IA

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 251

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to provide

for budgetary reform by requiring the reduction of the deficit, a balanced

Federal budget, the repayment of the national debt, and establishing

line item veto authority for the President.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

AUGUST 6, 1993

Mr. ALLARD (for himself and Mr. EWING) introduced the following joint

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

JOINT RESOLUTION

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United

States to provide for budgetary reform by requiring the

reduction of the deficit, a balanced Federal budget, the

repayment of the national debt, and establishing line

item veto authority for the President.

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two3 thirds of each House concurring therein), That the follow4 ing article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitu5 tion of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents
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1 and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by

2 the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States with3 in seven years after the date of its submission for ratifica4 tion:

5 ‘‘ARTICLE —

6 ‘‘SECTION 1. Except as provided by this Article, be7 ginning with the fiscal year 1997 or for the first fiscal

8 year beginning after ratification, whichever is later, the

9 President shall submit a budget of revenues and outlays

10 to Congress, and Congress shall adopt a budget that re11 duces the deficit existing the year prior to ratification of

12 this Article by not less than ten percent per year in order

13 to balance the budget within ten fiscal years.

14 ‘‘SECTION 2. Except as provided by this Article, be15 ginning with the eleventh year beginning after ratification

16 and for every year thereafter, budgeted outlays shall not

17 exceed budgeted revenues.

18 ‘‘SECTION 3. Beginning with the eleventh year after

19 ratification, the actual revenues shall exceed actual outlays

20 in order to provide for the reduction of the gross federal

21 debt which is outstanding at the end of the tenth year

22 after ratification.

23 ‘‘The amount of such reduction will be equal to the

24 amount required to amortize the debt over the next twenty
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1 years, in order to repay the entire debt by the end of the

2 thirtieth year after ratification.

3 ‘‘SECTION 4. Congress may waive the provisions of

4 this Article (except for sections 5 and 6) for any fiscal

5 year in which a declaration of war is in effect.

6 ‘‘SECTION 5. No bill to increase revenues shall be7 come law unless approved by a majority of the total mem8 bership of each House of Congress by a roll call vote.

9 ‘‘SECTION 6. The President shall have the power to

10 disapprove any appropriation or provision and approve any

11 other appropriation or provision in the same appropriation

12 bill. In such case the President shall, in signing the bill,

13 designate the appropriations and provisions disapproved,

14 and shall return a copy of such appropriations and provi15 sions, with the President’s objections, to the House in

16 which the bill shall have originated; and the same proceed17 ings shall then be had as in the case of other bills dis18 approved by the President.

19 ‘‘SECTION 7. Congress shall review actual revenues

20 on a quarterly basis and adjust appropriations to assure

21 compliance with this Article.

22 ‘‘SECTION 8. For purposes of this Article, revenues

23 shall include all revenues of the United States excluding

24 borrowing and outlays shall include all outlays of the

25 United States excluding repayment of debt principal.’’.
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