[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 690 Introduced in House (IH)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 690

   Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to curtail the 
                     growth of Government programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 16, 2006

Mr. Conaway (for himself, Mr. Akin, Mr. Barrett of South Carolina, Mr. 
   Bartlett of Maryland, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Cantor, Mr. Chabot, Mr. 
Culberson, Mr. Flake, Ms. Foxx, Mr. Garrett of New Jersey, Mr. Gohmert, 
 Mr. Goode, Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Hostettler, Mr. Issa, Mr. Jindal, Mr. 
King of Iowa, Mr. McHenry, Mrs. Musgrave, Mrs. Myrick, Mr. Neugebauer, 
   Mr. Poe, Mr. Price of Georgia, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Shadegg, and Mr. 
 Sodrel) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                           Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to curtail the 
                     growth of Government programs.

Whereas Congress must be committed to slowing the growth of Government spending, 
        reforming inefficient Government programs, and removing burdensome 
        Government regulations in order to lower the Federal budget deficit;
Whereas Congress must pledge to hold the line on spending and the growth of 
        Government for the remainder of this fiscal year and beyond;
Whereas Congress needs to demonstrate to the people of the United States that it 
        will not return to the failed fiscal policies of the past by attempting 
        to solve budgetary problems by raising taxes to pay for new programs and 
        more spending;
Whereas a real solution to the Federal budget deficit must consist of the 
        curtailment of unnecessary Federal programs, which are currently costing 
        taxpayers billions of dollars;
Whereas it is time to reduce the Federal budget deficit by demonstrating a 
        strong commitment to reforming and eliminating inefficient and wasteful 
        Government programs;
Whereas to reduce the Federal budget deficit, Congress must do a better job of 
        establishing priorities for Federal programs and spending; and
Whereas to limit the growth of Government, Congress should only enact a new 
        Federal program if Congress considers the program to be a higher 
        priority than one or more current Federal programs of equal or greater 
        cost: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That rule XXI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives is amended by adding at the end the following new 
clause:
``Limitation on bills establishing new programs
    ``7. (a) It shall not be in order to consider a bill, joint 
resolution, amendment, or conference report containing a provision that 
establishes a new program, unless the bill, resolution, amendment, or 
conference report contains a provision that eliminates one or more 
existing programs of equal or greater total cost.
    ``(b) In this clause, the term `provision that establishes a new 
program' includes a provision that modifies an existing program by 
adding a new function.
    ``(c) For purposes of this clause, the cost of a program shall be 
the amount authorized to be appropriated for the program, or, if the 
amount authorized to be appropriated is not specified, an estimate of 
the cost of the program.
    ``(d) This clause does not apply to a provision that establishes a 
new defense, homeland security, or emergency program.''.
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