Cyclopedia

Views and Estimates Report

Summary

The Views and Estimates Report is a submission made by authorizing committees of Congress to the Budget Committees, as required by section 301(d) that details its budgetary priorities and interests for the upcoming fiscal year. Some have the misconception that these reports are for the purpose of reacting to the President’s budget submission, but they are more general in nature (see below for the text of the requirement). 

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Statutory Text from  Congressional Budget Act of 1974

Section 301(d) (CBA) reads as follows: 

(d) Views and Estimates of Other Committees.—Within 6 weeks after the President submits a budget under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, or at such time as may be requested by the Committee on the Budget, each committee of the House of Representatives having legislative jurisdiction shall submit to the Committee on the Budget of the House and each committee of the Senate having legislative jurisdiction shall submit to the Committee on the Budget of the Senate its views and estimates (as determined by the committee making such submission) with respect to all matters set forth in subsections (a) and (b) which relate to matters within the jurisdiction or functions of such committee. The Joint Economic Committee shall submit to the Committees on the Budget of both Houses its recommendations as to the fiscal policy appropriate to the goals of the Employment Act of 1946. Any other committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate may submit to the Committee on the Budget of its House, and any joint committee of the Congress may submit to the Committees on the Budget of both Houses, its views and estimates with respect to all matters set forth in subsections (a) and (b) which relate to matters within its jurisdiction or functions. Any Committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate that anticipates that the committee will consider any proposed legislation establishing, amending, or reauthorizing any Federal program likely to have a significant budgetary impact on any State, local, or tribal government, or likely to have a significant financial impact on the private sector, including any legislative proposal submitted by the executive branch likely to have such a budgetary or financial impact, shall include its views and estimates on that proposal to the Committee on the Budget of the applicable House.

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GAO Glossary of Terms and Definition (September 2005)

Views and Estimates Report

A report that the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 requires each House and Senate committee with jurisdiction over federal programs to submit to its respective budget committees each year within 6 weeks of the submission of the President’s budget, in advance of the House and Senate Budget Committees’ drafting of a concurrent resolution on the budget. Each report contains a committee’s comments or recommendations on budgetary matters within its jurisdiction. (See also Concurrent Resolution on the Budget.)

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