[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 20 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. J. RES. 20

 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States which 
   requires (except during time of war and subject to suspension by 
Congress) that the total amount of money expended by the United States 
    during any fiscal year not exceed the amount of certain revenue 
received by the United States during such fiscal year and not exceed 20 
per cent of the gross national product of the United States during the 
                        previous calendar year.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 1, 2009

 Mr. Shelby (for himself, Mr. Vitter, and Mr. Roberts) 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 which 
   requires (except during time of war and subject to suspension by 
Congress) that the total amount of money expended by the United States 
    during any fiscal year not exceed the amount of certain revenue 
received by the United States during such fiscal year and not exceed 20 
per cent of the gross national product of the United States during the 
                        previous calendar year.

    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 total amount of money expended by the United 
States in any fiscal year shall not exceed the total amount of revenue 
received by the United States during such fiscal year, except revenue 
received from the issuance of bonds, notes, or other obligations of the 
United States.
    ``Section 2. The total amount of money expended by the United 
States in any fiscal year shall not exceed the amount equal to 20 
percent of the gross national product of the United States during the 
last calendar year ending before the beginning of such fiscal year.
    ``Section 3. Sections 1 and 2 of this Article shall not apply 
during any fiscal year during any part of which the United States is at 
war as declared by Congress under section 8 of Article I of the 
Constitution.
    ``Section 4. Sections 1 and 2 of this Article may be suspended by a 
concurrent resolution approved by a three-fifths vote of the Members of 
each House of Congress. Any suspension of sections 1 and 2 of this 
Article under this section shall be effective only during the fiscal 
year during which such suspension is approved.
    ``Section 5. This Article shall take effect on the first day of the 
first fiscal year beginning after the date of the adoption of this 
Article.
    ``Section 6. Congress shall have power to enforce this Article by 
appropriate legislation.''.
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