[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 136 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Page H6146]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TEXAS LEGISLATURE CALLS ON CONGRESS TO PASS BALANCED BUDGET AMENDMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Marchant) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MARCHANT. Mr. Speaker, in the last few weeks as I traveled across 
my district, the 24th District of Texas, it became very obvious to me 
that the number one issue on the minds of my constituents is out-of-
control Federal spending.
  In the last legislative session in Texas, my former colleagues in the 
Texas legislature passed a resolution addressing this out-of-control 
Federal spending. The resolution requested that the Congress pass a 
balanced budget amendment to the Constitution and send it to the States 
for ratification.
  This is the resolution I have in my hand that was sent to me by the 
State representatives and the senators in my district that I represent. 
By overwhelming votes in both houses, the house and the senate, the 
Texas legislature passed this resolution that I'm holding right here in 
my hand. The Texas House of Representatives approved this bill by a 
vote of 115-17 on April 13, and the Senate adopted the bill on May 19 
by a vote of 28-3.
  This resolution calls on Congress to enact the best measure to stop 
runaway Federal spending. We can best ensure our future prosperity by 
passing a balanced budget amendment. I would like to personally thank 
the members of the Texas legislature that represent parts of my 
district, the 24th District of Texas. I applaud them for sending this 
resolution urging us to take action. My sincere thanks go to State 
Senator Jane Nelson, State Senator Chris Harris and State Senator John 
Carona, and to State representatives Vicki Truitt, Burt Solomons, Linda 
Harper-Brown, and Todd Smith. These brave men and women have taken a 
courageous stand on this issue, and I feel it's my obligation to follow 
through with their request.
  The Federal Government must end sustained deficit spending. In fiscal 
year 2010, the Federal Government accumulated a deficit in excess of 
$1.3 trillion, an annual deficit that exceeds the entire gross State 
product of Texas. In order to finance our current deficit, we borrow 40 
cents of every dollar we spend--40 cents on the dollar--money that 
could easily go to pay our national debt down.
  The longer we wait only results in more debt, debt that we will pass 
along to our children and to our grandchildren. Our national debt 
currently stands at $14.7 trillion, which equals a debt per taxpayer of 
$131,288. This is a problem we can no longer ignore.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the Texas legislature's 
request for prompt passage of a balanced budget amendment.

              The State of Texas House of Representatives

                   House Concurrent Resolution No. 18

       Whereas, the gravity of federal debt and federal 
     obligations was established early in American history, with 
     deficit occurring only in relation to extraordinary 
     circumstances, such as war; yet for much of the 20th century 
     and into the 21st, the United States has operated on a budget 
     deficit, including the 2010 budget year, which surpassed an 
     astounding $1.3 trillion, an annual deficit that exceeded the 
     entire gross state product of Texas; and
       Whereas, the federal debt is greater than $14 trillion, a 
     sum that if shared equally by each person in America would be 
     a burden of over $45,000 per person, and yet the federal 
     government continues to accrue debt; and
       Whereas, the higher the deficit, the more the government 
     must spend on paying interest on the debt; compounding the 
     problem is the use of deficit spending, which becomes a 
     responsibility for future generations of Americans to assume 
     without their consent; and
       Whereas, Congress has attempted to set budgetary restraints 
     for itself in the form of a balanced budget amendment; the 
     proposal won wide support in 1995, failing by only one vote 
     in the senate; and
       Whereas, many states have previously requested that 
     Congress propose a constitutional amendment requiring a 
     balanced budget, but Congress has proven to be unresponsive; 
     and
       Whereas, this growing burden of public debt is a threat to 
     the nation's economic health, and action must be taken to 
     restore fiscal responsibility; a balanced budget amendment 
     would require the government not to spend more than it 
     receives in revenues and compel lawmakers to carefully 
     consider choices about spending and taxes; by encouraging 
     spending control and discouraging deficit spending, a 
     balanced budget amendment will help put the nation on the 
     path to lasting prosperity; Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 
     propose and submit to the states for ratification an 
     amendment to the United States Constitution providing that 
     except during a war declared by the Congress of the United 
     States pursuant to Article I, Section 8, Clause 11, United 
     States Constitution, or other national emergency, the total 
     of all federal appropriations for a fiscal year may not 
     exceed the total of all estimated federal revenue for that 
     fiscal year and providing for a spending limitation; and, be 
     it further
       Resolved, That the Texas Secretary of State forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the president of the 
     United States, to the speaker of the house of representatives 
     and the president of the senate of the United States 
     Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to 
     the congress with the request that this resolution be 
     officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial 
     to the Congress of the United States of America.

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