IA

106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 37

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States with

respect to tax limitations.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 11, 1999

Mr. BARTON of Texas (for himself, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. GOODE, Mr.

SHADEGG, Mr. ADERHOLT, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. ARCHER, Mr. ARMEY,

Mr. BACHUS, Mr. BAKER, Mr. BALLENGER, Mr. BARR of Georgia, Mr.

BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. BASS, Mrs. BIGGERT, Mr. BILBRAY, Mr.

BRADY of Texas, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BLILEY, Mr. BLUNT, Mr.

BOEHNER, Mr. BONILLA, Mr. BRYANT, Mr. BURR of North Carolina, Mr.

BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CALLAHAN, Mr. CALVERT, Mr. CANNON, Mr.

CASTLE, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mrs. CHENOWETH, Mr. COBURN,

Mr. COLLINS, Mr. COMBEST, Mr. COOK, Mr. COOKSEY, Mr. COX, Mr.

CRANE, Mrs. CUBIN, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Ms. DANNER, Mr. DEAL of

Georgia, Mr. DELAY, Mr. DEMINT, Mr. DICKEY, Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr.

DUNCAN, Ms. DUNN, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. EVERETT, Mr.

FOLEY, Mr. FORBES, Mr. FOSSELLA, Mrs. FOWLER, Mr. FRANKS of New

Jersey, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. GOODLING, Mr. GRAHAM, Ms. GRANGER, Mr.

GREEN of Wisconsin, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. HANSEN, Mr. HASTINGS of

Washington, Mr. HAYWORTH, Mr. HEFLEY, Mr. HILLEARY, Mr. HOEKSTRA, Mr. HORN, Mr. HULSHOF, Mr. HUNTER, Mr. ISTOOK, Mr. JENKINS, Mr. JOHN, Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JONES of North Carolina, Mr. KASICH, Mrs. KELLY, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr.

LARGENT, Mr. LATHAM, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. LAZIO, Mr. LEWIS of

Kentucky, Mr. LINDER, Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma, Mr. MANZULLO, Mr.

MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCCRERY, Mr. MCINNIS, Mr. MCINTOSH, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. MCKEON, Mr. METCALF, Mr. MICA, Mr. MILLER of Florida,

Mr. GARY MILLER of California, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr.

NEY, Mrs. NORTHUP, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. OXLEY, Mr. PACKARD, Mr.

PAUL, Mr. PEASE, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. PICKERING, Mr.

PITTS, Mr. POMBO, Mr. PORTER, Mr. PORTMAN, Ms. PRYCE of Ohio, Mr.

QUINN, Mr. RADANOVICH, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mr. RILEY, Mr. ROGAN, Mr.

ROHRABACHER, Mr. ROYCE, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr. SALMON, Mr.

SANFORD, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. SCARBOROUGH, Mr. SCHAFFER, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. SKEEN,

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. SMITH of Michigan,
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Mr. SOUDER, Mr. SPENCE, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. STUMP, Mr. SUNUNU, Mr.

SWEENEY, Mr. TALENT, Mr. TAUZIN, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. TAYLOR of

North Carolina, Mr. THUNE, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. UPTON, Mr. WALDEN of

Oregon, Mr. WAMP, Mr. WATKINS, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr.

WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. WELLER, and

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska) introduced the following joint resolution; which

was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

JOINT RESOLUTION

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United

States with respect to tax limitations.

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled

3 (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the fol4 lowing article is proposed as an amendment to the Con5 stitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all

6 intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when

7 ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several

8 States within seven years after the date of its submission

9 for ratification:

10 ‘‘ARTICLE—

11 ‘‘SECTION 1. Any bill, resolution, or other legislative

12 measure changing the internal revenue laws shall require

13 for final adoption in each House the concurrence of two14 thirds of the Members of that House voting and present,

15 unless that bill, resolution, or other legislative measure is

16 determined at the time of adoption, in a reasonable man17 ner prescribed by law, not to increase the internal revenue
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1 by more than a de minimis amount. For the purposes of

2 determining any increase in the internal revenue under

3 this section, there shall be excluded any increase resulting

4 from the lowering of an effective rate of any tax. On any

5 vote for which the concurrence of two-thirds is required

6 under this article, the yeas and nays of the Members of

7 either House shall be entered on the Journal of that

8 House.

9 ‘‘SECTION 2. The Congress may waive the require10 ments of this article when a declaration of war is in effect.

11 The Congress may also waive this article when the United

12 States is engaged in military conflict which causes an im13 minent and serious threat to national security and is so

14 declared by a joint resolution, adopted by a majority of

15 the whole number of each House, which becomes law. Any

16 increase in the internal revenue enacted under such a

17 waiver shall be effective for not longer than two years.’’.

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