[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 50 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 50

  Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to 
                       require a balanced budget.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 1997

   Mr. Pomeroy 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 a balanced budget.

    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. Total outlays for any fiscal year shall not exceed 
total receipts for that fiscal year, unless three-fifths of the whole 
number of each House of Congress shall provide by law for a specific 
excess of outlays over receipts by a rollcall vote.
    ``Section 2. The limit on the debt of the United States held by the 
public shall not be increased, unless three-fifths of the whole number 
of each House shall provide by law for such an increase by a rollcall 
vote.
    ``Section 3. Prior to each fiscal year, the President shall 
transmit to the Congress a proposed budget for the United States 
Government for that fiscal year in which total outlays do not exceed 
total receipts.
    ``Section 4. Congress may waive the provisions of this article for 
any fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect. The 
provisions of this article may be waived for any fiscal year in which 
the United States faces an imminent and serious military threat to 
national security and is so declared by a joint resolution which 
becomes law. The provisions may be waived for any fiscal year in which 
the President certifies to Congress and Congress affirms by a joint 
resolution that the United States is experiencing an economic 
recession.
    ``Section 5. Total receipts shall include all receipts of the 
United States except those derived from borrowing and total outlays 
shall include all outlays of the United States except those for the 
repayment of debt principal. Total receipts shall not include receipts 
(including attributable interest) for the financing of benefits and 
administrative expenses of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance 
Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund, or any 
successor funds, and total outlays shall not include outlays for 
disbursement of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund 
for benefits and administrative expenses and the Federal Disability 
Insurance Trust Fund for benefits and administrative expenses, or any 
successor funds. The receipts and outlays referred to in the preceding 
sentence shall be limited to receipts and outlays that provide old-age 
and survivor cash benefits for individuals based upon their earnings 
and dependents of such earners or provide disability cash benefits for 
disabled individuals based upon their earning and dependents of such 
earners.
    ``Section 6. The Congress shall enforce and implement this article 
by appropriate legislation, which may rely on estimates of outlays and 
receipts.
    ``Section 7. This article shall take effect beginning with fiscal 
year 2002 or with the second fiscal year beginning after its 
ratification, whichever is later.''
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