I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 5580

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide that, in the

House of Representatives, appropriations to reduce the public debt are

covered by budget allocations and to amend the Rules of the House

of Representatives to allow en bloc offsetting amendments to appropriation bills to reduce spending and to reduce the public debt.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 26, 2000

Mr. GARY MILLER of California (for himself, Mr. SCHAFFER, Mr. TOOMEY,

Mr. COBURN, Mr. BARR of Georgia, Mr. LARGENT, and Mr. BURTON of

Indiana) 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 provide

that, in the House of Representatives, appropriations

to reduce the public debt are covered by budget allocations and to amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to allow en bloc offsetting amendments to appropriation bills to reduce spending and to reduce the public

debt.

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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•HR 5580 IH

1 SECTION 1. TREATMENT UNDER THE CONGRESSIONAL

2 BUDGET ACT OF 1974 OF CERTAIN AMEND3 MENTS TO APPROPRIATION BILLS TO PAY

4 DOWN THE PUBLIC DEBT.

5 (a) TREATMENT OF CERTAIN APPROPRIATION

6 AMENDMENTS.—Title III of the Congressional Budget

7 Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the following

8 new section:

9 ‘‘TREATMENT OF CERTAIN AMENDMENTS TO

10 APPROPRIATION BILLS TO PAY DOWN THE PUBLIC DEBT

11 ‘‘SEC. 316. In the House of Representatives, amend12 ments to appropriation bills under clause 2(f)(2) of rule

13 XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives pro14 posing appropriations to the account established under

15 section 3113 of title 31, United States Code, to pay down

16 the public debt shall be treated as budget authority and

17 outlays for all purposes under this title.’’.

18 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con19 tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget

20 Act of 1974 is amended by adding after the item relating

21 to section 315 the following new item:

‘‘Sec. 316. Treatment of offsetting amendments to appropriation bills to pay

down the public debt.’’.
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1 SEC. 2. OFFSETTING AMENDMENTS TO APPROPRIATION

2 BILLS TO REDUCE THE PUBLIC DEBT.

3 Clause 2(f) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House

4 of Representatives is amended by inserting ‘‘(1)’’ after

5 ‘‘(f)’’ and by adding at the end the following new para6 graph:

7 ‘‘(2) During the reading of an appropriation bill for

8 amendment in the Committee of the Whole House on the

9 state of the Union, it shall be in order to consider en bloc

10 amendments proposing only to reduce appropriations

11 among objects in the bill and make an appropriation to

12 the account established under section 3113 of title 31,

13 United States Code, to pay down the public debt without

14 increasing the levels of budget authority or outlays in the

15 bill.’’.

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