[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 1 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 1

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 21, 1997

Mr. Hatch (for himself, Mr. Lott, Mr. Thurmond, Mr. Craig, Mr. Nickles, 
Mr. Domenici, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Roth, Mr. Bryan, Mr. Kohl, Mr. Grassley, 
Mr. Graham, Mr. Specter, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Breaux, Mr. Kyl, 
Ms. Moseley-Braun, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Robb, Mr. Abraham, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. 
 Sessions, Mr. D'Amato, Mr. Helms, Mr. Lugar, Mr. Chafee, Mr. McCain, 
 Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Warner, Mr. Coverdell, Mr. Cochran, Mrs. Hutchison, 
Mr. Mack, Mr. Gramm, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Allard, Mr. Brownback, Ms. Collins, 
Mr. Enzi, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Hutchinson, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Smith of Oregon, 
    Mr. Bennett, Mr. Bond, Mr. Burns, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Coats, Mr. 
Faircloth, Mr. Frist, Mr. Gorton, Mr. Grams, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. 
Kempthorne, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Murkowski, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Shelby, Mr. 
Smith of New Hampshire, and Mr. Thomas) introduced the following joint 
 resolution; which was read twice and 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, 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 to the States 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. No bill to increase revenue shall become law unless 
approved by a majority of the whole number of each House by a rollcall 
vote.
    ``Section 5. The 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 is engaged in military conflict which causes an 
imminent and serious military 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.
    ``Section 6. The Congress shall enforce and implement this article 
by appropriate legislation, which may rely on estimates of outlays and 
receipts.
    ``Section 7. Total receipts shall include all receipts of the 
United States Government except those derived from borrowing. Total 
outlays shall include all outlays of the United States Government 
except for those for repayment of debt principal.
    ``Section 8. 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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