[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 215 Introduced in House (IH)]







                                    


104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 215

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 1995

   Mr. Crapo (for himself, Mr. Royce, Mr. Canady, Mr. Manzullo, Mr. 
Hutchinson, Mr. Istook, Mr. Hoekstra, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
 Chabot, Mr. Hansen, Mr. Dornan, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Stump, Mr. Goss, 
 Mr. Inglis of South Carolina, Mr. Baker of California, Mr. Collins of 
    Georgia, Mr. Baker of Louisiana, Mr. Sam Johnson of Texas, Mr. 
Greenwood, Mr. Talent, Mr. Chenoweth, Mr. Hastert, Mr. Bachus, Mr. Kim, 
and Mr. Schaefer), introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
   the Committee on Rules and, in addition, to the Committees on the 
    Budget, and Government Reform and Oversight, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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 1995''.

           TITLE I--CHANGES IN DISCRETIONARY SPENDING LIMITS

SEC. 101. DEFICIT REDUCTION TRUST FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--A trust fund known as the ``Deficit Reduction 
Trust Fund'' (hereinafter in this title referred to as the ``Fund'') 
shall be established in the Treasury of the United States.
    (b) Contents.--The Fund shall consist only of amounts contained in 
the deficit reduction lock box provision of any appropriation Act. Such 
amounts shall be transferred to the Fund as specified in subsection 
(c).
    (c) Transfers of Moneys to the Fund.--Within 10 days of enactment 
of any appropriation Act which has a deficit reduction lock box 
provision, there shall be transferred from the general fund to the Fund 
an amount equal to that amount.
    (d) Use of Moneys in the Fund.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, the amounts in the Fund shall not be available, in any fiscal 
year, for appropriation, obligation, expenditure, or transfer.

SEC. 102. DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS OF DISCRETIONARY SPENDING LIMITS.

    The discretionary spending limit for new budget authority for any 
fiscal year set forth in section 601(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, as adjusted in strict conformance with section 251 of the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, shall be 
reduced by the amount of budget authority transferred to the Fund for 
that fiscal year under section 2(c), as calculated by the Director of 
the Office of Management and Budget. The adjusted discretionary 
spending limit for outlays for that fiscal year as set forth in such 
section 601(a)(2) shall be reduced as a result of the reduction of such 
budget authority, as calculated by the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget. All such reductions shall occur on the same day 
that the amounts triggering the reductions are transferred to the Fund.

SEC. 103. DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS OF APPROPRIATION 
              MEASURES.

    (a) Deficit Reduction Lock-box Provisions.--Title III of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

     ``deficit reduction lock-box provisions of appropriation bills

    ``Sec. 314. (a) Any general appropriation bill that is being marked 
up by the Committee on Appropriations (or a subcommittee thereof) of 
either House shall contain a line item entitled `Deficit Reduction 
Lock-box'. The dollar amount set forth under that heading shall be an 
amount equal to the section 602(b)(1) or section 302(b)(1) allocations, 
as the case may be, to the subcommittee of jurisdiction over the bill 
of the Committee on Appropriations minus the aggregate level of budget 
authority or outlays contained in the bill being considered.
    ``(b) Whenever a Member of either House of Congress offers an 
amendment (whether in subcommittee, committee, or on the floor) to an 
appropriation bill to reduce spending, that reduction shall be placed 
in the deficit reduction lock-box unless that Member indicates that it 
is to be utilized for another program, project, or activity covered by 
that bill. If the amendment is agreed to and the reduction was placed 
in the deficit reduction lock-box, then the line item entitled `Deficit 
Reduction Lock-box' shall be increased by the amount of that reduction.
    ``(c) It shall not be in order in the House of Representatives or 
the Senate to consider a conference report that modifies any Deficit 
Reduction Lock-box provision that is beyond the scope of that provision 
as so committed to the conference committee.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents set forth in 
section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 
1974 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 313 the 
following new item:

``Sec. 314. Deficit reduction lock-box provisions of appropriation 
                            measures.''.

SEC. 104. 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 section 314, 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.''.

    TITLE II--MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF 
                            REPRESENTATIVES

SEC. 201. 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 or to Waive 
House Rules.--(1) 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.''.
    (2) Rule XXVII of the Rules of the House of Representatives is 
amended by adding at the end the following new clause:
    ``4. The Rules of the House of Representatives shall not be waived 
except by a vote of 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.''.

          TITLE III--ECONOMIC AND EMPLOYMENT IMPACT STATEMENTS

SEC. 301. 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.

         TITLE IV--APPLICABILITY OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

SEC. 401. 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.
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