IA 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 50 

Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution requiring that 

each agency and department’s funding is justified. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 12, 2019 

Mr. PERRY submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution 

requiring that each agency and department’s funding 

is justified. 

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: 


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1 ‘‘ARTICLE — 

2 ‘‘SECTION 1. Total outlays for any fiscal year shall 

3 not exceed total receipts for that fiscal year, unless three4 fifths of the whole number of each House of Congress shall 

5 provide by law for a specific excess of outlays over receipts 

6 by a rollcall vote, but in no event shall total outlays for 

7 any fiscal year exceed the following: for the first fiscal year 

8 for which this article takes effect, 20 percent of the esti9 mated gross domestic product of the United States for 

10 that year, and for each subsequent fiscal year, a percent11 age of the estimated gross domestic product equal to the 

12 applicable percentage for the preceding fiscal year reduced 

13 by .1 percentage point. Under this section, total spending 

14 for any fiscal year is not required to be less than 16 per15 cent of the estimated gross domestic product of the United 

16 States. 

17 ‘‘SECTION 2. The limit on the debt of the United 

18 States held by the public shall not be increased, unless 

19 three-fifths of the whole number of each House shall pro20 vide by law for such an increase by a rollcall vote. 

21 ‘‘SECTION 3. Prior to each fiscal year, the President 

22 shall transmit to the Congress a proposed budget for the 

23 United States Government for that fiscal year in which 

24 total outlays do not exceed total receipts. 


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1 ‘‘SECTION 4. No bill to increase revenue shall become 

2 law unless approved by a three-fifths majority of the whole 

3 number of each House by a rollcall vote. 

4 ‘‘SECTION 5. Any budget plan for a fiscal year for 

5 the Government submitted by the President to the Con6 gress shall include a justification by each department or 

7 agency of the Government for any funding proposed for 

8 that department or agency in that plan. The justification 

9 shall include a justification of each line item in the budget 

10 of that department or agency based upon its effect on car11 rying out its mission and its effect, if any, on the gross 

12 domestic product of the United States and an additional 

13 funding level below the requested number that would allow 

14 that department or agency to complete all of its critical 

15 mission functions. 

16 ‘‘SECTION 6. Total receipts shall include all receipts 

17 of the United States Government except those derived 

18 from borrowing. Total outlays shall include all outlays of 

19 the United States Government except for those for repay20 ment of debt principal. 

21 ‘‘SECTION 7. The Congress shall enforce and imple22 ment this article by appropriate legislation, which may rely 

23 on estimates of outlays and receipts. 

24 ‘‘SECTION 8. The Congress may waive the provisions 

25 of this article for any fiscal year in which a declaration 


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1 of war is in effect. The provisions of this article may be 

2 waived for any fiscal year in which the United States is 

3 engaged in military conflict or after any event which 

4 causes an imminent and serious military threat to national 

5 security and is so declared by a joint resolution or during 

6 which a natural disaster is declared by a joint resolution, 

7 adopted by a vote by two-thirds of each House, which be8 comes law. 

9 ‘‘SECTION 9. This article shall take effect beginning 

10 with the earlier of the tenth fiscal year beginning after 

11 its ratification or the first fiscal year beginning after any 

12 fiscal year in which the budget of the United States is 

13 not in deficit.’’. 

Æ 


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