[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 31 Introduced in Senate (IS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. J. RES. 31

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 15, 2006

  Mr. Allen 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 
             relative to require a balancing of the 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 of the United States, 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 by the Congress:

                              ``Article --

    ``Section 1. The budget deficit of the United States for the fiscal 
year in which this article is ratified shall be reduced in the 
succeeding fiscal years such that the budget deficit, if any, in the 
succeeding fiscal years may not exceed the indicated amount of the 
budget deficit for the fiscal year in which this article is ratified, 
as follows:
            ``(1) For the first fiscal year beginning after the 
        ratification of this article, 80 percent.
            ``(2) For the second fiscal year beginning after the 
        ratification of this article, 60 percent.
            ``(3) For the third fiscal year beginning after the 
        ratification of this article, 40 percent.
            ``(4) For the fourth fiscal year beginning after the 
        ratification of this article, 20 percent.
    ``Section 2. After the fourth fiscal year beginning after 
ratification of this article, expenditures by the United States may not 
exceed receipts for any given fiscal year unless such excess 
expenditures are authorized by a law approved by three-fifths of each 
House of the Congress.
    ``Section 3. Congress may waive the provisions of this article for 
any fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect. Any deficit 
that occurs as a result of such war shall be reduced within 5 fiscal 
years following the war according to the procedures set forth in 
section 1 of this article.
    ``Section 4. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article 
by appropriate legislation.''.
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