I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3803 

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish joint resolutions 

on the budget, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 22, 2015 

Mrs. BLACK (for herself, Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee, and Mr. RIBBLE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Rules, 

and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish 

joint resolutions on the budget, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Legally Binding Budg5 et Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 3 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

8 is amended by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 

9 following new paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(4) The term ‘joint resolution on the budget’ 

2 means— 

3 ‘‘(A) a joint resolution setting forth the 

4 budget for the United States Government for a 

5 fiscal year as provided in section 301; and 

6 ‘‘(B) any other joint resolution revising the 

7 budget for the United States Government for a 

8 fiscal year as described in section 304.’’. 

9 SEC. 3. REVISION OF TIMETABLE. 

10 Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

11 (2 U.S.C. 631) is amended to read as follows: 

12 ‘‘TIMETABLE

13 ‘‘SEC. 300. The timetable with respect to the congres14 sional budget process for any Congress (beginning with 

15 the One Hundred Fifteenth) is as follows: 

‘‘On or before: Action to be completed: 

First Monday in February ........ President submits budget recommendations. 

February 15 ............................... Congressional Budget Office submits report 

to Budget Committees. 

Not later than 6 weeks after 

budget submission.

Committees submit views and estimates to 

Budget Committees. 

April 1 ....................................... Budget Committees report joint resolution on 

the budget. 

April 15 ..................................... Congress completes action on joint resolution 

on the budget. 

May 15 ....................................... Appropriation bills may be considered in the 

House of Representatives. 

June 10 ...................................... House Appropriations Committee reports last 

appropriation bill. 

June 30 ...................................... House completes action on appropriation 

bills. 

October 1 ................................... Fiscal year begins.’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO SECTIONS 301 AND 303 AND TECH2 NICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 303 of the Congressional 

4 Budget Act of 1974 is amended— 

5 (1) by striking ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—’’, by strik6 ing ‘‘has been agreed to’’ and inserting ‘‘takes ef7 fect’’, and by striking subsections (b) and (c); and 

8 (2) by striking its section heading and inserting 

9 the following new section heading: ‘‘CONSIDERATION

10 OF BUDGET-RELATED LEGISLATION BEFORE BUDG11 ET BECOMES LAW’’. 

12 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 301(a)(5) of 

13 the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by in14 serting ‘‘for display purposes only,’’ before ‘‘the public 

15 debt’’. 

16 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating 

17 to section 303 in the table of contents set forth in section 

18 1(b) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Con19 trol Act of 1974 is amended to read as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 303. Consideration of budget-related legislation before budget becomes 

law.’’. 

20 SEC. 5. PERMISSIBLE REVISIONS OF BUDGET RESOLU21 TIONS. 

22 Section 304 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

23 is amended to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘PERMISSIBLE REVISIONS OF BUDGET RESOLUTIONS

2 ‘‘SEC. 304. At any time after the joint resolution on 

3 the budget for a fiscal year has been enacted pursuant 

4 to section 301, and before the end of such fiscal year, the 

5 two Houses and the President may enact a joint resolution 

6 on the budget which revises or reaffirms the joint resolu7 tion on the budget for such fiscal year most recently en8 acted, and for purposes of the enforcement of the Congres9 sional Budget Act of 1974, the chairman of the Budget 

10 Committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate, 

11 as applicable, may adjust levels as needed for the enforce12 ment of the budget resolution.’’. 

13 SEC. 6. LIMITATION ON THE CONTENT OF BUDGET RESO14 LUTIONS. 

15 Section 305 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

16 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub17 section: 

18 ‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON CONTENTS.—(1) It shall not be 

19 in order in the House of Representatives or in the Senate 

20 to consider any joint resolution on the budget or any 

21 amendment thereto or conference report thereon that con22 tains any matter referred to in paragraph (2). 

23 ‘‘(2) Any joint resolution on the budget or any 

24 amendment thereto or conference report thereon that con25 tains any matter not permitted in section 301 (a) or (b) 


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1 shall not be treated in the House of Representatives or 

2 the Senate as a budget resolution under subsection (a) or 

3 (b) or as a conference report on a budget resolution under 

4 subsection (c) of this section.’’. 

5 SEC. 7. DEEMING OF BUDGETARY AGGREGATES, ALLOCA6 TIONS, AND RECONCILIATION INSTRUCTIONS 

7 IN THE HOUSE AND SENATE UPON VETO OF 

8 JOINT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Congressional 

10 Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding after section 

11 315 the following new section: 

12 ‘‘AUTOMATIC STANDING ORDER UPON VETO OF JOINT

13 RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET

14 ‘‘SEC. 316. For purposes of congressional enforce15 ment under titles III and IV of this Act and the rules 

16 of the House and the Senate, the joint resolution shall 

17 be considered as enforceable upon enactment or 15 days 

18 following presentment to the President, whichever occurs 

19 earlier.’’. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con21 tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget 

22 and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by in23 serting after the item relating to section 315 the following 

24 new item: 

‘‘Sec. 316. Automatic standing order upon veto of joint resolution on the budget.’’. 


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1 SEC. 8. ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS TO THE CONGRES2 SIONAL BUDGET ACT OF 1974 TO EFFEC3 TUATE JOINT RESOLUTIONS ON THE BUDG4 ET. 

5 (a) ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS TO THE CONGRES6 SIONAL BUDGET AND IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL ACT OF

7 1974.—(1)(A) Sections 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 308, 

8 310, 311, 312, 314, 405, and 904 of the Congressional 

9 Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) are amended 

10 by striking ‘‘concurrent’’ each place it appears and insert11 ing ‘‘joint’’. 

12 (B)(i) Sections 302(d), 302(g), 308(a)(1)(A), and 

13 310(d)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 are 

14 amended by striking ‘‘most recently agreed to concurrent 

15 resolution on the budget’’ each place it occurs and insert16 ing ‘‘most recently enacted joint resolution on the budg17 et’’. 

18 (ii) The section heading of section 301 of such Act 

19 is amended by striking ‘‘ANNUAL ADOPTION OF CONCUR20 RENT RESOLUTION’’ and inserting ‘‘JOINT RESOLUTIONS’’. 

21 (C) Sections 302, 303, 304, 310, and 311 of the Con22 gressional Budget Act of 1974 are amended by striking 

23 ‘‘agreed to’’ each place it appears and by inserting ‘‘en24 acted’’. 


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1 (2) The table of contents set forth in section 1(b) of 

2 the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act 

3 of 1974 is amended— 

4 (A) in the item relating to section 301, by strik5 ing ‘‘Annual adoption of concurrent resolution’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘Joint resolutions’’; and 

7 (B) by striking ‘‘concurrent’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘joint’’ in the item relating to section 305. 

9 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Any side heading 

10 within any section of title III of the Congressional Budget 

11 and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by 

12 striking ‘‘CONCURRENT’’ and inserting ‘‘JOINT’’ and any 

13 center heading in any section of that title is amended by 

14 striking ‘‘CONCURRENT’’ and inserting ‘‘JOINT’’. 

15 SEC. 9. AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF THE HOUSE OF 

16 REPRESENTATIVES TO EFFECTUATE JOINT 

17 BUDGET RESOLUTIONS. 

18 Clauses 1(d)(1), 4(a)(4), 4(b)(2), 4(f)(1)(A), and 

19 4(f)(2) of rule X, clause 10 of rule XVIII, clause 10 of 

20 rule XX, and clauses 7 and 10 of rule XXI of the Rules 

21 of the House of Representatives are amended by striking 

22 ‘‘concurrent’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘joint’’. 


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1 SEC. 10. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO THE BALANCED 

2 BUDGET AND EMERGENCY DEFICIT CONTROL 

3 ACT OF 1985. 

4 Section 258C(b)(1) of the Balanced Budget and 

5 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 

6 907d(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘concurrent’’ and in7 serting ‘‘joint’’. 

Æ 


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