The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform advanced several pieces of legislation on May 20 during a markup session aimed at improving federal agency oversight and addressing various policy issues.
The bills passed are intended to help prevent wasteful spending, address local policy concerns in Washington D.C., ensure fair treatment for certain Customs and Border Protection officers, and extend the work of the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board. The committee said these actions demonstrate ongoing efforts to improve government accountability.
Chairman James Comer said, “Working alongside President Trump, the House Oversight Committee is successfully rooting out fraud and ensuring federal agencies are delivering for hardworking American taxpayers. The bills passed today demonstrate that this Committee is carrying out its responsibilities and taking decisive action to advance meaningful reforms.”
Among the measures approved was H.R. 8096, the Duplication Scoring Act of 2026. This bill would require the Comptroller General to analyze legislation reported by Congressional Committees for duplication or overlap with existing programs before it becomes law. Comer said, “Our Committee has investigated waste, fraud, and abuse of federal government spending extensively and we’ve seen that our government will continue to grow unless we act. We need more proactive tools to prevent duplicative and overlapping spending to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being spent wisely.” Representative Tim Burchett added support for this measure by saying it would help prevent unnecessary government spending.
Another bill advanced was H.R. 8801 (DC ROADS Act), which seeks to prohibit congestion tolls in Washington D.C., citing concerns about economic impact on commuters. Comer said Congress must prevent policies that “disadvantage hardworking Americans.” Representative Scott Perry called such proposed tolls “an unconstitutional tax” and described them as “narrow minded and shortsighted.”
The committee also moved forward with H.R. 8844 concerning retirement benefits for a group of Customs and Border Protection officers who were affected by an interpretive decision from the Office of Personnel Management after they had planned their careers around earlier guidance from CBP. Comer said this bill aims “to right a wrong” while adding accountability measures.
Additionally, H.R. 3087 would reauthorize the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board through January 8, 2030; expand its authorities; direct states to transmit cold case records; authorize reimbursement for record digitization; and allow release of certain personnel files related to cases created before January 1, 1990. Comer expressed support: “Their efforts revive public attention to civil rights cold cases and the enduring memory of the victims.”
Several postal naming measures were also considered during this markup session.
