Sec. 817. Policy statement on agency fees and spending
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Congress finds the following: A number of Federal agencies and organizations have permanent authority to collect fees and other offsetting collections and to spend these collected funds. The total amount of offsetting fees and offsetting collections is estimated by the Office of Management and Budget to be $525 billion in fiscal year 2016. Agency budget justifications are, in some cases, not fully transparent about the amount of program activity funded through offsetting collections or fees.
This lack of transparency prevents effective and accountable government. It is the policy of this resolution that Congress must reassert its constitutional prerogative to control spending and conduct oversight. To do so, Congress should enact legislation requiring programs that are funded through fees, offsetting receipts, or offsetting collections to be allocated new budget authority annually. Such allocation may arise from— legislation originating from the authorizing committee of jurisdiction for the agency or program; or fee and account specific allocations included in annual appropriation Acts.