[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            COMPREHENSIVE BUDGET PROCESS REFORM ACT OF 1999

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. TIM ROEMER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 16, 2000

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 853) to 
     amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide for 
     joint resolutions on the budget, reserve funds for emergency 
     spending, strengthened enforcement of budgetary decisions, 
     increased accountability for Federal spending, accrual 
     budgeting for Federal insurance programs, mitigation of the 
     bias in the budget process toward higher spending, 
     modifications in paygo requirements when there is an on-
     budget surplus, and for other purposes:

  Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Chairman, since I have served in Congress, I have 
always supported commonsense reform proposals that improve the 
efficiency of Congress and make it more accountable to the American 
people.
  While I support some of the specific proposals contained in the 
Comprehensive Budget Process Reform Act, such as biennial budgeting and 
increased congressional oversight responsibility, I voted against the 
bill because it failed to include these important reform measures.
  I was disappointed that the bipartisan amendment to provide for 
biennial budgeting was defeated. This would have streamlined the budget 
process, enhanced the oversight of government programs and strengthened 
fiscal management. With the recent enactment of the other government 
reform measures, such as the Government Performance and Review Act, 
which I supported, a biennial budget process would be the next logical 
step in promoting long-term planning, and improving the efficiency of 
government and the use of taxpayer dollars.
  I was also disappointed that the House adopted on voice vote the 
second amendment offered by Representative Ryan. This amendment would 
allow non-Social Security surpluses to be used for tax cuts or changes 
to entitlement programs. The problem with this amendment, in my 
opinion, is that it would repeal many of the budget rules known as 
``pay-as-you-go'' requiring that tax cuts be offset with equal cuts in 
federal spending. Without these rules, critical federal programs could 
be sequestered, leading to across-the-board cuts in education, 
Medicare, and farm support programs. This is a dangerous way to change 
the budget process, and it is not sound fiscal policy.
  Mr. Chairman, for these reasons, I voted against H.R. 853, and I am 
pleased that a bipartisan majority of my colleagues voted with me to 
defeat this legislation.




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