Urge Congress to implement a zero-based budgeting process

hcr32_02_AH

As Adopted by the House

136th
General Assembly

Regular
Session
H. C. R. No. 32

2025-2026

Representative
Dovilla

Cosponsors:
Representatives Bird, Schmidt, White, A., Williams, Willis, Abrams,
Click, Daniels, Ghanbari, Hall, T., Hiner, Hoops, John, Johnson,
Klopfenstein, Mathews, A., Mathews, T., McClain, Miller, K., Miller,
M., Newman, Plummer, Richardson, Robb Blasdel, Roemer, Salvo,
Santucci, Thomas, C., Thomas, D., Workman, Young

A
c o n c u r r e n t R E S O L U T I O N

To
urge the United States Congress to implement a zero-based budgeting
process.

BE
IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO (THE
SENATE CONCURRING):

WHEREAS,
The federal government currently employs traditional budgeting
practices to determine annual expenditures, meaning federal agencies
start with the prior years' budgets and then add in growth measures
and new spending proposals; and

WHEREAS,
Zero-based budgeting, however, starts from zero and requires each
agency to build its budget from the ground up so that the resulting
budget reflects the amount of funding deemed necessary to achieve the
most cost-effective performance of each federal agency; and

WHEREAS,
As a result, each agency must freshly evaluate each dollar proposed
to be appropriated and determine whether the proposed appropriation
meets the agency's objectives and mission; and

WHEREAS,
Additionally, as part of this evaluation process, each agency also
may be required to rank programs and activities to enable
policymakers to determine the agency's highest priorities; and

WHEREAS,
Applying a zero-based budgeting approach to the budget periodically
will enable lawmakers to reexamine and reset the scale and scope of
federal programming without introducing significant inefficiencies to
the Congressional budgeting process; and

WHEREAS,
Legislation, S. 181, has been introduced in the 119th Congress to
require federal agencies to submit zero-based budgets; and

WHEREAS,
This legislation, with seven co-sponsors in the U.S. Senate,
represents a promising start in the legislative discussion regarding
congressional oversight of agency expenditures; and

WHEREAS,
If passed, legislation requiring zero-based budgeting will improve
fiscal responsibility and combat fraud and waste in federal spending;
now therefore be it

RESOLVED,
That we, the members of the House of Representatives of the 136th
General Assembly of Ohio, urge the United States Congress to take
prompt action to reduce spending by implementing zero-based
budgeting; and be it further

RESOLVED,
That the Clerk of the House of Representatives transmit duly
authenticated copies of this resolution to each member of the United
States Congressional delegation from Ohio and the news media of Ohio.