IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 19

Expressing the sense of the Congress that future budget resolutions should

maintain our commitment to fiscal responsibility by using agreed-upon

surplus, tax, and spending figures.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JANUARY 31, 2001

Mr. MOORE (for himself and Mr. STENHOLM) submitted the following

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that future budget

resolutions should maintain our commitment to fiscal

responsibility by using agreed-upon surplus, tax, and

spending figures.

Whereas disagreements on objective budget surplus figures,

in the annual budget and appropriations process, have

led to repetitive and time-consuming budget votes, decreasing the time available for consideration and oversight of federal programs, undermining legislation to provide responsible tax relief, and delaying enactment of legislation necessary to fund the Government;

Whereas Congress and the Administration want to work together to do everything possible to maintain a strong and

growing economy;
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•HCON 19 IH

Whereas an agreement on baseline estimates will prevent us

from undermining the fiscal discipline that has contributed to our economic strength and allow Congress and

the Administration to address their collective priorities in

a responsible, bipartisan manner;

Whereas a bipartisan majority of the Members of the House

of Representatives and the Senate have voted to protect

the social security and medicare trust funds;

Whereas empirical evidence and the Congressional Budget

Office agree that changes in economic conditions make

projections based on ten-year forecasts highly uncertain;

Whereas the caps on discretionary spending are set to expire

at the end of fiscal year 2002 and no formal rules will

be in place to contain the growth in discretionary spending;

Whereas baseline estimates typically overstate the size of

available surpluses by not assuming costs of extending or

changing policies that affect revenues, such as expiring

tax provisions and the cost of indexing the alternative

minimum tax (AMT) to protect middle-class families

from the AMT; and

Whereas current baseline estimates do not recognize underlying demographic pressures that will incur future obligations that may threaten projected surpluses outside the

ten-year budget window: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that future

3 budget resolutions, as well as all tax and spending legisla4 tion, should maintain our commitment to fiscal responsi-
3

•HCON 19 IH

1 bility by using agreed-upon surplus, tax, and spending fig2 ures derived from the following principles:

3 (1) The size of the available surplus should ex4 clude social security and medicare trust funds.

5 (2) The uncertainty of long-term economic fore6 casts should be recognized.

7 (3) Realistic assumptions for the growth in dis8 cretionary spending should be accounted for.

9 (4) The projected surplus should be adjusted to

10 recognize that scoring conventions do not incor11 porate the costs of policies that Congress historically

12 reauthorizes.

13 (5) There should be a recognition that the fed14 eral government will incur sizable, future obligations

15 due to demographic pressures set to occur upon the

16 retirement of our baby-boom generation.

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