I 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4512 

To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 

to eliminate the section 251A sequestrations. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 9, 2016 

Mr. SMITH of Washington introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on the Budget 

A BILL 

To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to eliminate the section 251A sequestrations. 

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 ‘‘Relief From Sequestra5 tion Act of 2016’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Sequestration was designed as a forcing 

9 mechanism for an agreement on a comprehensive, 


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1 deficit reduction plan. It has failed to produce the 

2 intended results. 

3 (2) The Budget Control Act of 2011 was en4 acted to avert a default on Federal debt obligations. 

5 (3) Because the Joint Select Committee on Def6 icit Reduction failed to recommend legislation pro7 viding an additional $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction, 

8 Federal law mandates that the additional savings be 

9 sequestered. 

10 (4) Congress must enact a comprehensive, def11 icit reduction plan to solve the country’s fiscal chal12 lenges and to promote national security, economic 

13 stability, and the continued growth and prosperity of 

14 the United States. 

15 (5) It no longer makes sense to rely on seques16 tration as a forcing mechanism for a balanced solu17 tion. The costs to our Government and to the econ18 omy are too great. 

19 (6) Under sequestration, damaging cuts would 

20 be applied, through fiscal year 2021, to a wide vari21 ety of discretionary spending programs to achieve 

22 $1.2 trillion in savings, forestalling the sound plan23 ning needed for prudent and meaningful investments 

24 in national security, the workforce, transportation 

25 infrastructure, education, health care, public safety, 


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1 housing, innovation, small business development, and 

2 many other facets of enduring national strength. 

3 (7) Even the prospect of sequestration is dis4 ruptive to regular order and to the congressional ap5 propriations process, and it fosters damaging eco6 nomic uncertainty, while short-term solutions only 

7 suspend the prospect and continue to undermine the 

8 certainty needed for economic recovery. 

9 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are to— 

10 (1) eliminate sequestration resulting from the 

11 failure of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Re12 duction; and 

13 (2) offer the Federal Government, industry, and 

14 the American people the predictability that economic 

15 recovery demands. 

16 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF SECTION 251A SEQUESTRATIONS. 

17 (a) REPEALER.—Section 251A of the Balanced 

18 Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is re19 pealed. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating 

21 to section 251A in the table of contents set forth in section 

22 250(a) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 

23 Control Act of 1985 is repealed. 

Æ 


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