I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1162

To establish a Deficit Reduction Trust Fund and provide for the downward

adjustment of discretionary spending limits in appropriation bills.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 8, 1995

Mr. CRAPO (for himself, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs.

MORELLA, Mr. BREWSTER, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. EDWARDS, Mr. INGLIS of

South Carolina, Mr. STENHOLM, Mr. KASICH, Ms. MOLINARI, Ms. DUNN

of Washington, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. FROST, Mr. KLUG, Mr. WELDON of

Pennsylvania, Mr. WELLER, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. MINGE, Mr. POSHARD,

Mr. HANCOCK, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. ORTON, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. CASTLE,

Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mrs.

WALDHOLTZ, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. BUYER,

Mr. BROWDER, Mr. BURR, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. NEUMANN, and

Mr. BROWN of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to

the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Government Reform and Oversight and Rules, 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 establish a Deficit Reduction Trust Fund and provide

for the downward adjustment of discretionary spending

limits in appropriation bills.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 SECTION 1. DEFICIT REDUCTION TRUST FUND.

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—A trust fund known as the

3 ‘‘Deficit Reduction Trust Fund’’ (hereinafter in this title

4 referred to as the ‘‘Fund’’) shall be established in the

5 Treasury of the United States.

6 (b) CONTENTS.—The Fund shall consist only of

7 amounts contained in the deficit reduction lock box provi8 sion of any appropriation Act. Such amounts shall be

9 transferred to the Fund as specified in subsection (c).

10 (c) TRANSFERS OF MONEYS TO THE FUND.—Within

11 10 days of enactment of any appropriation Act which has

12 a deficit reduction lock box provision, there shall be trans13 ferred from the general fund to the Fund an amount equal

14 to that amount.

15 (d) USE OF MONEYS IN THE FUND.—Notwithstand16 ing any other provision of law, the amounts in the Fund

17 shall not be available, in any fiscal year, for appropriation,

18 obligation, expenditure, or transfer.

19 SEC. 2. DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS OF DISCRETIONARY

20 SPENDING LIMITS.

21 (a) DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS.—The discretionary

22 spending limit for new budget authority for any fiscal year

23 set forth in section 601(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget

24 Act of 1974, as adjusted in strict conformance with sec25 tion 251 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit

26 Control Act of 1985, shall be reduced by the amount of
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1 budget authority transferred to the Fund for that fiscal

2 year under section 2(c), as calculated by the Director of

3 the Office of Management and Budget. The adjusted dis4 cretionary spending limit for outlays for that fiscal year

5 and each outyear as set forth in such section 601(a)(2)

6 shall be reduced as a result of the reduction of such budget

7 authority, as calculated by the Director of the Office of

8 Management and Budget based upon such programmatic

9 and other assumptions set forth in the joint explanatory

10 statement of managers accompanying the conference re11 port on that bill. All such reductions shall occur on the

12 same day that the amounts triggering the reductions are

13 transferred to the Fund.

14 (b) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term

15 ‘‘appropriation bill’’ means any general or special appro16 priation bill, and any bill or joint resolution making sup17 plemental, deficiency, or continuing appropriations.

18 SEC. 3. DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS OF AP19 PROPRIATION MEASURES.

20 (a) DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS.—

21 Title III of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is

22 amended by adding at the end the following new section:

23 ‘‘DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS OF

24 APPROPRIATION BILLS

25 ‘‘SEC. 314. (a) Any appropriation bill that is being

26 marked up by the Committee on Appropriations (or a sub-
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1 committee thereof) of either House shall contain a line

2 item entitled ‘Deficit Reduction Lock-box’. The dollar

3 amount set forth under that heading shall be an amount

4 equal to the section 602(b)(1) or section 302(b)(1) alloca5 tions, as the case may be, to the subcommittee of jurisdic6 tion over the bill of the Committee on Appropriations

7 minus the aggregate level of budget authority or outlays

8 contained in the bill being considered.

9 ‘‘(b) Whenever the Committee on Appropriations of

10 either House reports an appropriation bill, that bill shall

11 contain a line item entitled ‘Deficit Reduction Account’

12 comprised of the following:

13 ‘‘(1) Only in the case of any general appropria14 tion bill containing the appropriations for Treasury

15 and Postal Service (or resolution making continuing

16 appropriations (if applicable)), an amount equal to

17 the amounts by which the discretionary spending

18 limit for new budget authority and outlays set forth

19 in the most recent OMB sequestration preview re20 port pursuant to section 601(a)(2) exceed the sec21 tion 602(a) allocation for the fiscal year covered by

22 that bill.

23 ‘‘(2) Only in the case of any general appropria24 tion bill (or resolution making continuing appropria25 tions (if applicable)), an amount not to exceed the
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1 amount by which the appropriate section 602 (b) al2 location of new budget authority exceeds the amount

3 of new budget authority provided by that bill (as re4 ported by that committee).

5 ‘‘(3) Only in the case of any bill making supple6 mental appropriations following enactment of all

7 general appropriation bills for the same fiscal year,

8 an amount not to exceed the amount by which the

9 section 602(a) allocation of new budget authority ex10 ceeds the sum of all new budget authority provided

11 by appropriation bills enacted for that fiscal year

12 plus that supplemental appropriation bill (as re13 ported by that committee).

14 ‘‘(c) Whenever a Member of either House of Congress

15 offers an amendment (whether in subcommittee, commit16 tee, or on the floor) to an appropriation bill to reduce

17 spending, that reduction shall be placed in the deficit re18 duction lock-box unless that Member indicates that it is

19 to be utilized for another program, project, or activity cov20 ered by that bill. If the amendment is agreed to and the

21 reduction was placed in the deficit reduction lock-box, then

22 the line item entitled ‘Deficit Reduction Lock-box’ shall

23 be increased by the amount of that reduction.

24 ‘‘(d) It shall not be in order in the House of Rep25 resentatives or the Senate to consider a conference report
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1 that modifies any Deficit Reduction Lock-box provision

2 that is beyond the scope of that provision as so committed

3 to the conference committee.’’.

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con5 tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget

6 and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by in7 serting after the item relating to section 313 the following

8 new item:

‘‘Sec. 314. Deficit reduction lock-box provisions of appropriation measures.’’.

9 SEC. 4. CBO TRACKING.

10 Section 202 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974

11 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub12 section:

13 ‘‘(i) SCOREKEEPING ASSISTANCE.—To facilitate

14 compliance by the Committees on Appropriations with sec15 tion 314, the Office shall score all general appropriation

16 measures as passed the House of Representatives and as

17 passed the Senate and have such scorecard published in

18 the Congressional Record.’’.

Æ