I

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4057

To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

to create a deficit reduction account and to reduce the discretionary

spending limits, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 16, 1994

Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mr. CRAPO, Mr. BREWSTER, Mr. INGLIS of South

Carolina, Mr. EDWARDS of Texas, Mrs. MORELLA, Ms. HARMAN, and Mr.

HASTERT) introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the

Committees on Government Operations and Rules

A BILL

To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to create a deficit reduction account

and to reduce the discretionary spending limits, and for

other purposes.

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 ‘‘Deficit Reduction Lock

5 Box Act of 1994’’.
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1 SEC. 2. DEFICIT REDUCTION TRUST FUND.

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

3 ‘‘Deficit Reduction Trust Fund’’ (hereinafter referred to

4 as the ‘‘Fund’’) shall be established in the Treasury of

5 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. 3. DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS OF DISCRETIONARY

20 SPENDING LIMITS.

21 The discretionary spending limit for new budget au22 thority for any fiscal year set forth in section 601(a)(2)

23 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as adjusted in

24 strict conformance with section 251 of the Balanced

25 Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, shall

26 be reduced by the amount of budget authority transferred
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1 to the Fund for that fiscal year under section 2(c), as cal2 culated by the Director of the Office of Management and

3 Budget. The adjusted discretionary spending limit for out4 lays for that fiscal year as set forth in such section

5 601(a)(2) shall be reduced as a result of the reduction

6 of such budget authority, as calculated by the Director of

7 the Office of Management and Budget. All such reductions

8 shall occur on the same day that the amounts triggering

9 the reductions are transferred to the Fund.

10 SEC. 4. DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS OF AP11 PROPRIATION MEASURES.

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

13 Title III of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is

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

15 ‘‘DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS OF

16 APPROPRIATION BILLS

17 ‘‘SEC. 314. (a) Any general appropriation bill that

18 is being marked up by the Committee on Appropriations

19 (or a subcommittee thereof) of either House shall contain

20 a line item entitled ‘Deficit Reduction Lock-box’. The dol21 lar amount set forth under that heading shall be an

22 amount equal to the section 602(b)(1) or section

23 302(b)(1) allocations, as the case may be, to the sub24 committee of jurisdiction over the bill of the Committee

25 on Appropriations minus the aggregate level of budget au26 thority or outlays contained in the bill being considered.
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1 ‘‘(b) Whenever a Member of either House of Congress

2 offers an amendment (whether in subcommittee, commit3 tee, or on the floor) to an appropriation bill to reduce

4 spending, that reduction shall be placed in the deficit re5 duction lock-box unless that Member indicates that it is

6 to be utilized for another program, project, or activity cov7 ered by that bill. If the amendment is agreed to and the

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

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

10 be increased by the amount of that reduction.

11 ‘‘(c) It shall not be in order in the House of Rep12 resentatives or the Senate to consider a conference report

13 that modifies any Deficit Reduction Lock-box provision

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

15 to the conference committee.’’.

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con17 tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget

18 and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by in19 serting after the item relating to section 313 the following

20 new item:

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

21 SEC. 5. CBO TRACKING.

22 Section 202 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974

23 is amended by adding at the end the following new sub24 section:
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1 ‘‘(i) SCOREKEEPING ASSISTANCE.—To facilitate

2 compliance by the Committees on Appropriations with sec3 tion 314, the Office shall score all general appropriation

4 measures as passed the House of Representatives and as

5 passed the Senate and have such scorecard published in

6 the Congressional Record.’’.

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