[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3633 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3633

    To reform the House of Representatives, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 22, 1993

 Mr. Crapo (for himself, Mr. Hastert, Mr. Hansen, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. 
  Santorum, Mr. Armey, and Mr. Quinn) introduced the following bill; 
 which was referred jointly to the Committees on Rules and Government 
                               Operations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To reform the House of Representatives, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Truth in Voting Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTMENT OF APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEES SECTION 302 AND SECTION 
              602 ALLOCATIONS AND SUBALLOCATIONS; ADJUSTMENT OF 
              DISCRETIONARY SPENDING CAPS.

    (a) Section 302 Allocations.--Section 302(e) of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 is amended by inserting ``(1)'' before ``At'' and by 
adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
    ``(2) If--
            ``(A) a general appropriation bill as reported by the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives is 
        amended and that bill as passed by the House reduces the amount 
        appropriated for any program, project, or activity from the 
        amount appropriated for that program, project, or activity in 
        that bill as so reported; and
            ``(B) that bill as passed by the Senate reduces the amount 
        appropriated for the same program, project, or activity from 
        the amount appropriated for that program, project, or activity 
        in that bill as reported initially in the House of 
        Representatives;
then, upon the passage of that bill by both Houses of Congress, the 
suballocations for that fiscal year made by each Committee on 
Appropriations under subsection (b)(1) to the subcommittee with 
jurisdiction over that measure shall be reduced by the sum of the 
lesser amount of reductions made for each such program, project, or 
activity by the House of Representatives or the Senate, as the case may 
be, and that committee shall report to its House--
            ``(i) an adjusted suballocation for that subcommittee with 
        the appropriate reductions in levels of total new budget 
        outlays and total new budget authority; and
            ``(ii) an adjusted allocation for the committee that is 
        reduced by the reductions in new budget outlays and new budget 
        authority made under clause (i).
    ``(3) Further Adjustments of Appropriations Committees Allocations 
and Suballocations.--Upon the enactment of any rescission bill, the 
suballocations for that fiscal year made by each Committee on 
Appropriations under subsection (b)(1) to any subcommittee with 
jurisdiction over that bill shall be reduced by the sum of the 
rescissions contained in that bill over which it has jurisdiction, and 
that committee shall report to its House--
            ``(A) an adjusted suballocation for that subcommittee with 
        the appropriate reductions in levels of total new budget 
        outlays and total new budget authority; and
            ``(B) an adjusted allocation for the committee that is 
        reduced by the reductions in new budget outlays and new budget 
        authority made under subparagraph (A).''.
    (b) Section 602 Allocations.--Section 602 of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsections:
    ``(f) Adjustments of Appropriations Committees Allocations and 
Suballocations.--If--
            ``(1) a general appropriation bill as reported by the 
        Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives is 
        amended and that bill as passed by that House reduces the 
        amount appropriated for any program, project, or activity from 
        the amount appropriated for that program, project, or activity 
        in that bill as so reported; and
            ``(2) that bill as passed by the Senate reduces the amount 
        appropriated for the same program, project, or activity from 
        the amount appropriated for that program, project, or activity 
        in that bill as reported initially in the House of 
        Representatives;
then, upon the passage of that bill by both Houses of Congress, the 
suballocations for that fiscal year made by each Committee on 
Appropriations under subsection (b)(1) to the subcommittee with 
jurisdiction over that measure shall be reduced by the sum of the 
lesser amount of reductions made for each such program, project, or 
activity by the House of Representatives or the Senate, as the case may 
be, and that committee shall report to its House--
            ``(A) an adjusted suballocation for that subcommittee with 
        the appropriate reductions in levels of total new budget 
        outlays and total new budget authority; and
            ``(B) an adjusted allocation for the committee that is 
        reduced by the reductions in new budget outlays and new budget 
        authority made under subparagraph (A).
    ``(g) Further Adjustments of Appropriations Committees Allocations 
and Suballocations.--Upon the passage of any rescission bill by both 
Houses of Congress, the suballocations for that fiscal year made by 
each Committee on Appropriations under subsection (b)(1) to any 
subcommittee with jurisdiction over that bill shall be reduced by the 
sum of the rescissions contained in that bill over which it has 
jurisdiction, and that committee shall report to its House--
            ``(1) an adjusted suballocation for that subcommittee with 
        the appropriate reductions in levels of total new budget 
        outlays and total new budget authority; and
            ``(2) an adjusted allocation for the committee that is 
        reduced by the reductions in new budget outlays and new budget 
        authority made under paragraph (1).''.
    (c) CBO Tracking.--Section 202 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(i) Scorekeeping Assistance.--To facilitate compliance by the 
Committees on Appropriations with sections 302(e)(2) and 602(f), the 
Office shall score all general appropriation measures as passed the 
House of Representatives and as passed the Senate and have such 
scorecard published in the Congressional Record.''.
    (d) Adjustment of Discretionary Spending Limits.--Section 601(a)(2) 
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by inserting before 
the period at the end the following: ``and by the amounts of any 
adjustments pursuant to section 602(f)(2)(B) and section 602(g)(2)''.

SEC. 3. PROHIBITION OF PROXY VOTING IN COMMITTEES.

    Clause 2(f) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is amended to read as follows:
    ``(f) No vote by any member of any committee or subcommittee with 
respect to any measure or matter may be cast by proxy.''.

SEC. 4. OPEN COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

    Rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended--
            (1) in the first sentence of clause 2(g)(1), by inserting 
        ``because disclosure of matter to be considered would endanger 
        the national security or would tend to defame, degrade, or 
        incriminate any person'' after ``public'' the second place it 
        appears;
            (2) in clause 3(d), by striking ``is a privilege made 
        available by the House and''; and
            (3) by striking clause 3(e) and inserting the following:
    ``(e) Whenever a hearing or meeting conducted by any committee of 
the House is open to the public, those proceedings shall be open to 
television broadcast, radio broadcast, and still photography, or by any 
of such methods of coverage. No committee or subcommittee chairman may 
limit the number of television or still cameras below 2 representatives 
from each medium.''.

SEC. 5. APPLICATION OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT TO THE CONGRESS.

    The Congress, and the instrumentalities of Congress, shall be 
subject to section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
referred to as the ``Freedom of Information Act'') to the same extent 
that Executive agencies (as defined by section 105 of title 5, United 
States Code) are subject to such section 552.

SEC. 6. MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF 
              REPRESENTATIVES.

    (a) 5-day Waiting Period.--(1) Clause 2(l)(6) of rule XI of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by striking ``third'' 
and inserting ``fifth''.
    (2) The first sentence of clause 2(a) of rule XXVIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives is amended by striking ``third'' and 
inserting ``fifth''.
    (b) Two-thirds Required to Approve Restrictive Rules.--Clause 4 of 
rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(e) It shall not be in order to consider any resolution reported 
from the Committee on Rules providing for the consideration of any bill 
or resolution otherwise subject to amendment under House Rules if that 
resolution limits the right of Members to offer germane amendments to 
such bill, unless that resolution is agreed to by the affirmative vote 
of at least two-thirds of the Members voting, a quorum being 
present.''.
    (c) Ban on King-of-the-hill Rules.--The last sentence of clause 
4(b) of rule XI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended 
by inserting before the period the following: ``; nor shall it report 
any rule for the consideration of any measure commonly known as a 
`king-of-the-hill' rule''.
    (d) Ban on Self-executing Rules.--Clause 4 of rule XI of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives (as amended by subsection (b)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(f) It shall not be in order to consider any order of business 
resolution reported from the Committee on Rules which provides that, 
upon the adoption of such resolution, the House shall be considered to 
have automatically adopted a motion (other than for the previous 
question), amendment, or resolution, or to have passed a bill, joint 
resolution, or conference report thereon.''.
    (e) Repeal of Rule XLIX.--Rule XLIX of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is repealed.
    (f) Conference Committees.--(1) Clause 3 of rule XXVIII of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by adding at the end 
the following new sentence: ``Their report shall not fund any program, 
project, or activity at a level higher than that contained in the bill 
or resolution as passed the House or as passed the Senate and committed 
to the conference committee or fund any program, project, or activity 
not contained in that bill or resolution as passed the House or as 
passed the Senate.''.
    (2) Rule XXVIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives is 
amended by adding at the end the following new clause:
    ``7. It shall not be in order in the House to consider a conference 
report if that report would violate any motion to instruct conferees 
that the House agreed to.''.

SEC. 7. BUDGET ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) President's Budget.--Paragraph (5) of section 1105(a) of title 
31, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
            ``(5) except as provided in subsection (b) of this 
        section--
                    ``(A) estimated expenditures and proposed 
                appropriations for each function and subfunction in the 
                current fiscal year;
                    ``(B) estimated expenditures and proposed 
                appropriations the President decides are necessary to 
                support the Government for each function and 
                subfunction in the fiscal year for which the budget is 
                submitted; and
                    ``(C) a comparison of levels of estimated 
                expenditures and proposed appropriations for each 
                function and subfunction in the current fiscal year and 
                the fiscal year for which the budget is submitted, 
                along with the proposed increase or decrease of 
                spending in percentage terms for each function and 
                subfunction;''.
    (b) Congressional Budget.--Section 301(e) of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 is amended by--
            (1) inserting after the second sentence the following: 
        ``The starting point for any deliberations in the Committee on 
        the Budget of each House on the concurrent resolution on the 
        budget for the next fiscal year shall be the estimated level of 
        outlays for the current year in each function and subfunction. 
        Any increases or decreases in the Congressional budget for the 
        next fiscal year shall be from such estimated levels.'';
            (2) striking paragraphs (2) and (3) and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(2) a comparison of levels for the current fiscal year 
        with proposed spending for the subsequent fiscal years along 
        with the proposed increase or decrease of spending in 
        percentage terms for each function and subfunction;
            ``(3) information, data, and comparisons indicating the 
        manner in which, and the basis on which, the committee 
        determined each of the matters set forth in the concurrent 
        resolution, including information on outlays for the current 
        fiscal year and the decisions reached to set funding for the 
        subsequent fiscal years;'';
            (3) inserting ``and'' after the semicolon in paragraph (7);
            (4) striking paragraph (8); and
            (5) redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (8).
    (c) CBO Report to Budget Committees.--The first sentence of section 
202(f)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended to read as 
follows: ``On or before February 15 of each year, the Director shall 
submit to the Committees on the Budget of the House of Representatives 
and the Senate a report, for the fiscal year commencing on October 1 of 
that year, with respect to fiscal policy, including (A) estimated 
budget outlays in all functions and subfunctions for appropriated 
accounts for the current fiscal year and estimated budget outlays under 
current law for all entitlement programs for the next fiscal year, (B) 
alternative levels of total revenues, total new budget authority, and 
total outlays (including related surpluses and deficits), and (C) the 
levels of tax expenditures under existing law, taking into account 
projected economic factors and any changes in such levels based on 
proposals in the budget submitted by the President for such fiscal 
year.''.

SEC. 8. ECONOMIC AND EMPLOYMENT IMPACT STATEMENTS.

    (a) Preparation.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
shall prepare an economic and employment impact statement, as described 
in subsection (b), to accompany each bill, resolution, or conference 
report reported by any committee of the House of Representatives or the 
Senate or considered on the floor of either House.
    (b) Contents.--Except as provided in subsection (c), the economic 
and employment impact statement required by subsection (a) shall--
            (1) state the extent to which enactment of the bill, 
        resolution, or conference report would result in increased 
        costs to the private sector, individuals, or State and local 
        governments; and
            (2) include, at a minimum, a detailed assessment of the 
        annual impact of the bill, resolution, or conference report 
        (projected annually over a 5-year period from its effective 
        date, and, to the extent feasible, expressed in each case in 
        monetary terms) on--
                    (A) costs to United States consumers;
                    (B) costs to United States business;
                    (C) national employment;
                    (D) the ability of United States industries to 
                compete internationally;
                    (E) affected State and local governments, fiscal 
                and otherwise;
                    (F) outlays and revenues by the Federal Government 
                as compared to outlays and revenues for the same 
                activity in the current fiscal year (as reported by the 
                Congressional Budget Office); and
                    (G) impact on Gross Domestic Product.
    (c) Exception.--The economic and employment impact statement 
required by subsection (a) may consist of a brief summary assessment in 
lieu of the detailed assessment set forth in subsection (b) if 
preliminary analysis indicates that the aggregate effect of the bill, 
resolution, or conference report as measured by the criteria set forth 
in subparagraphs (A) through (G) of subsection (b) is less than 
$100,000 or 1,000 jobs in national employment.
    (d) Statement With All Legislation.--The economic and employment 
impact statement required by this section shall accompany each bill, 
resolution, or conference report before such bill, resolution, or 
conference report may be reported or otherwise considered on the floor 
of either House.
    (e) Point of Order.--
            (1) Rule.--It shall not be in order in either the House of 
        Representatives or the Senate to consider on the floor any 
        bill, resolution, or conference report, whether or not reported 
        by any committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate, 
        unless that bill, resolution, or conference report includes the 
        economic and employment impact statement required by this 
        section.
            (2) Waiver.--A point of order made under this subsection 
        may be waived in the Senate by a two-thirds affirmative vote of 
        Senators, duly chosen and sworn, and in the House of 
        Representatives by a two-thirds affirmative vote of Members, 
        duly chosen and sworn.
    (f) Executive Regulations.--Each regulation and proposed regulation 
promulgated by a Federal department or executive agency shall be 
accompanied by an economic and employment impact statement prepared, in 
accordance with subsection (b), by the department or agency 
promulgating the regulation or proposed regulation. The economic and 
employment impact statement shall be published in the Federal Register 
together with such regulation or proposed regulation.
    (g) Provision for National Security Emergency Waiver.--
            (1) Congressional economic impact statements.--The Congress 
        may waive the requirements of subsections (a) through (d) at 
        any time in which a declaration of war is in effect, or in 
        response to a national security emergency at the request of the 
        President.
            (2) Executive regulations.--The President may waive the 
        requirements of subsection (f) at any time in which a 
        declaration of war is in effect, or in response to a national 
        security emergency as determined by the President in 
        consultation with Congress.
    (h) Repeal of Senate Rule.--Paragraph 11 of rule XXVI of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate is repealed.

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HR 3633 IH----2