[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4594 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4594

To increase the statutory debt limit and to require a Presidential plan 
        to restore balanced budgets and protect Social Security.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 25, 2002

Mr. Moore (for himself, Mr. Hill, Mr. Tanner, Mr. Stenholm, Mr. Holden, 
    Mr. Sandlin, Mr. Ross, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Israel, Mr. 
   Matheson, Mr. Phelps, Ms. Harman, and Mr. Turner) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, 
and in addition to the Committees on the Budget and Rules, 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 increase the statutory debt limit and to require a Presidential plan 
        to restore balanced budgets and protect Social Security.

    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 ``Climbing Out of the Deficit Ditch 
Act of 2002''.

                    TITLE I--INCREASE IN DEBT LIMIT

SEC. 101. INCREASE IN DEBT LIMIT.

    (a) Increase in Statutory Debt Limit.--Section 3101(b) of title 31, 
United States Code, is amended by striking ``$5,950,000,000,000'' and 
inserting ``$6,100,000,000,000''.
    (b) Point of Order.--(1) Except as provided by paragraph (2), it 
shall not be in order in the House to consider any bill, joint 
resolution, amendment, or conference report that includes any provision 
that increases the limit on the public debt above $6,100,000,000,000 or 
otherwise extends the borrowing authority of the Treasury beyond 
September 30, 2002.
    (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply in the House if--
            (A) the chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the 
        House has made the certification described in section 201 that 
        the budget (excluding the receipts and disbursements of the 
        Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the 
        Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund) will be in balance by 
        fiscal year 2007; or
            (B) the President has submitted a plan meeting the 
        requirements of this title and the House has approved a 
        resolution meeting the requirements of this title.

                  TITLE II--BUDGET REVIEW AND REVISION

SEC. 201. CERTIFICATION OF PROJECTED ON-BUDGET BALANCE.

    (a) In General.--If, in the report released pursuant to section 
202(e)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, entitled the Budget 
and Economic Outlook Update (for fiscal years 2003 through 2012), the 
Director of the Congressional Budget Office projects that the unified 
budget of the United States for fiscal year 2003 will be in balance and 
that the budget (excluding the receipts and disbursements of the 
Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal 
Disability Insurance Trust Fund) will be in balance by fiscal year 
2007, then the chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the House is 
authorized to certify that the budget is projected to meet the goals of 
a balanced budget and protecting social security.
    (b) Request If Deficit Projected for Budget Excluding OASDI.--If 
the report of the Congressional Budget Office released pursuant to 
section 202(e)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, entitled the 
Budget and Economic Outlook Update (for fiscal years 2003 through 
2012), projects the budget (excluding the receipts and disbursements of 
the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal 
Disability Insurance Trust Fund) will be in deficit in fiscal year 
2007, the chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the House shall 
request that the President submit to the House a proposal to bring the 
budget of the United States (excluding the receipts and disbursements 
of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the 
Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund) into balance by fiscal year 
2007.
    (c) Economic and Technical Basis of Certification.--In making the 
certification under subsection (a), the chairman of the Committee on 
the Budget of the House shall rely on the most recent economic and 
technical assumptions of the Congressional Budget Office and all 
legislation enacted before the date of such certification, including 
legislation establishing discretionary spending limits. If legislation 
enacting discretionary spending limits has not been so enacted, the 
Congressional Budget Office shall assume the discretionary spending 
levels set forth in House Concurrent Resolution 353, as agreed to, or 
if not agreed to, then as passed the House.

SEC. 202. PLAN AND ANNUAL REPORTS SUBMITTED BY THE PRESIDENT.

    (a) Presidential Plan.--If the chairman of the Committee on the 
Budget of the House submits a request to the President under section 
201, the President shall submit a plan that includes--
            (1) specific legislative changes to reduce outlays, 
        increase revenues, or both;
            (2) the text of a special resolution implementing the 
        President's recommendations through reconciliation directives 
        instructing the appropriate committees of the House of 
        Representatives and Senate to determine and recommend changes 
        in laws within their jurisdictions to reduce outlays or 
        increase revenues by specified amounts; and
            (3) recommendations for new discretionary spending limits 
        or other budget enforcement mechanisms necessary to maintain 
        compliance with the plan;
to achieve savings sufficient to put the budget on a path that is 
projected to meet the goals of balancing the budget and protecting 
social security as set forth in section 201.
    (b) Annual Presidential Reports to Congress on Homeland Security 
Budget.--Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(34) a separate report on a homeland security budget, 
        including recommendations regarding (A) guidelines for which 
        spending should be considered as part of a homeland security 
        budget, predicated on a homeland security strategy describing 
        the vulnerabilities and threats to terrorist attack and the 
        goals of the homeland security budget, (B) the amount of 
        funding that should be walled off within the discretionary 
        spending limits for homeland security programs, and (C) whether 
        the discretionary spending limits need to be increased to 
        accommodate the funding needs identified in the President's 
        review of homeland security spending.''.

SEC. 203. CONGRESSIONAL ACTION REQUIRED IF BALANCED BUDGETS AND SOCIAL 
              SECURITY PROTECTION GOALS ARE NOT BEING MET.

    (a) Requirement for Legislation Restoring Balanced Budget and 
Protecting Social Security Surplus.--Whenever the President submits a 
plan to restore balanced budgets and restore the social security 
surplus under the preceding section, the Committee on the Budget of the 
House shall report, not later than September 15, a revised concurrent 
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2003 with instructions to 
committees to achieve reductions in outlays or increases in revenues, 
or both, sufficient to meet the goals of balancing the budget and 
protecting social security, and appropriately revised section 302(a) 
allocations to the Committee on Appropriations.
    (b) Procedure if House Budget Committee Fails To Report Required 
Resolution.--
            (1) Automatic discharge of house budget committee.--If the 
        Committee on the Budget fails to report the resolution required 
        by subsection (a), then the legislation introduced pursuant to 
        the preceding section (legislation implementing the President's 
        plan) shall be automatically discharged from consideration by 
        the committee or committees to which it was referred and it 
        shall be placed on the appropriate calendar.
            (2) Consideration by house.--Ten days after the applicable 
        committee or committees have been discharged under paragraph 
        (1), any Member may move that the House proceed to consider the 
        resolution. Such motion shall be highly privileged and not 
        debatable.
    (c) Application of Congressional Budget Act.--To the extent that 
they are relevant and not inconsistent with this title, the provisions 
of title III of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 shall apply in the 
House of Representatives and the Senate to resolutions and legislation 
under this title and reconciliation legislation reported pursuant to 
directives included in those resolutions.
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