[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3966 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3966

To facilitate Presidential leadership and Congressional accountability 
regarding reduction of other spending to offset costs of responding to 
                       recent natural disasters.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 29, 2005

  Mr. Udall of Colorado (for himself, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Flake, and Mrs. 
  Musgrave) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on 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 facilitate Presidential leadership and Congressional accountability 
regarding reduction of other spending to offset costs of responding to 
                       recent natural disasters.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Stimulating 
Leadership in Cutting Expenditures Act of 2005''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) large areas of several States, including many large and 
        small communities, have suffered numerous deaths and widespread 
        destruction as a result of recent hurricanes and other natural 
        disasters;
            (2) millions of Americans have been forced to flee their 
        homes, and in some cases have been left homeless, by those 
        disasters;
            (3) the adverse consequences for the regional and national 
        economy are expected to be substantial and ongoing;
            (4) Congress has responded by providing large amounts of 
        funding to enable the Government to assist States, local 
        authorities, and individuals most affected by those disasters;
            (5) substantial additional appropriations for these 
        purposes probably will be required in the future;
            (6) Federal expenditures for other purposes already exceed 
        revenues, so unless offset by increased revenues or reductions 
        in other expenditures, funding for these purposes will increase 
        the national debt that must be repaid, with interest, in the 
        future;
            (7) the President has indicated that he thinks funds 
        provided for other purposes can be reduced in order to offset 
        some or all of these costs; and
            (8) however, under current law, the Congress is not 
        required to act on any such proposals by the President.
    (c) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to enable the President to 
require Congress to debate and vote on certain presidential proposals 
for reducing other spending in order to offset amounts appropriated in 
response to the effects of recent natural disasters.

SEC. 2. EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN PROPOSED SPENDING 
              REDUCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Part B of title X of the Congressional Budget and 
Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 681 et seq.) is amended by 
redesignating sections 1013 through 1017 as sections 1014 through 1018, 
respectively, and inserting after section 1012 the following new 
section:

       ``expedited consideration of certain proposed rescissions

    ``Sec. 1013. (a) Proposed Rescission of Budget Authority.--In 
addition to the method of rescinding budget authority specified in 
section 1012, the President may propose, at the time and in the manner 
provided in subsection (b), the rescission of any budget authority 
provided in Public Law 109-59 or in an appropriation Act. Funds made 
available for obligation under this procedure may not be proposed for 
rescission again under this section or section 1012.
    ``(b) Transmittal of Special Message.--
            ``(1) Proposed rescissions of transportation projects.--
                    ``(A) On or before November 1, 2005, the President 
                may transmit to Congress a special message proposing to 
                rescind amounts of budget authority provided in the 
                Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (P.L. 
                109-59).
                    ``(B) A special message transmitted pursuant to 
                this subsection shall be accompanied by a draft bill 
                each section of which would affect only the specific 
                project or purpose specified in such section.
            ``(2) Proposed rescissions in appropriation acts.--
                    ``(A) Not later than January 1, 2006, the President 
                may transmit to Congress a special message proposing to 
                rescind amounts of budget authority provided in an 
                appropriation Act enacted prior to such date in order 
                to offset amounts appropriated or expected to be 
                appropriated in connection with natural disasters 
                occurring during calendar year 2005 and include with 
                that special message a draft bill each section of 
                which, if enacted, would only rescind the amount of 
                budget authority specified in such section. That bill 
                shall clearly identify the amount of budget authority 
                that is proposed to be rescinded for each program, 
                project, or activity to which that budget authority 
                relates.
                    ``(B) If a special message transmitted pursuant to 
                this subsection proposes to rescind budget authority 
                included in an appropriation Act that includes accounts 
                within the jurisdiction of more than one subcommittee 
                of the Committee on Appropriations, the President shall 
                send a draft bill that separates the proposed 
                rescissions from accounts within the jurisdiction of 
                each such subcommittee.
                    ``(C) Each special message shall specify, with 
                respect to the budget authority proposed to be 
                rescinded, the matters referred to in paragraphs (1) 
                through (5) of section 1012(a).
    ``(c) Procedures for Expedited Consideration.--
            ``(1)(A) Before the close of the second legislative day of 
        the House of Representatives after the date of receipt of a 
        special message transmitted to Congress under subsection (b), 
        the majority leader or minority leader of the House of 
        Representatives shall introduce (by request) the draft bill 
        accompanying that special message. If the bill is not 
        introduced as provided in the preceding sentence, then, on the 
        third legislative day of the House of Representatives after the 
        date of receipt of that special message, any Member of that 
        House may introduce the bill.
            ``(B) A bill affecting Public Law 109-59 shall be referred 
        to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and a 
        bill to rescind budgetary authority included in an 
        appropriation Act shall be referred to the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives. The committee 
        of referral shall report the bill without substantive revision, 
        and with or without recommendation. The bill shall be reported 
        not later than the seventh legislative day of that House after 
        the date of receipt of that special message. If the Committee 
        of referral fails to report the bill within that period, that 
        committee shall be automatically discharged from consideration 
        of the bill, and the bill shall be placed on the appropriate 
        calendar.
            ``(C) A separate vote on each section and, if any section 
        is approved, on final passage of a bill referred to in 
        subparagraph (B) shall be taken in the House of Representatives 
        on or before the close of the 10th legislative day of that 
        House after the date of the introduction of the bill in that 
        House. If the bill is passed, the Clerk of the House of 
        Representatives shall cause the bill to be engrossed, 
        certified, and transmitted to the Senate within one calendar 
        day of the day on which the bill is passed.
            ``(2)(A) A motion in the House of Representatives to 
        proceed to the consideration of a bill under this section shall 
        be highly privileged and not debatable. An amendment to the 
        motion shall not be in order, nor shall it be in order to move 
        to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or 
        disagreed to.
            ``(B) Debate in the House of Representatives on each 
        section of a bill under this section shall not exceed one hour 
        and debate on such bill shall not exceed 4 hours, in each case 
        with such time being divided equally between those favoring and 
        those opposing the section or final passage of the bill. A 
        motion further to limit debate shall not be debatable. It shall 
        not be in order to move to recommit a bill under this section 
        or to move to reconsider the vote by which the bill is agreed 
        to or disagreed to.
            ``(C) Appeals from decisions of the Chair relating to the 
        application of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the 
        procedure relating to a bill under this section shall be 
        decided without debate.
            ``(3)(A) A bill transmitted to the Senate pursuant to 
        paragraph (1)(C) shall be referred to the appropriate 
        committee. The committee shall report the bill without 
        substantive revision and with or without recommendation. The 
        bill shall be reported not later than the seventh legislative 
        day of the Senate after it receives the bill. A committee 
        failing to report the bill within such period shall be 
        automatically discharged from consideration of the bill, and 
        the bill shall be placed upon the appropriate calendar.
            ``(B) A separate vote on each section and on final passage 
        of a bill transmitted to the Senate shall be taken on or before 
        the close of the 10th legislative day of the Senate after the 
        date on which the bill is transmitted.
            ``(4)(A) A motion in the Senate to proceed to the 
        consideration of a bill under this section shall be privileged 
        and not debatable. An amendment to the motion shall not be in 
        order, nor shall it be in order to move to reconsider the vote 
        by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to.
            ``(B) Debate in the Senate on a bill under this section, 
        and all debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, 
        shall not exceed 10 hours. The time shall be equally divided 
        between, and controlled by, the majority leader and the 
        minority leader or their designees.
            ``(C) Debate in the Senate on any debatable motion or 
        appeal in connection with a bill under this section shall be 
        limited to not more than 1 hour, to be equally divided between, 
        and controlled by, the mover and the manager of the bill, 
        except that in the event the manager of the bill is in favor of 
        any such motion or appeal, the time in opposition thereto, 
        shall be controlled by the minority leader or his designee. 
        Such leaders, or either of them, may, from time under their 
        control on the passage of a bill, allot additional time to any 
        Senator during the consideration of any debatable motion or 
        appeal.
            ``(D) A motion in the Senate to further limit debate on a 
        bill under this section is not debatable. A motion to recommit 
        a bill under this section is not in order.
    ``(d) Amendments and Divisions Prohibited.--No amendment to a bill 
considered under this section shall be in order in either the House of 
Representatives or the Senate. It shall not be in order to demand a 
division of the question in the House of Representatives (or in a 
Committee of the Whole) or in the Senate. No motion to suspend the 
application of this subsection shall be in order in either House, nor 
shall it be in order in either House to suspend the application of this 
subsection by unanimous consent.
    ``(e) Requirement to Make Available for Obligation.--Any amount of 
budget authority proposed to be rescinded in a special message 
transmitted to Congress under subsection (b) shall be made available 
for obligation on the earlier of--
            ``(1) the day after the date upon which the House of 
        Representatives defeats the section of a bill transmitted with 
        that special message rescinding the amount proposed to be 
        rescinded; or
            ``(2) the day after the date upon which the Senate rejects 
        the relevant section of a bill that makes rescissions to carry 
        out the applicable special message of the President.
    ``(f) Definitions.--For purposes of this section--
            ``(1) the term `appropriation Act' means any general or 
        special appropriation Act, and any Act or joint resolution 
        making supplemental, deficiency, or continuing appropriations; 
        and
            ``(2) the term `legislative day' means, with respect to 
        either House of Congress, any calendar day during which that 
        House is in session.''.
    (b) Exercise of Rulemaking Powers.--Section 904 of such Act (2 
U.S.C. 621 note) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and 1017'' in subsection (a) and 
        inserting ``1013, and 1018''; and
            (2) by striking ``section 1017'' in subsection (d) and 
        inserting ``sections 1013 and 1018''.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 1011 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 682(5)) is amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``1013'' and 
                inserting ``1014''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (5)--
                            (i) by striking ``1016'' and inserting 
                        ``1017''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``1017(b)(1)'' and 
                        inserting ``1018(b)(1)''.
            (2) Section 1015 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 685) (as 
        redesignated by section 2(a)) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``1012 or 1013'' each place it 
                appears and inserting ``1012, 1013, or 1014'';
                    (B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``1012'' and 
                inserting ``1012 or 1013'';
                    (C) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``1013'' and 
                inserting ``1014''; and
                    (D) in subsection (e)(2)--
                            (i) by striking ``and'' at the end of 
                        subparagraph (A);
                            (ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
                        subparagraph (C);
                            (iii) by striking ``1013'' in subparagraph 
                        (C) (as so redesignated) and inserting 
                        ``1014''; and
                            (iv) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
                        the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) he has transmitted a special message under 
                section 1013 with respect to a proposed rescission; 
                and''.
            (3) Section 1016 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 686) (as 
        redesignated by section 2(a)) is amended by striking ``1012 or 
        1013'' each place it appears and inserting ``1012, 1013, or 
        1014''.
    (d) Clerical Amendments.--The table of sections for subpart B of 
title X of such Act is amended--
            (1) by redesignating the items relating to sections 1013 
        through 1017 as items relating to sections 1014 through 1018; 
        and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 1012 
        the following new item:

``Sec. 1013. Expedited consideration of certain proposed 
                            rescissions.''.
                                 <all>