[House Report 105-102]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]



105th Congress                                                   Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 1st Session                                                    105-102
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                PROVIDING FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF 
 
 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 84, THE BALANCED BUDGET AGREEMENT OF 1997

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May 19, 1997.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be printed

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   Mr. Solomon, from the Committee on Rules, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                       [To accompany H. Res. 152]

    The Committee on Rules, having had under consideration 
House Resolution 152, by a nonrecord vote, report the same to 
the House with the recommendation that the resolution be 
adopted.

               BRIEF SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF RESOLUTION

    The resolution provides for the consideration of House 
Concurrent Resolution 84, the ``Balanced Budget Agreement of 
1997'' under a modified closed rule. The rule waives all points 
of order against the resolution and against its consideration. 
The rule provides five hours of general debate (including one 
hour on the subject of economic goals and policies) divided 
equally between the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on Budget and 20 minutes controlled by Representative 
Minge of Minnesota or his designee.
    The rule further provides for consideration of those 5 
amendments in the nature of a substitute designated in section 
2 of the resolution, if printed in the portion of the 
Congressional Record designated for that purpose, which may be 
offered only in the order designated, may be offered only by a 
Member designated, shall be considered as read, shall be 
debatable for twenty minutes (except as specified in the rule) 
equally divided and controlled by a proponent and an opponent, 
and shall not be subject to amendment.
    All points of order against the amendments designated in 
section 2 of the resolution are waived. The adoption of an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute shall constitute the 
conclusion of consideration of the concurrent resolution for 
amendment.
    The rule allows the Chairman of the Committee of the whole 
to postpone votes during consideration of the bill, and to 
reduce the vote to five minutes on a postponed question if the 
vote follows a fifteen minute vote. The rule further provides 
that the previous question shall be considered as ordered on 
the concurrent resolution and amendments thereto to final 
passage without intervening motion except amendments offered by 
the chairman of the Committee on the Budget to achieve 
mathematical consistency. The rule also provides that the 
concurrent resolution will not be subject to a demand for a 
division of the question of its adoption.
    Finally the rule provides that rule XLIX (establishment of 
statutory limit on the public debt) shall not apply with 
respect to the adoption by the Congress of a concurrent 
resolution on the budget for fiscal year 1998.

                                
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