§932 Definitions and Applications

Summary

Defines key words used in the chapter and explains how to count changes in spending and revenue. BBEDCA means the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985. Outyear means a fiscal year one or more years after the budget year. AMT means the Alternative Minimum Tax for individuals under sections 55–59 of title 26. EGTRRA means the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (Public Law 107–16). JGTRRA means the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief and Reconciliation Act of 2003 (Public Law 108–27). Budgetary effects mean how much a change in law raises or lowers direct spending or revenue compared to the baseline, measured using estimates under section 933; increases in spending or cuts in revenue are called costs, and increases in revenue or cuts in spending are called savings. Budgetary effects do not include debt-service costs, and off‑budget effects are not counted. For the PAYGO scorecard, changes in future years made inside appropriation bills are treated as budgetary effects if they change entitlement or other mandatory spending, unless their outlay effects net to zero over the current year, the budget year, and the four years after that; appropriation provisions that do not do those things and do not change revenues are not counted. Debit means the positive amount by which costs recorded for a fiscal year exceed savings on the PAYGO scorecard. Entitlement law means a law that creates an entitlement. PAYGO legislation or a PAYGO Act means any bill or joint resolution that changes direct spending or revenue versus the baseline, with the appropriation‑act changes above treated the same. Timing shift means delaying certain outlays from the ninth outyear to the tenth outyear or moving certain revenues earlier from the tenth outyear to the ninth outyear.