I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3835 

To increase the statutory limit on the public debt by $1 trillion upon the 

adoption by Congress of a balanced budget Constitutional amendment 

and by an additional $1 trillion upon ratification by the States of that 

amendment. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 27, 2015 

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To increase the statutory limit on the public debt by $1 

trillion upon the adoption by Congress of a balanced 

budget Constitutional amendment and by an additional 

$1 trillion upon ratification by the States of that amendment. 

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 ‘‘Protecting America’s 

5 Solvency Act of 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INCREASE IN THE STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUB2 LIC DEBT. 

3 (a) ADOPTION.—Effective upon the adoption by the 

4 Congress of a balanced budget Constitutional amendment 

5 with the provisions described in section 3 below, the statu6 tory limit on the public debt set forth in section 3101(b) 

7 of title 31, United States Code, is increased by $1 trillion. 

8 (b) RATIFICATION.—Effective upon the ratification 

9 by the States of the balanced budget Constitutional 

10 amendment with the provisions described in section 3 

11 below, the statutory limit on the public debt set forth in 

12 section 3101(b) of title 31, United States Code, is in13 creased by an additional $1 trillion. 

14 SEC. 3. REQUIRED PROVISIONS OF A BALANCED BUDGET 

15 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

16 A balanced budget Constitutional amendment, to 

17 comply with the requirements of section 2 above, must in18 clude the following provisions: 

19 (1) Total outlays of the United States for any 

20 fiscal year shall not exceed total receipts for that fis21 cal year. Total receipts shall include all receipts of 

22 the United States except those derived from bor23 rowing. Total outlays shall include all outlays of the 

24 United States except those for repayment of debt 

25 principal. The United States shall have no fiscal 


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1 year deficits except pursuant to the terms of the 

2 amendment. 

3 (2) The fiscal year deficit prohibition described 

4 herein may be suspended by a majority of the mem5 bership of both Houses of Congress, by roll call vote, 

6 for any fiscal year in which the United States is ac7 tively engaged in military conflict pursuant to a war 

8 declared by Congress pursuant to article I, section 

9 8, or may be suspended by four-fifths of the mem10 bership of Congress, by roll call vote, for any other 

11 fiscal year. 

12 (3) In any fiscal year in which Congress does 

13 not suspend the amendment pursuant to its terms 

14 and in which total outlays will or may exceed total 

15 receipts, the President shall take such steps as are 

16 necessary to ensure total outlays for that fiscal year 

17 do not exceed total receipts. The President may not 

18 order any increase in taxes or other revenue meas19 ures to enforce the amendment. A President’s failure 

20 to prevent a prohibited fiscal year deficit is an im21 peachable offense. 

22 (4) Any Member of Congress and any Governor 

23 or attorney general of any State shall have standing 

24 and a cause of action to seek judicial enforcement of 

25 the amendment. No court of the United States or of 


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1 any State may order any increase in taxes or other 

2 revenue measures to prevent or reduce fiscal year 

3 deficits. 

4 (5)(A) The amendment shall be phased-in be5 ginning with the first fiscal year commencing six or 

6 more months after ratification of the amendment by 

7 the States. 

8 (B) Within three months after ratification, 

9 the President shall calculate the total outlays, 

10 the total receipts, and the resulting deficit of 

11 the United States for the fiscal year in which 

12 the amendment was ratified. This deficit is the 

13 ‘‘Base Deficit’’. 

14 (C) Fiscal year deficits shall be phased out 

15 as follows: 

16 (i) The deficit for the first fiscal year 

17 commencing 6 or more months after ratifi18 cation by the States of the amendment 

19 shall not exceed 80 percent of the Base 

20 Deficit. 

21 (ii) The deficit for the first fiscal year 

22 commencing 18 or more months after rati23 fication by the States of the amendment 

24 shall not exceed 60 percent of the Base 

25 Deficit. 


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1 (iii) The deficit for the first fiscal year 

2 commencing 30 or more months after rati3 fication by the States of the amendment 

4 shall not exceed 40 percent of the Base 

5 Deficit. 

6 (iv) The deficit for the first fiscal year 

7 commencing 42 or more months after rati8 fication by the States of the amendment 

9 shall not exceed 20 percent of the Base 

10 Deficit. 

11 (v) There shall be no deficit for any 

12 fiscal year commencing 54 or more months 

13 after ratification by the States of the 

14 amendment. 

Æ 


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