[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 45 (Wednesday, April 22, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H2128]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TAX LIMITATION AMENDMENT IS STRAIGHTFORWARD

  Mr. BARTON of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BARTON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, later this afternoon we are going 
to have a debate and a vote on the two-thirds tax limitation amendment 
to the Constitution of the United States.
  This amendment is very straightforward. If it passes and it is passed 
in the Senate and goes to the States and is ratified by three-fourths 
of the States, it would make it a voting requirement. To pass a tax 
increase in either body or to expand the tax base would take a two-
thirds vote instead of the one-half plus one vote that it now currently 
takes.
  Mr. Speaker, when the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), my good 
friend from Houston, was up here earlier talking about all the bad 
things that might happen and all the programs that might not be funded, 
I would point out that we are moving into a budget surplus. We would 
still have those programs. But if we wanted to spend more money, we 
would have a debate on spending priorities, not on tax increases, 
unless we could get a consensus. We would need a two-thirds vote in 
both houses of Congress to pass a tax increase.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote for the two-thirds 
tax limitation amendment.

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