[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 59 (Thursday, May 2, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 3379

                                 ______


                          HON. GARY A. CONDIT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 1996

  Mr. CONDIT. Mr. Speaker, along with our colleagues, Lamar Smith, 
Jimmy Hayes, Scott Klug, William Lipinski, and Ralph Hall, I am today 
introducing legislation to require the President of the United States 
to submit a balanced budget plan to the Congress and to forbid the 
consideration in the House of Representatives of any budget resolution 
that does not provide for a balanced budget. These changes would take 
effect at the beginning of the 105th Congress.
  Under the terms of the bill, the President must submit to Congress a 
detailed plan to balance the Federal budget in 6 years or less. In the 
event the President's budget plan is not in balance, as determined by 
the Congressional Budget Office [CBO] after review, it would be 
returned to the White House. In addition, the legislation provides that 
the only concurrent budget resolution in order in the House is one that 
provides for a balanced budget and this provision is enforced by a 
nonwaiveable point of order. During a declared war or national 
emergency, these requirements could be suspended.
  This measure does not interfere with the ability of the President or 
the Congress to set spending priorities. Under current law, title 31, 
Presidents are required to meet several requirements in their budget 
submission, and this bill only adds to these requirements. And the 
Budget Committee would remain free to determine spending priorities and 
to instruct the authorizing committees to reduce spending.
  The last budget surplus occurred in fiscal year 1969, and you have to 
go back to fiscal years 1956 and 1957 to find 2 consecutive years of 
budget surplus. According to the Office of Management and Budget [OMB], 
President Clinton's fiscal 1997 produces balance in the year 2002. The 
CBO, however, found that the President's claim of budget balance is 
based on contingent proposals, including sunsetting tax relief, 
triggering new taxes and Medicare cuts, and unspecified reductions in 
discretionary spending of 15 percent in 2002. Absent these 
contingencies, the fiscal 1997 budget results in a $80 billion deficit.
  In the last few years, Presidents have submitted budget plans to the 
Congress that rested on rosy economic assumptions and restrained 
spending through the generous use of budget gimmickry, and successive 
Congresses were all too willing to go along with these practices. The 
President's fiscal 1997 budget is proof that the use of blue smoke and 
mirrors continues unabated. President Clinton does deserve credit for 
agreeing to balance the budget and to work with the leadership of 
Congress to achieve that goal.
  The American people in every opinion poll strongly support a balanced 
budget, and most of our colleagues now support balancing the budget. If 
we cannot balance the budget this year, it must be done next year.
  The legislation that I am introducing today will facilitate the work 
of the Congress and the President. This legislation has been endorsed 
by the National Taxpayers Union, Citizens Against Government Waste, 
Americans for Tax Reform, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the 
National Federation of Independent Business.
  I urge you and our colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to join me in supporting 
this needed bill. The text of the legislation follows.

                               H.R. 3379

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

     SECTION 1. PRESIDENT'S BUDGET.

       Section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(32) A detailed plan to achieve a balanced Federal budget 
     by the close of the sixth fiscal year beginning after the 
     current fiscal year.''.

     SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL TREATMENT OF BUDGET SUBMISSIONS.

       Upon the submission by the President of a budget for the 
     United States Government to the Congress pursuant to section 
     1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, the Director of the 
     Congressional Budget Office shall determine and certify 
     whether the balanced budget plan submitted pursuant to 
     section 1105(a)(32) of that title does achieve a balanced 
     budget. The Director shall inform the Clerk of the House of 
     Representatives and the Secretary of the Senate of the 
     results of the certification. If the budget is certified as 
     not being in balance pursuant to such plan, the Clerk and the 
     Secretary shall return the budget submission to the 
     President.

     SEC. 3. POINT OF ORDER.

       (a) The Rules of the House of Representatives are amended 
     by adding at the end the following new rule.


                              ``rule liii

                     ``balanced budget enforcement

       ``1. It shall not be in order in the House to consider any 
     concurrent resolution on the budget unless it provides for a 
     balanced budget for the United States Government.''.
       ``2. The House may waive the provisions of clause 1 if a 
     declaration of war is in effect or if the United States faces 
     an imminent and serious military threat to national security 
     and is so declared by a joint resolution (adopted by a 
     majority of the whole number of each House) which becomes 
     law.''.
       (b) The second sentence of clause 4(b) of rule XI of the 
     Rules of the House of Representatives is amended by inserting 
     before the period at the end the following: ``; nor shall it 
     report any rule of order waiving clause 1 of rule LIII''.

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