[House Report 114-420]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


114th Congress   }                                    {         Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 2d Session      }                                    {        114-420

======================================================================

 
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL (H.R. 3442) TO PROVIDE FURTHER 
 MEANS OF ACCOUNTABILITY OF THE UNITED STATES DEBT AND PROMOTE FISCAL 
RESPONSIBILITY, AND PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE BILL (H.R. 3293) 
TO PROVIDE FOR GREATER ACCOUNTABILITY IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR SCIENTIFIC 
RESEARCH, TO PROMOTE THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES THAT 
                     SERVES THAT NATIONAL INTEREST

                                _______
                                

  February 9, 2016.--Referred to the House Calendar and ordered to be 
                                printed

                                _______
                                

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

                              R E P O R T

                       [To accompany H. Res. 609]

    The Committee on Rules, having had under consideration 
House Resolution 609, by a nonrecord vote, report the same to 
the House with the recommendation that the resolution be 
adopted.

                SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS OF THE RESOLUTION

    The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 3442, the 
Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2015, under a 
structured rule. The resolution provides one hour of general 
debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means. The 
resolution waives all points of order against consideration of 
the bill. The resolution provides that the bill shall be 
considered as read. The resolution waives all points of order 
against provisions in the bill. The resolution makes in order 
only those amendments printed in part A of this report. Each 
such amendment may be offered only in the order printed in this 
report, may be offered only by a Member designated in this 
report, shall be considered as read, shall be debatable for the 
time specified in this report equally divided and controlled by 
the proponent and an opponent, shall not be subject to 
amendment, and shall not be subject to a demand for division of 
the question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole. The 
resolution waives all points of order against the amendments 
printed in part A of this report. The resolution provides one 
motion to recommit with or without instructions.
    Section 2 of the resolution provides for consideration of 
H.R. 3293, the Scientific Research in the National Interest 
Act, under a structured rule. The resolution provides one hour 
of general debate equally divided and controlled by the chair 
and ranking minority member of the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology. The resolution waives all points of order 
against consideration of the bill. The resolution provides that 
the bill shall be considered as read. The resolution waives all 
points of order against provisions in the bill. The resolution 
makes in order only those amendments printed in part B of this 
report. Each such amendment may be offered only in the order 
printed in this report, may be offered only by a Member 
designated in this report, shall be considered as read, shall 
be debatable for the time specified in this report equally 
divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent, shall 
not be subject to amendment, and shall not be subject to a 
demand for division of the question in the House or in the 
Committee of the Whole. The resolution waives all points of 
order against the amendments printed in part B of this report. 
The resolution provides for one motion to recommit with or 
without instructions.

                         EXPLANATION OF WAIVERS

    Although the resolution waives all points of order against 
consideration of H.R. 3442, the Committee is not aware of any 
points of order. The waiver is prophylactic in nature.
    Although the resolution waives all points of order against 
provisions in H.R. 3442, the Committee is not aware of any 
points of order. The waiver is prophylactic in nature.
    Although the resolution waives all points of order against 
the amendments to H.R. 3442 printed in part A of this report, 
the Committee is not aware of any points of order. The waiver 
is prophylactic in nature.
    Although the resolution waives all points of order against 
consideration of H.R. 3293, the Committee is not aware of any 
points of order. The waiver is prophylactic in nature.
    Although the resolution waives all points of order against 
provisions in H.R. 3293, the Committee is not aware of any 
points of order. The waiver is prophylactic in nature.
    Although the resolution waives all points of order against 
the amendments to H.R. 3293 printed in part B of this report, 
the Committee is not aware of any points of order. The waiver 
is prophylactic in nature.

                            COMMITTEE VOTES

    The results of each record vote on an amendment or motion 
to report, together with the names of those voting for and 
against, are printed below:

Rules Committee record vote No. 144

    Motion by Ms. Slaughter to report open rules for H.R. 3442 
and H.R. 3293. Defeated: 4-8

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                Majority Members                      Vote               Minority Members               Vote
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ms. Foxx........................................          Nay   Ms. Slaughter.....................          Yea
Mr. Cole........................................          Nay   Mr. McGovern......................          Yea
Mr. Woodall.....................................          Nay   Mr. Hastings of Florida...........          Yea
Mr. Burgess.....................................          Nay   Mr. Polis.........................          Yea
Mr. Stivers.....................................          Nay
Mr. Collins.....................................          Nay
Mr. Byrne.......................................
Mr. Newhouse....................................          Nay
Mr. Sessions, Chairman..........................          Nay
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     SUMMARY OF THE AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 3442 IN PART A MADE IN ORDER

    1. Grijalva (AZ), Pocan (WI): Requires the Treasury 
Secretary's report to also include historical levels of federal 
revenue, including corporate and individual federal income 
taxes as a percent of gross domestic product. (10 minutes)
    2. Huelskamp (KS): Requires Secretary of the Treasury to 
provide weekly reporting of extraordinary measures and 
projected exhaustion date upon notification the debt limit has 
been reached. (10 minutes)
    3. Newhouse (WA), Byrne (AL), Stivers (OH): Directs the 
Secretary of the Treasury to include in the debt report to 
Congress whether the President recommends that Congress adopt a 
balanced budget amendment to control the accumulation of future 
debt. (10 minutes)
    4. Kelly, Robin (IL): Requires the Treasury Secretary's 
report to also include an economic forecast of the negative 
consequences of failing to raise the debt limit, including 
costs associated with public health and safety. (10 minutes)
    5. Duffy (WI), Hensarling (TX), McClintock (CA), Messer, 
Luke (IN): Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to notify 
Congress whether it is able to pay only principal and interest 
on the national debt, as opposed to other obligations, in the 
event that the debt limit is reached. (10 minutes)
    6. Messer, Luke (IN): Requires the Secretary to report on 
extraordinary measures the Treasury Department intends to use 
if the debt limit is not lifted, project how long such measures 
will fund the federal government, and project the 
administrative costs to the Treasury Department associated with 
taking such actions. (10 minutes)
    7. Grijalva (AZ), Pocan (WI): Requires the Treasury 
Secretary's report to also include individual salary and wage 
information, as well as projections of consumer spending and 
the impact of spending cuts on gross domestic product. (10 
minutes)
    8. Takano (CA): Requires the report to include the impact 
the threat of default would have on the economy, including, but 
not limited to, the impact on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 
interest rates, employment, household wealth, and retirement 
assets. (10 minutes)

     SUMMARY OF THE AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 3293 IN PART B MADE IN ORDER

    1. Jackson Lee (TX): Replaces the phrase ``basic research'' 
with ``applied research.'' (10 minutes)
    2. Johnson, Eddie Bernice (TX): Replaces subsection 2(b), 
``Determination'', to ensure that such determination is 
consistent with the mission of the agency and with the existing 
merit-review criteria. (10 minutes)
    3. Jackson Lee (TX): Establishes a new objective of the 
research which would ensure that the research conducted is 
consistent with established and widely accepted scientific 
methods applicable to the field of study of exploration. (10 
minutes)
    4. Jackson Lee (TX): Establishes a new objective of the 
research that would ensure that the research conducted is 
consistent with the definition of basic research as it applies 
to the purpose and field of study. (10 minutes)
    5. DelBene (WA): Clarifies that language in the bill 
allowing research to be funded for the development of an 
American STEM workforce also includes computer science and 
information technology sectors. (10 minutes)
    6. DelBene (WA): Clarifies that the bill does not impact 
grant funding that has already been awarded by the National 
Science Foundation. (10 minutes)

         PART A--TEXT OF AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 3442 MADE IN ORDER

1. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Grijalva of Arizona or 
                 His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 4, after line 3, insert the following:
                  ``(B) the historical levels of Federal 
                revenue, including corporate and individual 
                Federal income taxes as a percent of the gross 
                domestic product;''.
  Page 4, line 4, strike ``(B)'' and insert ``(C)''.
  Page 4, line 6, strike ``(C)'' and insert ``(D)''.
                              ----------                              


2. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Huelskamp of Kansas or 
                 His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 4, line 5, strike ``and''.
  Page 4, line 8, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
  Page 4, after line 8, insert the following:
                  ``(D) any reduction measures the Secretary 
                intends to take to fund Federal Government 
                obligations if the debt limit is not raised, 
                including--
                          ``(i) notifying the Congress when the 
                        limit has been reached; and
                          ``(ii) notifying the Congress when 
                        the Secretary has begun taking such 
                        measures and specifying which measures 
                        are currently being used.''.
  Page 4, line 21, strike ``and''.
  Page 4, line 25, strike the period and insert ``: and''.
  Page 4, after line 25, insert the following:
                  ``(D) the plan of the President for each week 
                that the debt of the United States Government 
                is at the statutory limit, to publicly 
                disclose, on the website of the Department of 
                the Treasury, the following:
                          ``(i) All reduction measures 
                        currently being used by the Secretary 
                        to avoid defaulting on obligations of 
                        the Government.
                          ``(ii) With respect to each reduction 
                        measure, whether or not such measure is 
                        currently being used--
                                  ``(I) the total dollar amount 
                                of such measure that has been 
                                used; and
                                  ``(II) the total dollar 
                                amount of such measure that the 
                                Secretary estimates is still 
                                available for use.
                          ``(iii) The date on which the 
                        Secretary estimates that all reduction 
                        measures will be exhausted, and the 
                        Government will begin defaulting on its 
                        obligations.''.
  Page 6, after line 2, insert the following:
  ``(d) Reduction Measures Defined.--For purposes of this 
section, the term `reduction measures' means each of the 
following:
          ``(1) Directing or approving the issuance of debt by 
        the Federal Financing Bank for the purpose of entering 
        into an exchange transaction for debt that is subject 
        to the limit under this section.
          ``(2) Suspending investments in the Government 
        Securities Investment Fund of the Thrift Savings Fund.
          ``(3) Suspending investments in the stabilization 
        fund established under section 5302 of title 31, United 
        States Code.
          ``(4) Suspending new investments in the Civil Service 
        Retirement and Disability Fund or the Postal Service 
        Retiree Health Benefits Fund.
          ``(5) Selling or redeeming securities, obligations, 
        or other invested assets of the Civil Service 
        Retirement and Disability Fund or the Postal Service 
        Retiree Health Benefits Fund before maturity.
          ``(6) Such other measures as the Secretary determines 
        appropriate.''.
                              ----------                              


3. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Newhouse of Washington 
               or His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 4, line 5, strike ``and''.
  Page 4, line 8, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
  Page 4, after line 8, insert the following:
                  ``(D) if the President recommends that 
                Congress adopt, in general, a balanced budget 
                amendment to the Constitution of the United 
                States to help control the accumulation of 
                future debt.''.
                              ----------                              


 4. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Kelly of Illinois or 
                 Her Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 4, line 5, strike ``and''.
  Page 4, line 8, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
  Page 4, after line 8, insert the following:
                  ``(D) an economic forecast of the negative 
                consequences of failing to raise the debt 
                limit, including costs associated with public 
                health and safety.''.
                              ----------                              


 5. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Duffy of Wisconsin or 
                 His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 4, line 21, strike ``and''.
  Page 4, line 25, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
  Page 4, after line 25, add the following:
                  ``(D) whether the Administration acknowledges 
                that it is technologically capable of paying 
                only principal and interest on the national 
                debt, as opposed to other obligations, in the 
                event that the debt limit, as specified under 
                section 3101, is reached.''.
                              ----------                              


 6. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Messer of Indiana or 
                 His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 4, line 21, strike ``and''.
  Page 4, line 25, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
  Page 4, after line 25, insert the following:
                  ``(D) any extraordinary measures the 
                Secretary intends to take to fund Federal 
                government obligations if the debt limit is not 
                raised, a projection of how long such 
                extraordinary measures will fund the Federal 
                government, and a projection of the 
                administrative cost of taking such 
                extraordinary measures.''.
                              ----------                              


7. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Grijalva of Arizona or 
                 His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

    Page 4, line 21, strike ``and''.
    Page 4, after line 25, insert the following:
                    ``(D) projections of earnings of 
                individuals, including salary and wages by 
                decile, and
                    ``(E) projections of consumer spending and 
                the impacts of such projections on gross 
                domestic product.''.
                              ----------                              


8. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Takano of California or 
                 His Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

    Page 4, line 21, strike ``and''.
    Page 4, line 25, strike the period and insert ``; and''.
    Page 4, after line 25, insert the following:
                    ``(D) how delayed action by Congress to 
                raise the debt limit and the threat of default 
                impacts the economy, including, but not limited 
                to, the impact on the gross domestic product 
                (GDP), interest rates, employment, household 
                wealth, and retirement assets.''.
                              ----------                              


         PART B--TEXT OF AMENDMENTS TO H.R. 3293 MADE IN ORDER

1. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Jackson Lee of Texas or 
                 Her Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 3, line 10, strike ``basic research'' and insert 
``applied research''.
                              ----------                              


2. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Johnson of Texas or Her 
                   Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 3, line 15, through page 4, line 15, amend subsection 
(b) to read as follows:
  (b) Determination.--A determination referred to in subsection 
(a) is a justification by the responsible Foundation official 
as to how the research grant or cooperative agreement--
          (1) by itself, or by contributing to a portfolio of 
        research in that field or across fields, is in the 
        national interest as reflected in the National Science 
        Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq), namely 
        to promote the progress of science, to advance the 
        national health, prosperity and welfare, and to secure 
        the national defense; and
          (2) is worthy of Federal funding, as demonstrated by 
        having met the merit review criteria of the Foundation.
                              ----------                              


3. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Jackson Lee of Texas or 
                 Her Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 3, line 22, strike ``and''.
  Page 3, line 23, redesignate paragraph (2) as paragraph (3).
  Page 3, after line 22, insert the following:
          (2) is consistent with established and widely 
        accepted scientific methods applicable to the field of 
        study of exploration; and
                              ----------                              


4. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative Jackson Lee of Texas or 
                 Her Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 3, line 22, strike ``and''.
  Page 3, line 23, redesignate paragraph (2) as paragraph (3).
  Page 3, after line 22, insert the following:
          (2) is consistent with the definition of basic 
        research as it applies to the purpose and field of 
        study; and
                              ----------                              


 5. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative DelBene of Washington 
               or Her Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 4, line 6, insert ``, including computer science and 
information technology sectors,'' after ``workforce''.
                              ----------                              


 6. An Amendment To Be Offered by Representative DelBene of Washington 
               or Her Designee, Debatable for 10 Minutes

  Page 5, after line 3, add the following:
  (e) Clarification.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to 
impact Federal funding for research grants or cooperative 
agreements awarded by the National Science Foundation prior to 
the date of enactment of this Act.

                                  [all]