Sec. 505. Policy statement on Federal accounting
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/bill/115/hconres/71/rh/section-505·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The House finds the following: Current accounting methods fail to capture and present in a compelling manner the full scope of the Federal Government and its fiscal condition. Most fiscal analyses produced by the Congressional Budget Office
(CBO)are conducted over a 10-fiscal year period. The use of generational accounting or a longer time horizon would provide a more complete picture of the Federal Government’s fiscal condition. The Federal budget currently accounts for most programs on a cash accounting basis, which records revenue and expenses when cash is actually paid or received. However, it accounts for loan and loan guarantee programs on an accrual basis, which records revenue when earned and expenses when incurred. The Government Accountability Office has advised that accrual accounting may be more accurate than cash accounting in estimating the Federal Government’s liabilities for insurance and other programs. Accrual accounting under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990
(FCRA)understates the risk and thus the true cost of some Federal programs, including loans and loan guarantees. Fair-value accounting better reflects the risk associated with Federal loan and loan guarantee programs by using a market based discount rate. CBO, for example, uses fair-value accounting to measure the cost of the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). In comparing fair-value accounting to FCRA, CBO has concluded that adopting a fair-value approach would provide a more comprehensive way to measure the costs of Federal credit programs and would permit more level comparisons between those costs and the costs of other forms of Federal assistance . The Department of the Treasury, when reporting the principal financial statements of the United States entitled Balance Sheet and Statement of Operations and Changes in Net Position , may omit some of the largest projected Federal Government expenses, including social insurance programs. The projected expenses of these programs are reported by the Department in its Statements of Social Insurance and Changes in Social Insurance Amounts . This concurrent resolution directs CBO to estimate the costs of Federal credit programs on a fair-value basis to fully capture the risk associated with these programs. It is the policy of this concurrent resolution that the House should, in consultation with CBO and other appropriate stakeholders, reform government-wide budget and accounting practices so Members and the public can better understand the fiscal condition of the United States and the best options to improve it. Such reforms may include the following: Providing additional metrics to enhance analysis by considering the Nation’s fiscal condition comprehensively, over an extended time period, and how it affects Americans of various age cohorts. Expanding the use of accrual accounting where appropriate. Accounting for certain Federal credit programs using fair-value accounting to better capture market risk.