Duplication Elimination Act of 2016

Duplication Elimination Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the President to send Congress a proposed joint resolution and a special message within 180 days of publication of the annual Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on duplicative government programs.

The joint resolution must: (1) address the recommendations contained in the GAO report and included by the President, (2) eliminate or consolidate programs identified in the GAO report as duplicative or fragmented, and (3) require savings from legislative changes to be transferred to the Treasury for deficit reduction.

Before the proposed joint resolution is transmitted to Congress, the President must consult with: (1) Congress to provide an opportunity for feedback, alternative recommendations, and input regarding which GAO report recommendations should not be addressed by the proposed joint resolution; and (2) the GAO.

The bill requires the special message to specify:

• the GAO recommendations that are excluded from the proposed joint resolution,
• why the recommendations were excluded,
• the GAO recommendations included in the joint resolution, and
• programs included in the GAO report that should be eliminated or consolidated.

The bill sets forth procedures and time periods for congressional introduction, expedited consideration, amendments, and points of order for the joint resolution.

The sponsor of the joint resolution must exclude, and it shall be out of order for the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider, provisions that: (1) are unnecessary to eliminate or consolidate programs in GAO-identified actions or areas of duplication, (2) are not germane to the GAO report, or (3) affect direct spending.

In the Senate, the joint resolution shall be agreed to only upon an affirmative three-fifths vote.

The bill provides procedures for the coordination of consideration between chambers and the consideration of presidential vetoes of such joint resolutions.