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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4911 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4911

       To establish a Joint Commission on Budget Process Reform.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2018

 Mr. Smucker introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
       To establish a Joint Commission on Budget Process Reform.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; PURPOSE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Joint Commission 
on Budget Process Reform Act of 2018''.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to establish a Joint 
Commission on Budget Process Reform.

SEC. 2. THE JOINT COMMISSION ON BUDGET PROCESS REFORM.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established is an independent 
commission to be known as the Joint Commission on Budget Process Reform 
(hereafter referred to as the ``joint commission'').
    (b) Duties.--The joint commission shall carry out the following 
duties:
            (1) Studying procedures on the budget and Federal 
        expenditures.
            (2) Conducting at least four public hearings to examine 
        potential budget process reforms before dissolution of the 
        joint commission.
            (3) Seeking recommendations from economists, experts, 
        Members of Congress, Federal agencies, educational 
        institutions, State legislatures, and private organizations on 
        ways to reform the congressional budget process.
            (4) Drafting a bill that amends the Congressional Budget 
        and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 621 et seq.).
            (5) Submitting a report to each House of Congress 
        containing the bill it recommends and such other matters it 
        deems appropriate.
    (c) Contents of Report.--The joint commission shall examine the 
following issues and include a summary of its findings respecting those 
issues in the report required under subsection (b)(5):
            (1) Potential changes and enforcement tools to ensure an 
        on-time completion of the congressional budget process.
            (2) Procedures to address mandatory spending levels.
            (3) The impact of instituting long-term debt limits.
            (4) Procedures to increase inclusiveness and transparency 
        in the congressional budget process.
            (5) The feasibility of a balanced budget amendment.
            (6) The impact of a binding congressional budget.
            (7) The need to reauthorize the Congressional Budget Office 
        in an effort to provide greater assistance to the House and 
        Senate Budget Committees.
            (8) The feasibility of changing the fiscal year from 
        October 1st to January 1st so it aligns with the calendar year.
            (9) The examination of whether or not there should be term 
        limits for members to serve on the Budget Committees of the 
        House of Representatives and the Senate.
            (10) The efficiency of annual budgeting in comparison to 
        biennial budgeting.
    (d) Appointment.--
            (1) The joint commission shall be composed of the following 
        23 members:
                    (A) The chair of the Committee on the Budget of the 
                House of Representatives.
                    (B) The ranking member of the Committee on the 
                Budget of the House of Representatives.
                    (C) The chair of the Committee on the Budget of the 
                Senate.
                    (D) The ranking member of the Committee on the 
                Budget of the Senate.
                    (E) The chair of the Committee on Appropriations of 
                the House of Representatives.
                    (F) The ranking member of the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
                    (G) The chair of the Committee on Appropriations of 
                the Senate.
                    (H) The ranking member of the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the Senate.
                    (I) The chair of the Committee on Ways and Means of 
                the House of Representatives.
                    (J) The ranking member of the Committee on Ways and 
                Means of the House of Representatives.
                    (K) The chair of the Committee on Finance of the 
                Senate.
                    (L) The ranking member of the Committee on Finance 
                of the Senate.
                    (M) The Director of the Office of Management and 
                Budget.
                    (N) The Secretary of the Treasury.
                    (O) The Comptroller General.
                    (P) Two Members of Congress nominated by the 
                Speaker of the House of Representatives.
                    (Q) Two Senators nominated by the Majority Leader.
                    (R) Two Members nominated by the Minority Leader of 
                the House of Representatives.
                    (S) Two Senators nominated by the Minority Leader 
                of the Senate.
            (2) The nominees shall be appointed not later than 30 days 
        after the date of enactment of this Act.
            (3) Each member shall be appointed for the duration of the 
        commission. A vacancy in the joint commission shall not affect 
        the power of the remaining members to execute the functions of 
        the joint commission. A vacancy shall be filled in the manner 
        in which the original appointments were made.
    (e) Chair.--The joint commission at its first meeting shall elect a 
member of the commission who is a legislator to serve as chair of the 
joint commission.
    (f) Director of Staff.--The chair of the Joint Commission on Budget 
Process Reform shall appoint a Director, who shall be paid at the rate 
of basic pay payable for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 
section 5315 of title 5, United States Code.
    (g) Staff.--(1) The Staff Director, with the approval of the 
commission, the Director may appoint and fix the pay of additional 
personnel.
    (2) Upon the request of the Director of Staff, the head of any 
Federal department or agency may detail any of the personnel of that 
department or agency to the Commission to assist the commission in 
carrying out its duties under this Act.
    (3) The following restrictions relating to the personnel of the 
Commission shall apply to the staff of the commission:
            (A) There may not be more than 15 persons on the staff at 
        one time.
            (B) The Director may employ and fix the compensation of 
        such staff as the chair considers necessary.
    (h) Experts and Consultants.--The joint commission may procure 
temporary and intermittent services under section 3109(b) of title 5, 
United States Code, at rates for individuals which do not exceed the 
daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay for a comparable 
position paid under the General Schedule.
    (i) Timeline.--(1) The Commission shall hold its first meeting 
within 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (2) The Commission shall hold meetings at the call of the chair of 
the joint commission.
    (j) Funding.--There is authorized to be appropriated $800,000 to 
the joint commission to carry out its duties.
    (k) Travel.--The travel expenses of members of the joint commission 
and staff shall be paid for from appropriated funds. Staff and members 
of the joint commission shall abide by the Government travel rules set 
forth by the Committee on House Administration of the House of 
Representatives.

SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF REFORM PROPOSALS.

    (a) Introduction; Referral; and Report or Discharge.--
            (1) Introduction.--On the first calendar day on which both 
        Houses are in session, on or immediately following the date on 
        which the report containing the bill it recommends is submitted 
        to Congress under section 2, a single bill shall be introduced 
        (by request)--
                    (A) in the Senate by the majority leader of the 
                Senate, for himself and the minority leader of the 
                Senate, or by Members of the Senate designated by the 
                majority leader and minority leader of the Senate; and
                    (B) in the House of Representatives by the Speaker 
                of the House of Representatives, for himself and the 
                minority leader of the House of Representatives, or by 
                Members of the House of Representatives designated by 
                the Speaker and minority leader of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) Referral.--The implementation bills introduced under 
        paragraph (1) shall be referred to any appropriate committee of 
        jurisdiction in the Senate and any appropriate committee of 
        jurisdiction in the House of Representatives. A committee to 
        which an implementation bill is referred under this paragraph 
        may report such bill to the respective House without amendment.
            (3) Report or discharge.--If a committee to which an 
        implementation bill is referred has not reported such bill by 
        the end of the 15th calendar day after the date of the 
        introduction of such bill, such committee shall be immediately 
        discharged from further consideration of such bill, and upon 
        being reported or discharged from the committee, such bill 
        shall be placed on the appropriate calendar.
    (b) Floor Consideration.--
            (1) In general.--When the committee to which an 
        implementation bill is referred has reported, or has been 
        discharged under subsection (a)(3), it is at any time 
        thereafter in order (even though a previous motion to the same 
        effect has been disagreed to) for any Member of the respective 
        House to move to proceed to the consideration of the 
        implementation bill, and all points of order against the 
        implementation bill (and against consideration of the 
        implementation bill) are waived. The motion is highly 
        privileged in the House of Representatives and is privileged in 
        the Senate and is not debatable. The motion is not subject to 
        amendment, or to a motion to postpone, or to a motion to 
        proceed to the consideration of other business. A motion to 
        reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or 
        disagreed to shall not be in order. If a motion to proceed to 
        the consideration of the implementation bill is agreed to, the 
        implementation bill shall remain the unfinished business of the 
        respective House until disposed of.
            (2) Amendments.--An implementation bill may not be amended 
        in the Senate or the House of Representatives.
            (3) Debate.--Debate on the implementation bill, and on all 
        debatable motions and appeals in connection therewith, shall be 
        limited to not more than 10 hours, which shall be divided 
        equally between those favoring and those opposing the 
        resolution. A motion further to limit debate is in order and 
        not debatable. An amendment to, or a motion to postpone, or a 
        motion to proceed to the consideration of other business, or a 
        motion to recommit the implementation bill is not in order. A 
        motion to reconsider the vote by which the implementation bill 
        is agreed to or disagreed to is not in order.
            (4) Vote on final passage.--Immediately following the 
        conclusion of the debate on an implementation bill, and a 
        single quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested 
        in accordance with the rules of the appropriate House, the vote 
        on final passage of the implementation bill shall occur.
            (5) Rulings of the chair on procedure.--Appeals from the 
        decisions of the Chair relating to the application of the rules 
        of the Senate or the House of Representatives, as the case may 
        be, to the procedure relating to an implementation bill shall 
        be decided without debate.
    (c) Coordination With Action by Other House.--If, before the 
passage by one House of an implementation bill of that House, that 
House receives from the other House an implementation bill, then the 
following procedures shall apply:
            (1) Nonreferral.--The implementation bill of the other 
        House shall not be referred to a committee.
            (2) Vote on bill of other house.--With respect to an 
        implementation bill of the House receiving the implementation 
        bill--
                    (A) the procedure in that House shall be the same 
                as if no implementation bill had been received from the 
                other House; but
                    (B) the vote on final passage shall be on the 
                implementation bill of the other House.
    (d) Rules of the Senate and the House of Representatives.--This 
section is enacted by Congress--
            (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate 
        and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such it 
        is deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively, but 
        applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in 
        that House in the case of an implementation bill described in 
        subsection (a), and it supersedes other rules only to the 
        extent that it is inconsistent with such rules; and
            (2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of 
        either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the 
        procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and 
        to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that 
        House.

SEC. 4. TERMINATION AND DISPOSITION OF RECORDS.

    (a) Termination.--The joint commission shall terminate not later 
than the earlier of--
            (1) 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act; or
            (2) the date upon which the bill referred to in section 
        2(b)(4) is signed into law by the President.
    (b) Disposition of Records.--Upon termination of the joint 
commission, its records shall become the records of the Committees on 
the Budget of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
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