PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.

Control Spending Now Act

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Oct 20, 2009

Control Spending Now Act - Fiscal Discipline, Earmark Reform, and Accountability Act - Amends the Standing Rules of the Senate to revise procedures for consideration of points of order against consideration of certain general appropriations bills in the Senate.

Amends the Rules to require all conference reports to be searchable online.

Congressional Accountability and Line Item Veto Act of 2009 - Amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to authorize the President to propose the repeal of any congressional earmark or the cancellation (line item veto) of any limited tariff or targeted tax benefit.

Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.

Read full official summaryShow less

Dedicates any such repeal or cancellation only to deficit reduction or increase of a surplus.

Prescribes procedures for expedited consideration in each House of Congress for such proposals.

Authorizes the President temporarily to withhold congressional earmarks from obligation or suspend a limited tariff or targeted tax benefit.

Expresses the sense of Congress on abuse of proposed repeals and cancellations.

Requires Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) legislation to include by reference an estimate of its budgetary effects, as determined by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA), if timely submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the chairs of the congressional budget committees (chairs) before the vote on it.

Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to maintain and make publicly available a continuously updated document with two specified PAYGO scorecards displaying the budgetary effects of PAYGO legislation, applying certain look-back and averaging requirements. Requires OMB to display as a separate addendum the cost estimates of provisions designated in statute as emergency requirements.

Requires OMB to make annual public PAYGO reports and prepare for the President an offsetting sequestration order, which the President shall issue, if such report shows a debit on either PAYGO scorecard for the budget year.

Exempts from sequestration: (1) low-income subsidies and catastrophic subsidies under Part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of the Social Security Act (SSA); and (2) qualified individual (QI) premiums for Medicare cost-sharing for certain dual eligible low-income Medicare beneficiaries under SSA title XIX (Medicaid).

Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to specify additional Social Security, veterans, Tier I Railroad Retirement benefits and other programs and activities exempt from a sequestration order as well as certain economic recovery programs.

Biennial Budgeting and Appropriations Act - Amends the CBA to require: (1) biennial (currently, annual) budget resolutions; (2) biennial appropriations Acts; and (3) biennial government strategic and performance plans.

Defines the budget biennium as the two consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of any odd-numbered year.

Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.

Rescinds a specified amount from funds appropriated under title I of the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2010 for specified Members of Congress expense accounts.

Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to require all mandatory designations, statements, and reports filed under it to be filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Prohibits the obligation of any amounts by the Secretary of the Treasury from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA) after the enactment of this Act.

Student Loan Reform Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to end subsidies for private student loan companies.

Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise requirements for the importation of prescription drugs.

Prohibits the importation of a qualifying drug unless it is imported by a registered importer or an individual for personal use.

Establishes registration conditions for importers and exporters.

Sets forth requirements for the importation of qualifying drugs different from U.S. label drugs.

Prohibits manufacturers from discriminating against registered exporters or importers or engaging in actions to restrict, prohibit, or delay the importation of a qualifying drug.

States that the resale in the United States of prescription drugs that were properly sold abroad is not patent infringement.

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to educate consumers regarding prescription drug importation.

Prescribes requirements for the sale of prescription drugs through an Internet site.

Prohibits the introduction of restricted transactions with unregistered foreign pharmacies into a payment system or the completion of such transactions using a payment system.

Drug Rebate Equalization Act of 2009 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to reduce the costs of prescription drugs for enrollees of Medicaid managed care organizations by extending to such organizations the discounts offered under fee-for-service Medicaid plans.

Requires also that capitation rates paid to the organization be: (1) based on actual cost experience related to rebates; and (2) subject to the federal regulations requiring actuarially sound rates.

Amends SSA title XIX (Medicaid) to increase the Medicaid drug rebate to bring down prices for prescription drugs.

Requires the Secretary of Commerce to develop and implement a program to impose fees on businesses that benefit from the trade promotion activities of the International Trade Administration (ITA).

Amends the Agricultural Trade Act to reduce the allocation of certain funds by the Commodity Credit Corporation or the Secretary of Agriculture for market access activities (for agriculture commodities exporters).

Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assess, and facilities to pay, a user fee when facilities fail Food and Drug Administration (FDA) quality inspections.

Amends the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 to: (1) modify irrigation and crop insurance subsidies for specified single farm operations; (2) reduce direct payments to large landowners; (3) cut farm subsidies for high-income individuals; (4) eliminate the cotton storage subsidy; and (5) end subsidized grazing fees.

Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to extend through FY2019 Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authority to grant a radio broadcasting license or permit to qualified applicants through a competitive bidding system.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the percentage depletion allowance for hardrock mining.

Amends the Revised Statutes to end subsidies for hardrock mining on public lands by imposing mining royalties and increasing claim maintenance fees.

Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to require a 2% deduction (for federal administrative costs) from payments to states from money received from sales, bonuses, royalties including interest charges related to onshore oil, gas, coal, and mineral leases on public lands.

Amends the Energy Policy Act to repeal the prohibition against a rulemaking that would enable an increase in fees to recover additional costs related to processing oil and natural gas drilling-related permit applications and use authorizations. Amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to revise requirements for the disposal of all funds received from the sales, bonuses, royalties, and rentals related to geothermal energy production on public lands.

Sets at $5.00 the current uniform fee imposed on passengers of air carriers and foreign air carriers for the cost of providing civil aviation security services.

Amends SSA title XVIII (Medicare) part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) to prescribe a formula for reducing the premium subsidy for Medicare prescription drug assistance based on income.

Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds for FY2010 to support: (1) a lunar mission under the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Constellation Program scheduled to occur before 2025; (2) the V-22 or V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft program; (3) the C-17 Globemaster aircraft program; or (4) nondemonstration satellites under the Space Tracking and Surveillance System.

Directs the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics to develop an alternative acquisition strategy for high-risk major defense acquisitions (weapons systems), and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to decide whether or not to terminate a major defense acquisition program in order to meet joint military requirements through a recommended the alternative acquisition strategy.

Reduces spending on excess secondary inventory (spare parts) for the Department of the Air Force.

Requires DOD to recover $50 million in erroneous overpayments to defense contractors.

Amends the National Security Act of 1947 to require the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) to follow specified procedures to: (1) assess and report to Congress on the vulnerability and/or acquisition of major intelligence systems; and (2) submit a Future Year Intelligence Plan and long-term budget projections to congressional intelligence committees. Prescribes a procedure for senior intelligence management officials to correct long-standing material intelligence budget weaknesses.

Requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to deposit in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts all the service fees it receives (IRS Slush Fund).

Rescinds unspent earmarks meeting specified criteria.

Repeals: (1) the Rail-Line Relocation Program; and (2) the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act and the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act (eliminating radio/TV MARTI at the Office of Cuba Broadcasting).

Prohibits the use of certain funds to support the military forces of Colombia.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI] · D–WI

Committees

  • Finance Committee
0 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

    Actions

    A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

    1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

    2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10573)

    3. Introduced in Senate

    Bill text & related measures

    Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

    Related bills identified by Congress.gov

    Source last updated: Aug 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

    Explore the bill from different angles

    Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

    Neutral evidence review

    Objective

    Analyze S.1808 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

    View full prompt & sources
    Fairness and public impact

    Progressive lens

    Examine S.1808 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

    View full prompt & sources
    Institutions and government scope

    Conservative lens

    Examine S.1808 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

    View full prompt & sources
    Individual rights and government power

    Liberty lens

    Examine S.1808 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

    View full prompt & sources