law, uh, by, by President Biden and that's now law. And I see this work is very much the next step, uh, in this overall theme of helping ensure that the folks of CBO are able to provide us with the most accurate information possible. you referenced the fact that just yesterday uh cbo responded to my request for march fifth to release to us the members of congress the full cost through august first of the iran war whether one agrees with it or disagrees with that decision uh that's uh completely legitimate and up for debate uh i won't be surprised to know where where i am uh on that but the bottom line is that as lawmakers we need to have an honest and accurate accounting of what exactly this this is costing us and the fact that cbo is responsive to a request from a ranking member or a chair that only helps all of us um and is is truly bipartisan now as for this specific bill again i wanna thank congressman moir for his work on the increasing baseline updates act uh i will be supporting this legislation today the basic idea behind this bill is straightforward congress should have current and reliable budget information when we are making decisions involving trillions of taxpayer dollars. The bill would require CBO to provide at least two baseline updates each year, including the underlying economic data for at least one update. It also helps ensure CBO receives the technical budget information it needs from the executive branch in a timely manner. I also appreciate that both Republican and Democratic committee staff worked together with CBO to improve the original proposal and provide CBO with the flexibility it needs. That bipartisan work made this a better bill. So, um, with that, uh, again, I'm I'm happy to support. I think this is a a positive, uh, mark-up today, uh, and I'm happy to yield back.

I thank the ranking member, and who says we can't do the people's work on a bipartisan basis leading up to a midterm election? Huh?

Thanks.

Um, okay. All time for debate has expired since there are no amendments. Now recognize the gentlemen again from Utah, Mister Blake Moore, for a motion.

Mister Chairman, I move that HR sixty four seventy be reported to the house with the recommendation that the bill do pass.

Question's on favorably reporting the bill. All those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Those opposed, no. And the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it.

Mister Chairman,

Does the gentleman like a recorded vote?

on that I'd on that I request a recorded vote.

A recorded vote is requested. We will postpone this recorded vote until later in the mark-up. The committee will now proceed to the consideration of HR forty-four sixty-four, the preventive health savings act, led by our budget committee colleague, Mister J. Obernolte of California, although a number of democrat support there uh with Mister Peters, our friend from California, as the lead on committee. Um This legislation will provide Congress with supplementary information to better understand a policy's longer-term impact on the federal budget. I ask unanimous consent for the first reading of the bill to be dispensed with. The bill be considered as read, an open to amendment at any point, and that the reading of any amendments be dispensed with without objection. So, ordered, there will be up to ten minutes of debate again, uh, with time equally divided. And now, we recognize, um, Our friend from California on the Republican side, Mister J. Obernoelter for three minutes.

Well, thank you Mister Chairman and Ranking Member Boyle. I am very pleased that the committee is marking up two important pieces of legislation today. This bill, the Preventative Health Savings Act, which I am proud to lead with my bipartisan co-leads Representative DeGette, Carter and Peters, would help ensure that the Congressional Budget Office fully captures the long-term cost savings potential of preventative health care measures. Our former colleague, uh, Doctor Michael Burgess, uh, who I dearly miss, would often say to me that an ounce of prevention prevention is worth a pound of cure. We know that preventing diseases and identifying health problems earlier through innovative care can improve outcomes for patients and in the long term, reduce the need for more costly care down the road. Chronic diseases are a leading cause of death and disability of the United States, and treating affected patients accounts for over ninety percent of our nation's five point three trillion dollar annual health expenditures. Many of these diseases, including things like heart disease, diabetes and obesity, are easily detected and avoidable through screenings, routine testings and early interventions. But unfortunately, investing in preventative care often comes with an upfront cost. well the savings and improved health outcomes may not be realized until years later. That means that the CBO's traditional ten year scoring window does not always give Congress the full picture when considering the long-term impact of preventative health care legislation. This bill addresses that problem. At the bipartisan request of the chair and ranking member of the budget committee and the committee of jurisdiction, this bill would direct the CBO to examine the net savings of preventative health legislation beyond the traditional ten year window, looking at two additional ten year periods. Most importantly, this analysis would be supplementary, it could not be used as a budget gimmick gimmick and offset or to satisfy existing budget enforcement regulations. Instead, it would give Congress and the American public a fuller picture of the long-term fiscal and health impacts of preventative care and better information when deciding which policies are which worth pursuing. With our national debt near now at

Thank the gentlemen, Mister Obernolte, and now recognize our friend from California also, Mr. Mister Scott Peters, Scott Peters. for five minutes.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh, thank you for holding this mark-up on today's uh bills, including the preventative health savings act, which I co-lead with my colleagues, representative Obernolte, DeGette and Carter. The Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, has provided Congress with objective non-partisan analysis to support evidence-based decision-making for almost fifty years. We depend heavily on CBO to provide us with a common set of facts that we can use to debate and we can use to make decisions. CBO doesn't just crunch numbers and make budget projections, though they're also transparent about how they conduct their analysis and their economic modeling. When their staff and advisory panels don't have enough information, they come to ask and ask which experts they should speak with. One of the problems we've asked CBO to look at for a long time is dynamic scoring. We only score, we only look at the cost in this year's dollars, we don't ever think about the benefits of what we what we get from the investment we make today. So when we make investments in infrastructure, healthcare, or national defense, we only look at the impact of that this year on our budget. We don't account for the benefit of future savings from that investment. A screening that catches cancer at its stage one instead of its stage four. A diabetes program that keeps someone off dialysis fifteen years from now. A vaccine that prevents a hospitalization that would have happened in decades from now. These are investments we can make that will help sick patients and generate real cost savings down the road, But the savings fall outside the ten year window that we use for budgeting. So instead, we we're encouraged to spend less, to invest less on things like this. No family in San Diego would ever think to budget that way. No family would say, we could save ten thousand dollars by not fixing the roof this year, knowing that the next big storm will mean twenty or thirty thousand dollars in damage to the house. Last Congress, this committee and the house uh voted to pass the Preventative Savings, uh Preventative Health Savings Act. Um, our bill directs CBO to estimate and provide the long-term, the thirty-year budgetary effects of preventative health care services at the request of this committee's leaders. I urge my colleagues to support this common sense bill today, again, and look forward to working with my colleagues to position it for a floor vote and Senate action. And I yield back. Thank you.

Well said. Uh, all time for debate has expired since there are no amendments. I now recognize the gentleman from California, Mister Oble. Obernolte for a motion.

Mister Chairman, I move that HR forty four sixty four be reported to the house with the recommendation that the bill do pass.

Questions on favorably reporting the bill, all those in favor signify by saying aye.

Aye.

Those opposed no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Mister uh Obernolte?

Mister Chairman, on that question I request a recorded vote.

Recorded vote is requested. We will postpone this recorded vote until later in the mark-up. The committee will now vote on postpone recorded votes um first the committee will vote to report hr sixty four seventy to be clear that'll be the first vote the clerk will now call the roll

mr. norman mr. norman mr. mcclintock

aye

mr. mcclintock aye mr. growthman mr. growthman mr. smucker

are you gonna do some

mr. smucker

of these

mister carter

what do i do after i do my speech

mister carter mister klein mister klein aye mister bergman mister bergman

uh-huh

mister roy

mister bergman uh

mister roy aye mister stutsman

aye

mister stutsman aye mister moore of utah

stutsman

mister moore of utah aye mister estes

that's what i did

mister estes mister brykeen

aye

mister brykeen aye mister obernolte mister obernalte aye mister carey for sure i mean

alright

mister carey aye mister edwards mister edwards aye mister clyde

aye

mister clyde aye miss houchin

mr. bryan

miss houchin

make a six

mister macdowell mister macdowell aye mister gill mister gill mister moore of north carolina mister moore of north carolina mister boyle

aye

mister boyle aye mister doggett mister dogget mister scott mister scott excuse me mister peters aye mister peters aye mister penetta aye mister penetta aye miss watson coleman aye

hi

thank you miss watson coleman aye miss plaskett mr. plaskett thank you thank you miss plaskett miss escobar yeah every one has to be interesting so i'm just gonna just tell you that right now miss escobar aye miss omar miss omar thank you very much miss ballin uh-huh miss ballin miss captur miss cepter aye miss jaipal miss jaipal miss choo

aye

miss choo aye mister tonko

aye

mister tonko aye mister mcgarvey

yes

mister mcgarvey aye mister amo mister amo mister chairman

aye

mister chairman aye

aye oh please

mister gill is not reported Mister Gill, aye.

Has Mister Estes recorded?

Mister Estes is not recorded.

Aye.

Mister Estes, aye.

Has General Bergman recorded?

Mister Bergman is not recorded.

Aye.

Mister Bergman, aye.

Mister Scott, has Mister Bobby Scott recorded?

Mister Scott is not recorded.

Aye.

Mister Scott, aye.

Mister Moore, has he recorded?

Mister Moore is not recorded. Mister Moore of North Carolina, aye.

That's speaker Morty, you run. Um. OK. Any other member hasn't ha uh, haven't cast their vote?

Yep.

Who? Oh, Mr. Gil did.

We got

OK. If if not, if no member uh, wants to change their vote, then uh, the clerk shall report.

Mister Chair, on the vote there were twenty-six ayes and zero noes.

In the opinion of the chairs, I the ayes have it. The motion is agreed to. H R sixty four seventy is ordered, reported to the house with favorable recommendation. I note the record that a quorum is present. The committee will now vote to report H R forty four sixty four. The clerk will call the roll.

Mister Norman. Mister Norman. mr. mcclintock mr. mcclintock aye mr. growthman mr. growthman mr. smucker mr. smucker mr. carter

aye

mr. carter aye mr. klein

aye

mr. klein aye mr. bergman

aye

mr. bergman aye mr. roy

aye

mr. roy aye mr. stutzman

aye

mr. stutzman aye mr. moore of utah

aye

mr. moore of utah aye mr. estes

aye

mr. estes aye mr. bryckin

aye

mr. bryckin aye mr. obernaltee

aye

mr. obernaltee aye mr. carey

yeah

mr. carey aye mr. edwards

aye

mr. edwards aye mr. clyde

aye

mr. clyde aye miss houchin miss houchin mr. mcdowell

aye

mr. mcdowell aye mr. gill

aye

mr. gill aye mr. moore of north carolina

aye

mr. moore of north carolina aye mr. boyle

aye

mr. boyle aye mr. doggett mr. doggett mr. scott mr. scott aye mr. peters

aye

mr. peters aye mr. pinnetta

aye

mr. pinnetta aye miss watson- Coleman

aye

miss watson- Coleman aye miss plaskett miss plaskett miss escobar

aye

miss escobar aye miss omar

aye

miss omar aye miss ballant miss ballant miss captor

aye

miss captor aye miss gypo miss gypo miss chew

aye

miss chew aye mister tonko mister tonko aye mister mcgarvey

aye

mister mcgarvey aye mister amo mister amo mister chairman

chairman's aye

mister chairman aye

any member wish to change his or her vote uh mister as mister norman recorded

Mister Norman is not recorded.

Aye.

Mister Norman, aye.

If everybody's registered their vote and don't wanna change it, then um let's uh clerk if you would report.

Mister Chair, on the vote there were twenty-nine ayes and zero noes.

Mister Chairman.

Okay. I recogn I recognize Miss Omar.

i'd like to be recognized in support of the first bill

so ordered

thank you

on hr six four seven zero miss omar i

so we're waiting on the report for the second one i will say for the record this was the most efficient mark-up in budget history, but - but just to be clear,

Oh, really?

don't get used to it. My ranking member said it was because I dispensed with my opening remarks, Mister Peters. OK, go ahead.

Mister Chairman, on the first vote for HR six four seven zero, there were twenty-seven ayes and zero noes.

In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, the motion is agreed to, HR forty-four sixty-four is ordered, reported to the house with favorable recommendation. Without objection, staff are authorized to make any necessary technical and conforming changes to the bills so ordered again uh thank you everybody and for the staff here, for your cooperation in today's mark-up, especially my ranking member, Mister Boyle, and that completes the committee's business for the day. The committee stands adjourned. God bless America.

I agree.