Agency Accountability Act of 2019

Agency Accountability Act of 2019

This bill requires any agency that receives a fee, fine, penalty, or proceeds from a settlement to deposit the amount in the general fund of the Treasury. The bill also prohibits the funds from being used unless the funding is provided in advance in an appropriations bill.

The bill includes exceptions for funds to be paid to a whistle-blower, loan guarantee programs, and insurance programs.

The requirements do not apply to the U.S. Postal Service or the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The Department of Commerce and the USPTO must report annually to Congress on funds collected by the USPTO from a settlement.

The bill also requires offsetting receipts and collections to be treated as revenue for the purpose of carrying out the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and other laws. (Offsetting receipts and collections are funds collected by agencies from other government accounts or from the public in businesslike or market-oriented transactions. Under current law, the collections are treated as negative budget authority and outlays rather than revenue and may be used to offset spending for budget enforcement purposes.)