[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 159 Introduced in House (IH)]

  2d Session
H. J. RES. 159

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 1996

Mr. Barton of Texas (for himself, Mr. Pete Geren of Texas, Mr. Shadegg, 
Mr. Hall of Texas, Mr. Saxton, Mr. Allard, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Armey, Mr. 
Bachus, Mr. Baker of California, Mr. Baker of Louisiana, Mr. Ballenger, 
Mr. Barr of Georgia, Mr. Barrett of Nebraska, Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, 
  Mr. Bliley, Mr. Boehner, Mr. Bonilla, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Bryant of 
 Tennessee, Mr. Bunn of Oregon, Mr. Bunning of Kentucky, Mr. Burr, Mr. 
Burton of Indiana, Mr. Callahan, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Camp, Mr. Chabot, Mr. 
 Chambliss, Mrs. Chenoweth, Mr. Christensen, Mr. Chrysler, Mr. Coble, 
Mr. Coburn, Mr. Collins of Georgia, Mr. Combest, Mr. Cooley, Mr. Cox of 
 California, Mr. Crane, Mr. Cremeans, Mrs. Cubin, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. 
Deal of Georgia, Mr. Dickey, Mr. Doolittle, Mr. Dornan, Mr. Duncan, Ms. 
   Dunn of Washington, Mr. Emerson, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
 Ensign, Mr. Foley, Mr. Forbes, Mrs. Fowler, Mr. Fox of Pennsylvania, 
Mr. Franks of New Jersey, Mr. Franks of Connecticut, Mr. Frelinghuysen, 
 Mr. Frisa, Mr. Funderburk, Mr. Ganske, Mr. Gilman, Mr. Goodling, Mr. 
   Goss, Mr. Graham, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. Gutknecht, Mr. Hancock, Mr. 
    Hansen, Mr. Hastert, Mr. Hastings of Washington, Mr. Hayes, Mr. 
Hayworth, Mr. Hefley, Mr. Heineman, Mr. Herger, Mr. Hilleary, Mr. Horn, 
 Mr. Hunter, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Inglis of South Carolina, Mr. Istook, 
    Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, Mr. Jones, Mrs. Kelly, Mr. King, Mr. 
   Kingston, Mr. Klug, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Kolbe, Mr. Largent, Mr. 
Latham, Mr. Laughlin, Mr. Lewis of Kentucky, Mr. Lightfoot, Mr. Linder, 
 Mr. LoBiondo, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Manzullo, Mr. Martini, Mr. McCollum, Mr. 
    McCrery, Mr. McHugh, Mr. McInnis, Mr. McIntosh, Mr. McKeon, Mr. 
Metcalf, Mr. Mica, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Neumann, Mr. 
Ney, Mr. Norwood, Mr. Packard, Mr. Parker, Mr. Paxon, Mr. Quillen, Mr. 
    Quinn, Mr. Radanovich, Mr. Ramstad, Mr. Riggs, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
 Rohrabacher, Mr. Royce, Mr. Salmon, Mr. Sanford, Mr. Scarborough, Mr. 
 Schaefer, Mrs. Seastrand, Mr. Sensenbrenner, Mr. Skeen, Mr. Smith of 
 Texas, Mrs. Smith of Washington, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Souder, Mr. Spence, 
Mr. Stearns, Mr. Stockman, Mr. Stump, Mr. Talent, Mr. Tate, Mr. Tauzin, 
     Mr. Taylor of North Carolina, Mr. Thornberry, Mr. Tiahrt, Mr. 
Torkildsen, Mr. Upton, Mrs. Waldholtz, Mr. Wamp, Mr. Watts of Oklahoma, 
  Mr. Weldon of Florida, Mr. Weldon of Pennyslvania, Mr. Weller, Mr. 
 Wicker, Mr. Young of Alaska, and Mr. Zeliff) introduced the following 
 joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
       require two-thirds 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 the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

                              ``Article --

    ``Section 1. Any bill to levy a new tax or increase the rate or 
base of any tax may pass only by a two-thirds majority of the whole 
number of each House of Congress.
    ``Section 2. The Congress may waive section 1 when a declaration of 
war is in effect. The Congress may also waive section 1 when the United 
States is engaged in military conflict which causes an imminent and 
serious threat to national security and is so declared by a joint 
resolution, adopted by a majority of the whole number of each House, 
which becomes law. Any provision of law which would, standing alone, be 
subject to section 1 but for this section and which becomes law 
pursuant to such a waiver shall be effective for not longer than 2 
years.
    ``Section 3. All votes taken by the House of Representatives or the 
Senate under this article shall be determined by yeas and nays and the 
names of persons voting for and against shall be entered on the Journal 
of each House respectively.''.
                                 <all>