[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 245 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 245

   Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
      require three-fifths majorities for bills increasing taxes.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 1993

Mr. Smith  of Oregon (for himself, Mr. Pete Geren of Texas, Mr. Pombo, 
   Mr. Deal, Mr. Duncan, Mr. Andrews of New Jersey, Mr. Bunning, Mr. 
 Burton of Indiana, Mr. Cox, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Ewing, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. 
Goss, Mr. Hancock, Mr. Hansen, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Linder, Mr. 
  Livingston, Mrs. Lloyd, Mr. McInnis, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Oxley, Mr. 
Packard, Mr. Pallone, Mr. Parker, Mr. Paxton, Mr. Ramstad, Mr. Ravenel, 
    Mr. Rohrbacher, Mr. Rowland, Mr. Royce, Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. 
   Solomon, Mr. Stump, Mr. Tauzin, Mr. Taylor of North Carolina, Mr. 
Taylor of Mississippi, Mr. Upton, Mr. Weldon, Mr. Zeliff, Mr. Calvert, 
 and Mr. Herger) introduced the following joint resolution; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

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                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
   Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
      require three-fifths majorities for bills increasing taxes.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be 
valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by conventions in three-fourths of the several States within 
seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article --

    ``Section 1. Any bill that would have the effect of increasing any 
revenue may pass only by a three-fifths majority of the whole number of 
each House of Congress.
    ``Section 2. Except as provided in this article, total revenue of 
the United States Government for each fiscal year shall not exceed 20 
percent of the gross domestic product. Any revenue in excess of the 
limit shall be used to reduce the public debt of the United States 
Government.
    ``Section 3. A specific amount of additional revenue above the 
limit in section 2 may be authorized for the current or next fiscal 
year when a bill for this sole purpose is passed by a three-fifths 
majority of the whole number of each House of Congress and such bill 
becomes law.
    ``Section 4. Upon the President's request, the Congress by a roll 
call vote may waive the first three sections of this article for any 
fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect. Any law that 
has the effect of increasing any revenue, if adopted when a waiver is 
in effect, shall expire no later than 2 years after the law is adopted.
    ``Section 5. This article shall take effect for the first fiscal 
year beginning after its ratification.''.

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