Congress·In Committee·H.R. 8570

Cost Estimate Clarity Act

Budgeting: New Rules for CBO Cost Estimates

Apr 29·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Next up: A house committee

The Cost Estimate Clarity Act is in the early stages of the legislative process. It was sent to the House Committee on Rules and the House Committee on the Budget on April 28, 2026, and these groups must review the bill before it can move forward. Since it has not received a committee vote, the bill is not actively moving.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

While this bill promotes transparency, changes to budget rules are often partisan and rarely pass without a larger deal on government spending.

Key Points

This bill changes how the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports the cost of new laws. It requires them to explain how their standard accounting rules might be hiding the true cost of a bill.
The CBO often assumes certain programs will continue forever even if they are scheduled to end. This bill would force them to show the difference between that assumption and what the government is actually expected to spend.
Lawmakers would receive a clear explanation of which specific assumptions are making a bill look cheaper or more expensive than it really is. This aims to prevent budget tricks where costs are hidden by technical rules.
The goal is to give the public and Congress a more honest look at how new laws will affect the national debt over time by providing a more realistic picture of future spending.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 29, 2026House

Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Apr 29, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Cost Estimate Clarity Act

Bill NumberHR 8570

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.