II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1679 

To ensure effective control over the Congressional budget process. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 11, 2011 

Mr. THUNE introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on the Budget 

A BILL 

To ensure effective control over the Congressional budget 

process. 

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 AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Budget Reform Act of 2011’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 

TITLE I—JOINT BUDGET RESOLUTION 

Sec. 101. Purposes. 

Sec. 102. Timetable. 

Sec. 103. Joint resolution on the budget. 

Sec. 104. Budget required before spending bills may be considered. 

Sec. 105. Amendments to joint resolutions on the budget. 


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Sec. 106. Continuing appropriations. 

TITLE II—BIENNIAL BUDGET 

Sec. 201. Effective date. 

Sec. 202. Revision of timetable. 

Sec. 203. Amendments to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 

Act of 1974. 

Sec. 204. Amendments to Rules of the House of Representatives. 

Sec. 205. Two-year appropriations; title and style of appropriation Acts. 

Sec. 206. Multiyear authorizations. 

Sec. 207. Government strategic and performance plans on a biennial basis. 

Sec. 208. Biennial appropriation bills. 

Sec. 209. Assistance by Federal agencies to standing committees of the Senate 

and the House of Representatives. 

1 TITLE I—JOINT BUDGET 

2 RESOLUTION 

3 SEC. 101. PURPOSES. 

4 Paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 2 of the Congres5 sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 are 

6 amended to read as follows: 

7 ‘‘(1) to assure effective control over the budg8 etary process; and 

9 ‘‘(2) to facilitate the determination of the ap10 propriate level of Federal revenues and expenditures 

11 by the Congress and the President;’’. 

12 SEC. 102. TIMETABLE. 

13 Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

14 is amended to read as follows: 

15 ‘‘TIMETABLE

16 ‘‘SEC. 300. The timetable with respect to the Con17 gressional budget process for any fiscal year is as follows: 

‘‘First Session 

On or before: Action to be completed: 


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‘‘First Session—Continued 

First Monday in February ........ President submits his budget. 

February 15 ............................... Congressional Budget Office submits report 

to Budget Committees. 

Not later than 6 weeks after 

President submits budget.

Committees submit views and estimates to 

Budget Committees. 

April 1 ....................................... Budget Committees report joint resolution on 

the budget. 

April 15 .................................... Congress completes action on joint resolution 

on the budget. 

June 10 ...................................... House Appropriations Committee reports last 

annual appropriation bill. 

June 15 ...................................... Congress completes action on reconciliation 

legislation. 

June 30 ...................................... House completes action on annual appropriation bills. 

October 1 ................................... Fiscal year begins.’’. 

1 SEC. 103. JOINT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. 

2 (a) CONTENT OF JOINT RESOLUTIONS ON THE

3 BUDGET.—Section 301(a)(4) of the Congressional Budget 

4 Act of 1974 is amended to read as follows: 

5 ‘‘(4) subtotals of new budget authority and out6 lays for nondefense discretionary spending, defense 

7 discretionary spending, Medicare, Medicaid, other di8 rect spending (excluding interest), and interest; and 

9 for emergencies (for the reserve fund in section 

10 317(b) and for military operations in section 

11 317(C));’’. 

12 (b) ADDITIONAL MATTERS IN JOINT RESOLUTION.— 

13 Section 301(b) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

14 is amended as follows: 

15 (1) Strike paragraphs (1), and (6) through (9). 

16 (2) Redesignate paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and 

17 (5) accordingly. 


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1 (3) Amend paragraph (3), as redesignated, to 

2 read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(3) set forth such other matters, and require 

4 such other procedures, relating to the budget as may 

5 be appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Act, 

6 but shall not include a suspension or alteration of 

7 the application of the motion to strike a provision as 

8 set forth in section 310(d)(2) or (h)(2)(F).’’. 

9 (c) REQUIRED CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Section 

10 301(e)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is 

11 amended as follows: 

12 (1) Redesignate subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), 

13 (D), (E), and (F) as subparagraphs (B), (C), (E), 

14 (F), (H), and (I), respectively. 

15 (2) Before subparagraph (B) (as redesignated), 

16 insert the following new subparagraph: 

17 ‘‘(A) new budget authority and outlays for 

18 each major functional category, based on alloca19 tions of the total levels set forth pursuant to 

20 subsection (a)(1);’’. 

21 (3) In subparagraph (C) (as redesignated), 

22 strike ‘‘mandatory’’ and insert ‘‘direct spending’’. 

23 (4) After subparagraph (C) (as redesignated), 

24 insert the following new subparagraph: 


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1 ‘‘(D) a measure, as a percentage of gross 

2 domestic product, of total outlays, total Federal 

3 revenues, the surplus or deficit, and new out4 lays for nondefense discretionary spending, de5 fense spending, Medicare, Medicaid and other 

6 direct spending as set forth in such resolu7 tion;’’. 

8 (5) After subparagraph (F) (as redesignated), 

9 insert the following new subparagraph: 

10 ‘‘(G) if the joint resolution on the budget 

11 includes any allocation to a committee other 

12 than the Committee on Appropriations of levels 

13 in excess of current law levels, a justification 

14 for not subjecting any program, project, or ac15 tivity (for which the allocation is made) to an16 nual discretionary appropriations;’’. 

17 (d) ADDITIONAL CONTENTS OF REPORT.—Section 

18 301(e)(3) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is 

19 amended as follows: 

20 (1) Redesignate subparagraphs (A) and (B) as 

21 subparagraphs (B) and (C), respectively, strike sub22 paragraphs (C) and (D), and redesignate subpara23 graph (E) as subparagraph (D) and strike the pe24 riod and insert ‘‘; and’’. 


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1 (2) Before subparagraph (B), insert the fol2 lowing new subparagraph: 

3 ‘‘(A) new budget authority and outlays for 

4 each major functional category, based on alloca5 tions of the total levels set forth pursuant to 

6 subsection (a)(1);’’. 

7 (3) At the end, add the following new subpara8 graph: 

9 ‘‘(E) set forth, if required by subsection 

10 (f), the calendar year in which, in the opinion 

11 of the Congress, the goals for reducing unem12 ployment set forth in section 4(b) of the Em13 ployment Act of 1946 should be achieved.’’. 

14 (e) BUDGET PRESENTATION.—After section 

15 301(e)(3) add the following new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(4) BUDGET FORMAT.—In addition to the con17 tents that may be included in the report pursuant to 

18 paragraph (3), a presentation of the functional cat19 egories may also be included as follows: 

20 ‘‘(A) PRINCIPAL FEDERAL OBLIGATIONS.— 

21 Activities intrinsic to the Federal Government 

22 (including both discretionary and mandatory 

23 spending) as follows: 

24 ‘‘(i) National defense; 

25 ‘‘(ii) International affairs; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) Veterans benefits and services; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(iv) Administration of justice. 

4 ‘‘(B) FEDERALLY SUPPORTED DOMESTIC

5 PRIORITIES.—The total domestic discretionary 

6 spending levels as follows: 

7 ‘‘(i) Total domestic discretionary 

8 spending. 

9 ‘‘(ii) Optional inclusion of additional 

10 specific recommended levels. 

11 ‘‘(C) MAJOR DOMESTIC ENTITLEMENTS.— 

12 Major domestic direct spending programs as 

13 follows: 

14 ‘‘(i) Medicare. 

15 ‘‘(ii) Medicaid. 

16 ‘‘(iii) Other direct spending. 

17 ‘‘(iv) Optional inclusion of additional 

18 specific recommended levels. 

19 ‘‘(D) GENERAL GOVERNMENT AND FINAN20 CIAL MANAGEMENT.—Funding for financing 

21 government operations as follows: 

22 ‘‘(i) General government. 

23 ‘‘(ii) Net interest. 

24 ‘‘(iii) Allowances. 

25 ‘‘(iv) Offsetting receipts.’’. 


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1 (f) PRESIDENT’S BUDGET SUBMISSION TO CON2 GRESS.—(1) The first two sentences of section 1105(a) 

3 of title 31, United States Code, are amended to read as 

4 follows: ‘‘On or after the first Monday in January but not 

5 later than the first Monday in February of each year the 

6 President shall submit a budget of the United States Gov7 ernment for the following fiscal year which shall set forth 

8 the following levels: 

9 ‘‘(A) Totals of new budget authority and out10 lays. 

11 ‘‘(B) Total Federal revenues and the amount, if 

12 any, by which the aggregate level of Federal reve13 nues should be increased or decreased by bills and 

14 resolutions to be reported by the appropriate com15 mittees. 

16 ‘‘(C) The surplus or deficit in the budget. 

17 ‘‘(D) Subtotals of new budget authority and 

18 outlays for nondefense discretionary spending, de19 fense discretionary spending, direct spending (ex20 cluding interest), and interest, and for emergencies 

21 (for the reserve fund in section 317(b) and for mili22 tary operations in section 317(c)). 

23 ‘‘(E) The public debt. 

24 Each budget submission shall include a budget message 

25 and summary and supporting information and, as a sepaVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:55 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1679.IS S1679

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1 rately delineated statement, the levels requires in the pre2 ceding sentence for at least each of the 4 ensuing fiscal 

3 years.’’. 

4 (2) The third sentence of section 1105(a) of title 31, 

5 United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘submission’’ 

6 after ‘‘budget’’. 

7 (g) LIMITATION ON THE CONTENT OF BUDGET RES8 OLUTIONS.—Section 305 of the Congressional Budget Act 

9 of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the following 

10 new subsection: 

11 ‘‘(e) LIMITATION ON CONTENTS.—(1) It shall not be 

12 in order in the House of Representatives or in the Senate 

13 to consider any joint resolution on the budget or any 

14 amendment thereto or conference report thereon that con15 tains any matter referred to in paragraph (2). 

16 ‘‘(2) Any joint resolution on the budget or any 

17 amendment thereto or conference report thereon that con18 tains any matter not permitted in section 301 (a) or (b) 

19 shall not be treated in the House of Representatives or 

20 the Senate as a budget resolution under subsection (a) or 

21 (b) or as a conference report on a budget resolution under 

22 subsection (c) of this section.’’. 


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1 SEC. 104. BUDGET REQUIRED BEFORE SPENDING BILLS 

2 MAY BE CONSIDERED. 

3 (a) AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 302.—Section 302 of 

4 the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a), by striking paragraph (5); 

6 and 

7 (2) in subsection (f)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘as re8 ported’’. 

9 (b) AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 303 AND CON10 FORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) Section 303 of the Con11 gressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by striking ‘‘(a) 

12 IN GENERAL.—’’, by striking ‘‘has been agreed to’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘takes effect in subsection (a)’’, and by striking 

14 subsections (b) and (c); and 

15 (2) by striking its section heading and inserting the 

16 following new section heading: ‘‘CONSIDERATION OF

17 BUDGET-RELATED LEGISLATION BEFORE BUDGET BE18 COMES LAW’’. 

19 (c) EXPEDITED PROCEDURES UPON VETO OF JOINT

20 RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET.—(1) Title III of the Con21 gressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding after 

22 section 315 the following new section: 

23 ‘‘EXPEDITED PROCEDURES UPON VETO OF JOINT

24 RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET

25 ‘‘SEC. 316. (a) SPECIAL RULE.—If the President ve26 toes a joint resolution on the budget for a fiscal year, the 


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1 majority leader of the House of Representatives or Senate 

2 (or his designee) shall introduce a concurrent resolution 

3 on the budget or joint resolution on the budget for such 

4 fiscal year. If the Committee on the Budget of either 

5 House fails to report such concurrent or joint resolution 

6 referred to it within five calendar days (excluding Satur7 days, Sundays, or legal holidays except when that House 

8 of Congress is in session) after the date of such referral, 

9 the committee shall be automatically discharged from fur10 ther consideration of such resolution and such resolution 

11 shall be placed on the appropriate calendar. 

12 ‘‘(b) PROCEDURE IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA13 TIVES AND THE SENATE.— 

14 ‘‘(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 

15 provisions of section 305 for the consideration in the 

16 House of Representatives and in the Senate of joint 

17 resolutions on the budget and conference reports 

18 thereon shall also apply to the consideration of con19 current resolutions on the budget introduced under 

20 subsection (a) and conference reports thereon. 

21 ‘‘(2) Debate in the Senate on any concurrent 

22 resolution on the budget or joint resolution on the 

23 budget introduced under subsection (a), and all 

24 amendments thereto and debatable motions and ap25 peals in connection therewith, shall be limited to not 


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1 more than 10 hours and in the House of Represent2 atives such debate shall be limited to not more than 

3 3 hours. 

4 ‘‘(c) CONTENTS OF CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS.— 

5 Any concurrent resolution on the budget introduced under 

6 subsection (a) shall be in compliance with section 301. 

7 ‘‘(d) EFFECT OF CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE

8 BUDGET.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this 

9 title, whenever a concurrent resolution on the budget de10 scribed in subsection (a) is agreed to, then the aggregates, 

11 allocations, and reconciliation directives (if any) contained 

12 in the report accompanying such concurrent resolution or 

13 in such concurrent resolution shall be considered to be the 

14 aggregates, allocations, and reconciliation directives for all 

15 purposes of sections 302, 303, and 311 for the applicable 

16 fiscal years and such concurrent resolution shall be 

17 deemed to be a joint resolution for all purposes of this 

18 title and the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

19 any reference to the date of enactment of a joint resolution 

20 on the budget shall be deemed to be a reference to the 

21 date agreed to when applied to such concurrent resolu22 tion.’’. 

23 (2) The table of contents set forth in section 1(b) of 

24 the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act 


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1 of 1974 is amended by inserting after the item relating 

2 to section 315 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 316. Expedited procedures upon veto of joint resolution on the budget.’’. 

3 SEC. 105. AMENDMENTS TO JOINT RESOLUTIONS ON THE 

4 BUDGET. 

5 (a) DEFINITION.—Paragraph (4) of section 3 of the 

6 Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended to read as 

7 follows: 

8 ‘‘(4) the term ‘joint resolution on the budget’ 

9 means— 

10 ‘‘(A) a joint resolution setting forth the 

11 budget for the United States Government for a 

12 fiscal year as provided in section 301; and 

13 ‘‘(B) any other joint resolution revising the 

14 budget for the United States Government for a 

15 fiscal year as described in section 304.’’. 

16 (b) ADDITIONAL AMENDMENTS TO THE CONGRES17 SIONAL BUDGET AND IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL ACT OF

18 1974.—(1)(A) Sections 301, 302, 303, 305, 308, 310, 

19 311, 312, 314, 405, and 904 of the Congressional Budget 

20 Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 621 et seq.) are amended by strik21 ing ‘‘concurrent’’ each place it appears and inserting 

22 ‘‘joint’’. 

23 (B) Section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 

24 1974 is further amended by striking the last sentence. 


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1 (C)(i) Sections 302(d), 302(g), 308(a)(1)(A), and 

2 310(d)(1) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 are 

3 amended by striking ‘‘most recently agreed to concurrent 

4 resolution on the budget’’ each place it occurs and insert5 ing ‘‘most recently enacted joint resolution on the budget 

6 or agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget (as appli7 cable)’’. 

8 (ii) The section heading of section 301 is amended 

9 by striking ‘‘ANNUAL ADOPTION OF CONCURRENT RESO10 LUTION’’ and inserting ‘‘JOINT RESOLUTIONS’’; and 

11 (iii) Section 304 of such Act is amended to read as 

12 follows: 

13 ‘‘PERMISSIBLE REVISIONS OF BUDGET RESOLUTIONS

14 ‘‘SEC. 304. At any time after the joint resolution on 

15 the budget for a fiscal year has been enacted pursuant 

16 to section 301, and before the end of such fiscal year, the 

17 two Houses and the President may enact a joint resolution 

18 on the budget which revises or reaffirms the joint resolu19 tion on the budget for such fiscal year most recently en20 acted, and for purposes of the enforcement of the Congres21 sional Budget Act of 1974, the chairman of the Budget 

22 Committee of the House of Representatives or the Senate, 

23 as applicable, may adjust levels as needed for the enforce24 ment off of the budget resolution.’’. 


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1 (D) Sections 302, 303, 310, and 311, of such Act 

2 are amended by striking ‘‘agreed to’’ each place it appears 

3 and by inserting ‘‘enacted’’. 

4 (2)(A) Paragraph (4) of section 3 of the Congres5 sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is 

6 amended by striking ‘‘concurrent’’ each place it appears 

7 and by inserting ‘‘joint’’. 

8 (B) The table of contents set forth in section 1(b) 

9 of such Act is amended— 

10 (i) in the item relating to section 301, by strik11 ing ‘‘Annual adoption of concurrent resolution’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘Joint resolutions’’; 

13 (ii) by striking the item relating to section 303 

14 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 303. Consideration of budget-related legislation before budget becomes 

law.’’; 

15 and 

16 (iii) by striking ‘‘concurrent’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘joint’’ in the item relating to section 305. 

18 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO THE RULES OF

19 THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—Clauses 1(d)(1), 

20 4(a)(4), 4(b)(2), 4(f)(1)(A), and 4(f)(2) of rule X, clause 

21 10 of rule XVIII, clause 10 of rule XX, and clauses 7 

22 and 10 of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Rep23 resentatives are amended by striking ‘‘concurrent’’ each 

24 place it appears and inserting ‘‘joint’’. 


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1 (d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO THE BALANCED

2 BUDGET AND EMERGENCY DEFICIT CONTROL ACT OF

3 1985.—Section 258C(b)(1) of the Balanced Budget and 

4 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 

5 907d(b)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘concurrent’’ and in6 serting ‘‘joint’’. 

7 (e) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 310 

8 REGARDING RECONCILIATION DIRECTIVES.—(1) The side 

9 heading of section 310(a) of the Congressional Budget Act 

10 of 1974 (as amended by section 105(b)) is further amend11 ed by inserting ‘‘JOINT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT AC12 COMPANYING CONFERENCE REPORT ON’’ before ‘‘JOINT’’. 

13 (2) Section 310(a) of such Act is amended by striking 

14 ‘‘A’’ and inserting ‘‘The joint explanatory statement ac15 companying the conference report on a’’. 

16 (3) The first sentence of section 310(b) of such Act 

17 is amended by striking ‘‘If’’ and inserting ‘‘If the joint 

18 explanatory statement accompanying the conference re19 port on’’. 

20 (4) Section 310(c)(1) of such Act is amended by in21 serting ‘‘the joint explanatory statement accompanying 

22 the conference report on’’ after ‘‘pursuant to’’. 

23 (f) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS TO SECTION 3 RE24 GARDING DIRECT SPENDING.—Section 3 of the Congres25 sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is 


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1 amended by adding at the end the following new para2 graph: 

3 ‘‘(11) The term ‘direct spending’ has the mean4 ing given to such term in section 250(c)(8) of the 

5 Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 

6 Act of 1985.’’. 

7 SEC. 106. CONTINUING APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 13 of title 31, United 

9 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 1310 

10 the following new section: 

11 ‘‘§ 1311. Continuing appropriations 

12 ‘‘(a)(1) If any regular appropriation bill for each fis13 cal year in a biennium does not become law before the 

14 beginning of such biennium or a joint resolution making 

15 continuing appropriations is not in effect, there are appro16 priated for the 2 years of the biennium, out of any money 

17 in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, and out of 

18 applicable corporate or other revenues, receipts, and 

19 funds, excluding any budget authority designated as an 

20 emergency or temporary funding for projects or activities 

21 that are not part of ongoing operations, such sums as may 

22 be necessary to continue any project or activity for which 

23 funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year— 

24 ‘‘(A) for defense, veterans, and homeland secu25 rity spending— 


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1 ‘‘(i) in the corresponding regular appro2 priation Act for such preceding fiscal year; or 

3 ‘‘(ii) if the corresponding regular appro4 priation bill for such preceding fiscal year did 

5 not become law, then in a joint resolution mak6 ing continuing appropriations for such pre7 ceding fiscal year; and 

8 ‘‘(B) for spending not described in subpara9 graph (A), total level allowable for the appropriate 

10 accounts under section 251 of the Balanced Budget 

11 and Emergency Deficit Control of Act of 1985 in 

12 the same proportion of funding that such accounts 

13 received the preceding fiscal year. 

14 ‘‘(2) Appropriations and funds made available, and 

15 authority granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal 

16 year pursuant to this section shall be at a rate of oper17 ations not in excess of the lower of— 

18 ‘‘(A) the rate of operations provided for in the 

19 regular appropriation Act providing for such project 

20 or activity for the preceding fiscal year; 

21 ‘‘(B) in the absence of such an Act, the rate of 

22 operations provided for such project or activity pur23 suant to a joint resolution making continuing appro24 priations for such preceding fiscal year; 


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1 ‘‘(C) the rate of operations provided for in the 

2 regular appropriation bill as passed by the House of 

3 Representatives or the Senate for the fiscal year in 

4 question, except that the lower of these two versions 

5 shall be ignored for any project or activity for which 

6 there is a budget request if no funding is provided 

7 for that project or activity in either version; or 

8 ‘‘(D) the annualized rate of operations provided 

9 for in the most recently enacted joint resolution 

10 making continuing appropriations for part of that 

11 fiscal year or any funding levels established under 

12 the provisions of this Act. 

13 ‘‘(3) Appropriations and funds made available, and 

14 authority granted, for any fiscal year pursuant to this sec15 tion for a project or activity shall be available for the pe16 riod beginning with the first day of a lapse in appropria17 tions and ending with the earlier of— 

18 ‘‘(A) the date on which the applicable regular 

19 appropriation bill for such fiscal year becomes law 

20 (whether or not such law provides for such project 

21 or activity) or a continuing resolution making appro22 priations becomes law, as the case may be; or 

23 ‘‘(B) the last day of such fiscal year. 

24 ‘‘(b) An appropriation or funds made available, or au25 thority granted, for a project or activity for any fiscal year 


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1 pursuant to this section shall be subject to the terms and 

2 conditions imposed with respect to the appropriation made 

3 or funds made available for the preceding fiscal year, or 

4 authority granted for such project or activity under cur5 rent law. 

6 ‘‘(c) Appropriations and funds made available, and 

7 authority granted, for any project or activity for any fiscal 

8 year pursuant to this section shall cover all obligations or 

9 expenditures incurred for such project or activity during 

10 the portion of such fiscal year for which this section ap11 plies to such project or activity. 

12 ‘‘(d) Expenditures made for a project or activity for 

13 any fiscal year pursuant to this section shall be charged 

14 to the applicable appropriation, fund, or authorization 

15 whenever a regular appropriation bill or a joint resolution 

16 making continuing appropriations until the end of a fiscal 

17 year providing for such project or activity for such period 

18 becomes law. 

19 ‘‘(e) This section shall not apply to a project or activ20 ity during a fiscal year if any other provision of law (other 

21 than an authorization of appropriations)— 

22 ‘‘(1) makes an appropriation, makes funds 

23 available, or grants authority for such project or ac24 tivity to continue for such period; or 


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1 ‘‘(2) specifically provides that no appropriation 

2 shall be made, no funds shall be made available, or 

3 no authority shall be granted for such project or ac4 tivity to continue for such period. 

5 ‘‘(f) For purposes of this section, the term ‘regular 

6 appropriation bill’ means any annual appropriation bill 

7 making appropriations, otherwise making funds available, 

8 or granting authority, for any of the following categories 

9 of projects and activities: 

10 ‘‘(1) Agriculture, rural development, Food and 

11 Drug Administration, and related agencies pro12 grams. 

13 ‘‘(2) The Department of Defense. 

14 ‘‘(3) Energy and water development, and re15 lated agencies. 

16 ‘‘(4) State, foreign operations, and related pro17 grams. 

18 ‘‘(5) The Department of Homeland Security. 

19 ‘‘(6) The Department of the Interior, Environ20 mental Protection Agency, and related agencies. 

21 ‘‘(7) The Departments of Labor, Health and 

22 Human Services, and Education, and related agen23 cies. 

24 ‘‘(8) Military construction, veterans affairs, and 

25 related agencies. 


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1 ‘‘(9) Science, the Departments of State, Jus2 tice, and Commerce, and related agencies. 

3 ‘‘(10) The Departments of Transportation, 

4 Housing and Urban Development, and related agen5 cies. 

6 ‘‘(11) The Legislative Branch. 

7 ‘‘(12) Financial services and general govern8 ment.’’. 

9 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis of chap10 ter 13 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by in11 serting after the item relating to section 1310 the fol12 lowing new item: 

‘‘1311. Continuing appropriations.’’. 

13 TITLE II—BIENNIAL BUDGET 

14 SEC. 201. EFFECTIVE DATE. 

15 The provisions of this subtitle shall take effect on 

16 January 1 of the calendar year after the year of the enact17 ment of this Act. 

18 SEC. 202. REVISION OF TIMETABLE. 

19 Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

20 (2 U.S.C. 631) is amended to read as follows: 

21 ‘‘TIMETABLE

22 ‘‘SEC. 300. (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by 

23 subsection (b), the timetable with respect to the congres24 sional budget process for any Congress (beginning with 


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1 the One Hundred Twelfth Congress or a subsequent Con2 gress, as applicable) is as follows: 

‘‘First Session 

On or before: Action to be completed: 

First Monday in February ........ President submits budget recommendations. 

February 15 ............................... Congressional Budget Office submits report 

to Budget Committees. 

Not later than 6 weeks after 

budget submission.

Committees submit views and estimates to 

Budget Committees. 

April 1 ....................................... Budget Committees report joint resolution on 

the biennial budget. 

May 15 ....................................... Congress completes action on joint resolution 

on the biennial budget. 

May 15 ....................................... Biennial appropriation bills may be considered in the House of Representatives. 

June 10 ...................................... House Appropriations Committee reports last 

biennial appropriation bill. 

June 30 ...................................... House completes action on biennial appropriation bills. 

October 1 ................................... Biennium begins. 

‘‘Second Session 

On or before: Action to be completed: 

February 15 ............................... President submits budget review. 

Not later than 6 weeks after 

President submits budget review.

Congressional Budget Office submits report 

to Budget Committees. 

The last day of the session ........ Congress completes action on bills and resolutions authorizing new budget authority 

for the succeeding biennium. 

3 ‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of any first session 

4 of Congress that begins in any year during which the term 

5 of a President (except a President who succeeds himself) 

6 begins, the following dates shall supersede those set forth 

7 in subsection (a): 

‘‘First Session 

On or before: Action to be completed: 

First Monday in April ............... President submits budget recommendations. 

April 20 ..................................... Committees submit views and estimates to 

Budget Committees. 

May 15 ....................................... Budget Committees report joint resolution on 

the biennial budget. 


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‘‘First Session—Continued 

June 1 ........................................ Congress completes action on joint resolution 

on the biennial budget. 

June 1 ........................................ Biennial appropriation bills may be considered in the House of Representatives. 

July 1 ......................................... House Appropriations Committee reports last 

biennial appropriation bill. 

July 20 ....................................... House completes action on biennial appropriation bills. 

October 1 ................................... Biennium begins.’’. 

1 SEC. 203. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET 

2 AND IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL ACT OF 1974. 

3 (a) DECLARATION OF PURPOSE.—Section 2(2) of the 

4 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 

5 1974 (2 U.S.C. 621(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘each 

6 year’’ and inserting ‘‘biennially’’. 

7 (b) DEFINITIONS.— 

8 (1) BUDGET RESOLUTION.—Section 3(4) of 

9 such Act (2 U.S.C. 622(4)) is amended by striking 

10 ‘‘fiscal year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘bi11 ennium’’. 

12 (2) BIENNIUM.—Section 3 of such Act (2 

13 U.S.C. 622) (as amended by section 113(a)) is fur14 ther amended by adding at the end the following 

15 new paragraph: 

16 ‘‘(13) The term ‘biennium’ means the period of 

17 2 consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of 

18 any odd-numbered year.’’. 

19 (c) BIENNIAL JOINT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDG20 ET.— 


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1 (1) CONTENTS OF RESOLUTION.—Section 

2 301(a) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 632(a)) is amended— 

3 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 

4 by— 

5 (i) striking ‘‘April 15 of each year’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘May 15 of each odd-num7 bered year’’; 

8 (ii) striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning 

9 on October 1 of such year’’ the first place 

10 it appears and inserting ‘‘the biennium be11 ginning on October 1 of such year’’; 

12 (iii) striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning 

13 on October 1 of such year’’ the second 

14 place it appears and inserting ‘‘each fiscal 

15 year in such period’’; and 

16 (iv) striking ‘‘each of the four ensuing 

17 fiscal years’’ and inserting ‘‘each fiscal 

18 year in the next 2 bienniums’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘for the 

20 fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year 

21 in the biennium’’; and 

22 (C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘for the 

23 fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year 

24 in the biennium’’. 


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1 (2) ADDITIONAL MATTERS.—Section 301(b) of 

2 such Act (2 U.S.C. 632(b)) is amended— 

3 (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘for such 

4 fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for either fiscal year 

5 in such biennium’’; and 

6 (B) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘for the 

7 first fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal 

8 year in the biennium’’. 

9 (3) VIEWS OF OTHER COMMITTEES.—Section 

10 301(d) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 632(d)) is amended by 

11 inserting ‘‘(or, if applicable, as provided by section 

12 300(b))’’ after ‘‘United States Code’’. 

13 (4) HEARINGS.—Section 301(e)(1) of such Act 

14 (2 U.S.C. 632(e)) is amended by— 

15 (A) striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘biennium’’; and 

17 (B) inserting after the second sentence the 

18 following: ‘‘On or before April 1 of each odd19 numbered year (or, if applicable, as provided by 

20 section 300(b)), the Committee on the Budget 

21 of each House shall report to its House the 

22 joint resolution on the budget referred to in 

23 subsection (a) for the biennium beginning on 

24 October 1 of that year.’’. 


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1 (5) GOALS FOR REDUCING UNEMPLOYMENT.— 

2 Section 301(f) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 632(f)) is 

3 amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ each place it ap4 pears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’. 

5 (6) ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS.—Section 

6 301(g)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 632(g)(1)) is 

7 amended by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’ and insert8 ing ‘‘for a biennium’’. 

9 (7) SECTION HEADING.—The section heading of 

10 section 301 of such Act is amended by striking ‘‘AN11 NUAL’’ and inserting ‘‘BIENNIAL’’. 

12 (8) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The item relating 

13 to section 301 in the table of contents set forth in 

14 section 1(b) of such Act is amended by striking ‘‘An15 nual’’ and inserting ‘‘Biennial’’. 

16 (d) COMMITTEE ALLOCATIONS.—Section 302 of such 

17 Act (2 U.S.C. 633) is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (a)(1) by— 

19 (A) striking ‘‘for the first fiscal year of the 

20 resolution,’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year 

21 in the biennium,’’; 

22 (B) striking ‘‘for that period of fiscal 

23 years’’ and inserting ‘‘for all fiscal years cov24 ered by the resolution’’; and 


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1 (C) striking ‘‘for the fiscal year of that 

2 resolution’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year 

3 in the biennium’’; 

4 (2) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ‘‘for a fiscal 

5 year’’ and inserting ‘‘for a biennium’’; 

6 (3) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ‘‘first fiscal 

7 year’’ and inserting ‘‘either fiscal year of the bien8 nium’’; 

9 (4) in subsection (f)(2)(A), by— 

10 (A) striking ‘‘first fiscal year’’ and insert11 ing ‘‘each fiscal year of the biennium’’; and 

12 (B) striking ‘‘the total of fiscal years’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘the total of all fiscal years covered by 

14 the resolution’’; and 

15 (5) in subsection (g)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘April’’ 

16 and inserting ‘‘May’’. 

17 (e) SECTION 303 POINT OF ORDER.—Section 303 of 

18 such Act (2 U.S.C. 634(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘for 

19 a fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for a biennium’’ and by strik20 ing ‘‘the first fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘each fiscal year 

21 of the biennium’’. 

22 (f) PERMISSIBLE REVISIONS OF JOINT RESOLUTIONS

23 ON THE BUDGET.—Section 304 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 

24 635) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ the first two places 

2 it appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’; 

3 (2) by striking ‘‘for such fiscal year’’; and 

4 (3) by inserting before the period ‘‘for such bi5 ennium’’. 

6 (g) PROCEDURES FOR CONSIDERATION OF BUDGET

7 RESOLUTIONS.—Section 305(a)(3) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 

8 636(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and in9 serting ‘‘biennium’’. 

10 (h) COMPLETION OF HOUSE COMMITTEE ACTION ON

11 APPROPRIATION BILLS.—Section 307 of such Act (2 

12 U.S.C. 638) is amended— 

13 (1) by striking ‘‘each year’’ and inserting ‘‘each 

14 odd-numbered year (or, if applicable, as provided by 

15 section 300(b), July 1)’’; 

16 (2) by striking ‘‘annual’’ and inserting ‘‘bien17 nial’’; 

18 (3) by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘bi19 ennium’’; and 

20 (4) by striking ‘‘that year’’ and inserting ‘‘each 

21 odd-numbered year’’. 

22 (i) COMPLETION OF HOUSE ACTION ON REGULAR

23 APPROPRIATION BILLS.—Section 309 of such Act (2 

24 U.S.C. 640) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking ‘‘It’’ and inserting ‘‘Except 

2 whenever section 300(b) is applicable, it’’; 

3 (2) by inserting ‘‘of any odd-numbered calendar 

4 year’’ after ‘‘July’’; 

5 (3) by striking ‘‘annual’’ and inserting ‘‘bien6 nial’’; and 

7 (4) by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘bi8 ennium’’. 

9 (j) RECONCILIATION PROCESS.—Section 310 of such 

10 Act (2 U.S.C. 641) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

12 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘any fiscal year’’ and in13 serting ‘‘any biennium’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘such fiscal 

15 year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘any fiscal 

16 year covered by such resolution’’; and 

17 (3) by striking subsection (f) and redesignating 

18 subsection (g) as subsection (f). 

19 (k) SECTION 311 POINT OF ORDER.— 

20 (1) IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

21 Section 311(a)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 642(a)) is 

22 amended— 

23 (A) by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’ and in24 serting ‘‘for a biennium’’; 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘the first fiscal year’’ each 

2 place it appears and inserting ‘‘either fiscal 

3 year of the biennium’’; and 

4 (C) by striking ‘‘that first fiscal year’’ and 

5 inserting ‘‘each fiscal year in the biennium’’. 

6 (2) IN THE SENATE.—Section 311(a)(2) of 

7 such Act is amended— 

8 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘for 

9 the first fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for either 

10 fiscal year of the biennium’’; and 

11 (B) in subparagraph (B)— 

12 (i) by striking ‘‘that first fiscal year’’ 

13 the first place it appears and inserting 

14 ‘‘each fiscal year in the biennium’’; and 

15 (ii) by striking ‘‘that first fiscal year 

16 and the ensuing fiscal years’’ and inserting 

17 ‘‘all fiscal years’’. 

18 (3) SOCIAL SECURITY LEVELS.—Section 

19 311(a)(3) of such Act is amended by— 

20 (A) striking ‘‘for the first fiscal year’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘each fiscal year in the biennium’’; 

22 and 

23 (B) striking ‘‘that fiscal year and the ensu24 ing fiscal years’’ and inserting ‘‘all fiscal 

25 years’’. 


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1 (l) MAXIMUM DEFICIT AMOUNT POINT OF ORDER.— 

2 Section 312(c) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 

3 (2 U.S.C. 643) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘for a biennium’’; 

6 (2) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘first fiscal 

7 year’’ and inserting ‘‘either fiscal year in the bien8 nium’’; 

9 (3) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘that fiscal 

10 year’’ and inserting ‘‘either fiscal year in the bien11 nium’’; and 

12 (4) in the matter following paragraph (2), by 

13 striking ‘‘that fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘the appli14 cable fiscal year’’. 

15 SEC. 204. AMENDMENTS TO RULES OF THE HOUSE OF REP16 RESENTATIVES. 

17 (a) Clause 4(a)(1)(A) of rule X of the Rules of the 

18 House of Representatives is amended by inserting ‘‘odd19 numbered’’ after ‘‘each’’. 

20 (b) Clause 4(a)(4) of rule X of the Rules of the House 

21 of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ 

22 and inserting ‘‘biennium’’. 

23 (c) Clause 4(b)(2) of rule X of the Rules of the House 

24 of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘each fiscal 

25 year’’ and inserting ‘‘the biennium’’. 


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1 (d) Clause 4(b) of rule X of the Rules of the House 

2 of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

3 end of subparagraph (5), by striking the period and insert4 ing ‘‘; and’’ at the end of subparagraph (6), and by adding 

5 at the end the following new subparagraph: 

6 ‘‘(7) use the second session of each Congress to 

7 study issues with long-term budgetary and economic 

8 implications, including holding hearings to receive 

9 testimony from committees of jurisdiction to identify 

10 problem areas and to report on the results of over11 sight; and by January 1 of each odd-number year, 

12 issuing a report to the Speaker which identifies the 

13 key issues facing the Congress in the next bien14 nium.’’. 

15 (e) Clause 4(e) of rule X of the Rules of the House 

16 of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘annually’’ each 

17 place it appears and inserting ‘‘biennially’’ and by striking 

18 ‘‘annual’’ and inserting ‘‘biennial’’. 

19 (f) Clause 4(f) of rule X of the Rules of the House 

20 of Representatives is amended— 

21 (1) by inserting ‘‘during each odd-numbered 

22 year’’ after ‘‘submits his budget’’; 

23 (2) by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ the first place it 

24 appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’; and 


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1 (3) by striking ‘‘that fiscal year’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘each fiscal year in such ensuing biennium’’. 

3 (g) Clause 11(i) of rule X of the Rules of the House 

4 of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘during the 

5 same or preceding fiscal year’’. 

6 (h) Clause 3(d)(2)(A) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

7 the House of Representatives is amended by striking 

8 ‘‘five’’ both places it appears and inserting ‘‘six’’. 

9 (i) Clause 5(a)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

10 House of Representatives is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal 

11 year after September 15 in the preceding fiscal year’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘biennium after September 15 of the calendar 

13 year in which such biennium begins’’. 

14 SEC. 205. TWO-YEAR APPROPRIATIONS; TITLE AND STYLE 

15 OF APPROPRIATION ACTS. 

16 Section 105 of title 1, United States Code, is amend17 ed to read as follows: 

18 ‘‘§ 105. Title and style of appropriations Acts 

19 ‘‘(a) The style and title of all Acts making appropria20 tions for the support of the Government shall be as fol21 lows: ‘An Act making appropriations (here insert the ob22 ject) for each fiscal year in the biennium of fiscal years 

23 (here insert the fiscal years of the biennium).’. 

24 ‘‘(b) All Acts making regular appropriations for the 

25 support of the Government shall be enacted for a biennium 


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1 and shall specify the amount of appropriations provided 

2 for each fiscal year in such period. 

3 ‘‘(c) For purposes of this section, the term ‘biennium’ 

4 has the same meaning as in section 3(13) of the Congres5 sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 

6 U.S.C. 622(13)).’’. 

7 SEC. 206. MULTIYEAR AUTHORIZATIONS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Congressional 

9 Budget Act of 1974 (as amended by section 115(a)) is 

10 further amended by adding at the end the following new 

11 section: 

12 ‘‘MULTIYEAR AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS

13 ‘‘SEC. 318. (a) It shall not be in order in the House 

14 of Representatives or the Senate to consider any measure 

15 that contains a specific authorization of appropriations for 

16 any purpose unless the measure includes such a specific 

17 authorization of appropriations for that purpose for not 

18 less than each fiscal year in one or more bienniums. 

19 ‘‘(b)(1) For purposes of this section, a specific au20 thorization of appropriations is an authorization for the 

21 enactment of an amount of appropriations or amounts not 

22 to exceed an amount of appropriations (whether stated as 

23 a sum certain, as a limit, or as such sums as may be nec24 essary) for any purpose for a fiscal year. 

25 ‘‘(2) Subsection (a) does not apply with respect to 

26 an authorization of appropriations for a single fiscal year 


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1 for any program, project, or activity if the measure con2 taining that authorization includes a provision expressly 

3 stating the following: ‘Congress finds that no authoriza4 tion of appropriation will be required for [Insert name of 

5 applicable program, project, or activity] for any subse6 quent fiscal year.’. 

7 ‘‘(c) For purposes of this section, the term ‘measure’ 

8 means a bill, joint resolution, amendment, motion, or con9 ference report.’’. 

10 (b) AMENDMENT TO TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The 

11 table of contents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congres12 sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is 

13 amended by adding after the item relating to section 317 

14 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 318. Multiyear authorizations of appropriations.’’. 

15 SEC. 207. GOVERNMENT STRATEGIC AND PERFORMANCE 

16 PLANS ON A BIENNIAL BASIS. 

17 (a) STRATEGIC PLANS.—Section 306 of title 5, 

18 United States Code, is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘September 

20 30, 1997’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2010’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (b)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘at least every three years’’ 

23 and all that follows thereafter and inserting ‘‘at 

24 least every 4 years, except that strategic plans 


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1 submitted by September 30, 2010, shall be up2 dated and revised by September 30, 2012’’; and 

3 (B) by striking ‘‘five years forward’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘six years forward’’; and 

5 (3) in subsection (c), by inserting a comma 

6 after ‘‘section’’ the second place it appears and add7 ing ‘‘including a strategic plan submitted by Sep8 tember 30, 2010, meeting the requirements of sub9 section (a)’’. 

10 (b) BUDGET CONTENTS AND SUBMISSION TO CON11 GRESS.—Paragraph (28) of section 1105(a) of title 31, 

12 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘beginning 

13 with fiscal year 1999, a’’ and inserting ‘‘beginning with 

14 fiscal year 2012, a biennial’’. 

15 (c) PERFORMANCE PLANS.—Section 1115 of title 31, 

16 United States Code, is amended— 

17 (1) in subsection (a)— 

18 (A) in the matter before paragraph (1) by 

19 striking ‘‘an annual’’ and inserting ‘‘a bien20 nial’’; 

21 (B) in paragraph (1) by inserting after 

22 ‘‘program activity’’ the following: ‘‘for both 

23 years 1 and 2 of the biennial plan’’; 

24 (C) in paragraph (5) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

25 after the semicolon; 


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1 (D) in paragraph (6) by striking the period 

2 and inserting a semicolon; and inserting ‘‘and’’ 

3 after the inserted semicolon; and 

4 (E) by adding after paragraph (6) the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(7) cover each fiscal year of the biennium be7 ginning with the first fiscal year of the next biennial 

8 budget cycle.’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (d) by striking ‘‘annual’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘biennial’’; and 

11 (3) in paragraph (6) of subsection (g) by strik12 ing ‘‘annual’’ and inserting ‘‘biennial’’. 

13 (d) MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTABILITY AND FLEXI14 BILITY.—Section 9703 of title 31, United States Code, re15 lating to managerial accountability, is amended— 

16 (1) in subsection (a)— 

17 (A) in the first sentence by striking ‘‘an18 nual’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘section 1105(a)(29)’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘section 1105(a)(28)’’; 

21 (2) in subsection (e)— 

22 (A) in the first sentence by striking ‘‘one 

23 or’’ before ‘‘two years’’; 


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1 (B) in the second sentence by striking ‘‘a 

2 subsequent year’’ and inserting ‘‘for a subse3 quent 2-year period’’; and 

4 (C) in the third sentence by striking 

5 ‘‘three’’ and inserting ‘‘four’’. 

6 (e) STRATEGIC PLANS.—Section 2802 of title 39, 

7 United States Code, is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘September 

9 30, 1997’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2010’’; 

10 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘at least every 

11 three years’’ and inserting ‘‘at least every 4 years 

12 except that strategic plans submitted by September 

13 30, 2010, shall be updated and revised by September 

14 30, 2013’’; 

15 (3) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘five years 

16 forward’’ and inserting ‘‘six years forward’’; and 

17 (4) in subsection (c), by inserting a comma 

18 after ‘‘section’’ the second place it appears and in19 serting ‘‘including a strategic plan submitted by 

20 September 30, 2010, meeting the requirements of 

21 subsection (a)’’. 

22 (f) PERFORMANCE PLANS.—Section 2803(a) of title 

23 39, United States Code, is amended— 

24 (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by 

25 striking ‘‘an annual’’ and inserting ‘‘a biennial’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (1), by inserting after ‘‘pro2 gram activity’’ the following: ‘‘for both years 1 and 

3 2 of the biennial plan’’; 

4 (3) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

5 the semicolon; 

6 (4) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and 

7 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (5) by adding after paragraph (6) the following: 

9 ‘‘(7) cover each fiscal year of the biennium be10 ginning with the first fiscal year of the next biennial 

11 budget cycle.’’. 

12 (g) COMMITTEE VIEWS OF PLANS AND REPORTS.— 

13 Section 301(d) of the Congressional Budget Act (2 U.S.C. 

14 632(d)) is amended by adding at the end: ‘‘Each com15 mittee of the Senate or the House of Representatives shall 

16 review the strategic plans, performance plans, and per17 formance reports, required under section 306 of title 5, 

18 United States Code, and sections 1115 and 1116 of title 

19 31, United States Code, of all agencies under the jurisdic20 tion of the committee. Each committee may provide its 

21 views on such plans or reports to the Committee on the 

22 Budget of the applicable House.’’. 

23 (h) PROGRAM FORMULAS IN PERFORMANCE

24 PLANS.—Section 1115(b) of title 31, United States Code, 

25 is amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (9), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

2 the semicolon; 

3 (2) in paragraph (10), by striking the period 

4 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (3) by inserting at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘(11) a description of the formulas used for the 

7 program and program funding decisions including 

8 the criteria and factors used and the weight given to 

9 each of these factors.’’. 

10 SEC. 208. BIENNIAL APPROPRIATION BILLS. 

11 (a) IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—Clause 

12 2(a) of rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representa13 tives is amended by adding at the end the following new 

14 subparagraph: 

15 ‘‘(3)(A) Except as provided by subdivision (B), an ap16 propriation may not be reported in a general appropriation 

17 bill (other than a supplemental appropriation bill), and 

18 may not be in order as an amendment thereto, unless it 

19 provides new budget authority or establishes a level of ob20 ligations under contract authority for each fiscal year of 

21 a biennium. 

22 ‘‘(B) Subdivision (A) does not apply with respect to 

23 an appropriation for a single fiscal year for any program, 

24 project, or activity if the bill or amendment thereto con25 taining that appropriation includes a provision expressly 


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•S 1679 IS

1 stating the following: ‘Congress finds that no additional 

2 funding beyond one fiscal year will be required and the 

3 [Insert name of applicable program, project, or activity] 

4 will be completed or terminated after the amount provided 

5 has been expended.’. 

6 ‘‘(C) For purposes of paragraph (b), the statement 

7 set forth in subdivision (B) with respect to an appropria8 tion for a single fiscal year for any program, project, or 

9 activity may be included in a general appropriation bill 

10 or amendment thereto.’’. 

11 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Clause 5(b)(1) of 

12 rule XXII of the House of Representatives is amended by 

13 striking ‘‘or (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘or (3) or 2(C)’’. 

14 SEC. 209. ASSISTANCE BY FEDERAL AGENCIES TO STAND15 ING COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE AND THE 

16 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 

17 (a) INFORMATION REGARDING AGENCY APPROPRIA18 TIONS REQUESTS.—To assist each standing committee of 

19 the House of Representatives and the Senate in carrying 

20 out its responsibilities, the head of each Federal agency 

21 which administers the laws or parts of laws under the ju22 risdiction of such committee shall provide to such com23 mittee such studies, information, analyses, reports, and 

24 assistance as may be requested by the chairman and rank25 ing minority member of the committee. 


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•S 1679 IS

1 (b) INFORMATION REGARDING AGENCY PROGRAM

2 ADMINISTRATION.—To assist each standing committee of 

3 the House of Representatives and the Senate in carrying 

4 out its responsibilities, the head of any agency shall fur5 nish to such committee documentation, containing infor6 mation received, compiled, or maintained by the agency 

7 as part of the operation or administration of a program, 

8 or specifically compiled pursuant to a request in support 

9 of a review of a program, as may be requested by the 

10 chairman and ranking minority member of such com11 mittee. 

12 (c) SUMMARIES BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—With13 in 30 days after the receipt of a request from a chairman 

14 and ranking minority member of a standing committee 

15 having jurisdiction over a program being reviewed and 

16 studied by such committee under this section, the Comp17 troller General of the United States shall furnish to such 

18 committee summaries of any audits or reviews of such pro19 gram which the Comptroller General has completed during 

20 the preceding 6 years. 

21 (d) CONGRESSIONAL ASSISTANCE.—Consistent with 

22 their duties and functions under law, the Comptroller Gen23 eral of the United States, the Director of the Congres24 sional Budget Office, and the Director of the Congres25 sional Research Service shall continue to furnish (conVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:55 Oct 12, 2011 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1679.IS S1679

smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
44 

•S 1679 IS

1 sistent with established protocols) to each standing com2 mittee of the House of Representatives or the Senate such 

3 information, studies, analyses, and reports as the chair4 man and ranking minority member may request to assist 

5 the committee in conducting reviews and studies of pro6 grams under this section. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with BILLS