[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 19 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 19

  Expressing the sense of the Congress that future budget resolutions 
   should maintain our commitment to fiscal responsibility by using 
            agreed-upon surplus, tax, and spending figures.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 31, 2001

   Mr. Moore (for himself and Mr. Stenholm) submitted the following 
   concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the 
                                 Budget

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the Congress that future budget resolutions 
   should maintain our commitment to fiscal responsibility by using 
            agreed-upon surplus, tax, and spending figures.

Whereas disagreements on objective budget surplus figures, in the annual budget 
        and appropriations process, have led to repetitive and time-consuming 
        budget votes, decreasing the time available for consideration and 
        oversight of federal programs, undermining legislation to provide 
        responsible tax relief, and delaying enactment of legislation necessary 
        to fund the Government;
Whereas Congress and the Administration want to work together to do everything 
        possible to maintain a strong and growing economy;
Whereas an agreement on baseline estimates will prevent us from undermining the 
        fiscal discipline that has contributed to our economic strength and 
        allow Congress and the Administration to address their collective 
        priorities in a responsible, bipartisan manner;
Whereas a bipartisan majority of the Members of the House of Representatives and 
        the Senate have voted to protect the social security and medicare trust 
        funds;
Whereas empirical evidence and the Congressional Budget Office agree that 
        changes in economic conditions make projections based on ten-year 
        forecasts highly uncertain;
Whereas the caps on discretionary spending are set to expire at the end of 
        fiscal year 2002 and no formal rules will be in place to contain the 
        growth in discretionary spending;
Whereas baseline estimates typically overstate the size of available surpluses 
        by not assuming costs of extending or changing policies that affect 
        revenues, such as expiring tax provisions and the cost of indexing the 
        alternative minimum tax (AMT) to protect middle-class families from the 
        AMT; and
Whereas current baseline estimates do not recognize underlying demographic 
        pressures that will incur future obligations that may threaten projected 
        surpluses outside the ten-year budget window: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that future budget resolutions, as 
well as all tax and spending legislation, should maintain our 
commitment to fiscal responsibility by using agreed-upon surplus, tax, 
and spending figures derived from the following principles:
            (1) The size of the available surplus should exclude social 
        security and medicare trust funds.
            (2) The uncertainty of long-term economic forecasts should 
        be recognized.
            (3) Realistic assumptions for the growth in discretionary 
        spending should be accounted for.
            (4) The projected surplus should be adjusted to recognize 
        that scoring conventions do not incorporate the costs of 
        policies that Congress historically reauthorizes.
            (5) There should be a recognition that the federal 
        government will incur sizable, future obligations due to 
        demographic pressures set to occur upon the retirement of our 
        baby-boom generation.
                                 <all>