[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 63 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 63

     To amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to ensure that all 
     congressionally directed spending items in appropriations and 
  authorization legislation fall under the oversight and transparency 
 provisions of S. 1, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 
                                 2007.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 4, 2009

 Mrs. McCaskill (for herself and Mr. Udall of Colorado) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules and 
                             Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     To amend the Standing Rules of the Senate to ensure that all 
     congressionally directed spending items in appropriations and 
  authorization legislation fall under the oversight and transparency 
 provisions of S. 1, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 
                                 2007.

    Resolved,

SECTION 1. AMENDMENT TO THE STANDING RULES OF THE SENATE.

    (a) Further Transparency.--Rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the 
Senate is amended by adding at the end thereof the following:
    ``13.(a) All congressionally directed spending items shall be 
included in the text of an appropriations or authorization bill and any 
conference report related to that appropriations or authorization bill.
    ``(b) Not later than 48 hours after the request, each request for a 
congressionally directed spending item for an appropriations or 
authorization bill made by a Senator shall be posted on the Senator's 
web site. The posting of the request for a congressionally directed 
spending item shall include the name and location of the specifically 
intended recipient, the purpose of the congressionally directed 
spending item, and the dollar amount requested. If there is no 
specifically intended recipient, the posting shall include the intended 
location of the activity, the purpose of the congressionally directed 
spending item, and the dollar amount requested.
    ``(c) It shall not be in order to consider an appropriations or 
authorization bill, amendment, or conference report if it contains a 
congressionally directed spending item for a private for-profit or non 
profit entity.''.
    (b) Clarifying Application to Conference Reports.--Paragraph 8 of 
rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by--
            (1) striking subparagraph (a) and inserting the following:
    ``(a) A Senator may raise a point of order against one or more 
provisions of a conference report if they constitute a congressionally 
directed spending item that was not included in the measure originally 
committed to the conferees by either House. The Presiding Officer may 
sustain the point of order as to some or all of the congressionally 
directed spending items against which the Senator raised the point of 
order.''; and
            (2) striking subparagraph (e).
    (c) Requiring Full Searchability.--Paragraph 3(a)(2) of rule XLIV 
of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by inserting ``in an 
searchable format'' after ``available''.
    (d) Supermajority Requirement.--Paragraph 10 of rule XLIV of the 
Standing Rules of the Senate is amended by striking ``or 3'' and 
inserting ``3, or 13''.
    (e) Availability by the Committee of Jurisdiction.--Paragraph 6(b) 
of rule XLIV of the Standing Rules of the Senate is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(b) With respect to each congressionally directed spending item 
requested by a Senator, each committee of jurisdiction shall make 
available for public inspection on the Internet the written statements 
and certifications under subparagraph (a) not later than 48 hours after 
receipt of such statements and certifications.''.
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