I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1075

To allow an item veto in appropriation Acts for fiscal years 1994, 1995,

1996, 1997, and 1998 by the President to reduce spending to levels

necessary to achieve a balanced budget by fiscal year 1998, and to

establish select committees on congressional budget and appropriation

process reform in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 23, 1993

Mr. WALKER introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the

Committees on Government Operations and Rules

A BILL

To allow an item veto in appropriation Acts for fiscal years

1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 by the President

to reduce spending to levels necessary to achieve a balanced budget by fiscal year 1998, and to establish select

committees on congressional budget and appropriation

process reform in the House of Representatives and in

the Senate.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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1 TITLE I—ITEM VETO TO ACHIEVE

2 BALANCED BUDGET BY FISCAL YEAR 1998

3 SEC. 101. PRESIDENT’S BUDGET SUBMISSION MUST BE IN

4 BALANCE BY FISCAL YEAR 1998.

5 The budgets submitted by the President under sec6 tion 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, for fiscal

7 years 1995, 1996, and 1997 shall be consistent with the

8 achievement of a balanced budget by fiscal year 1998, and

9 the budget so submitted for fiscal year 1998 shall be in

10 balance.

11 SEC. 102. ITEM VETO.

12 Subject to section 103, the President may disapprove

13 any item of appropriation in any Act or joint resolution

14 making or continuing appropriations for fiscal year 1994,

15 1995, 1996, 1997, or 1998.

16 SEC. 103. LIMITATION.

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—The amount of budget authority

18 which the President may disapprove under section 102

19 with respect to any Act or joint resolution may not exceed

20 an amount equal to the amount by which the total budget

21 authority for that fiscal year in that Act or joint resolution

22 exceeds the amount of budget authority for that fiscal year

23 which the Director of the Office of Management and

24 Budget estimates to be the amount of budget authority

25 submitted by the President under section 1105(a) of title
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1 31, United States Code, in accounts covered by that Act

2 or joint resolution.

3 (b) ESTIMATING RULES.—The estimates referred to

4 in subsection (a) shall be made as prescribed in section

5 251(a)(7) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit

6 Control Act of 1985. The Director of the Office of Man7 agement and Budget shall transmit a report to the Presi8 dent and to each House of Congress containing any such

9 estimate within 5 calendar days after the enactment of

10 any Act or joint resolution referred to in section 102.

11 SEC. 104. PROCEDURE.

12 The President shall return with objections any item

13 of appropriation disapproved to the House in which the

14 Act or joint resolution containing such item originated.

15 The Congress may, in the manner prescribed under sec16 tion 7 of Article I for Acts disapproved by the President,

17 reconsider any item so disapproved.

18 TITLE II—CHANGING BUDGETING AND AP19 PROPRIATING BY ELIMINATING THE

20 COMMITTEES ON APPROPRIATIONS

21 Subtitle A—Changes in the House

22 of Representatives

23 SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT; FUNCTIONS.

24 There is created in the House of Representatives a

25 select committee which is authorized and directed to re-
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1 port to the House of Representatives in January 1994 a

2 resolution amending the Rules of the House of Represent3 atives with respect to the budget and appropriations proc4 ess, which includes the following changes:

5 (1) Elimination of the Committee on Appropria6 tions.

7 (2) Modification of the membership and juris8 diction of the Committee on the Budget to—

9 (A) make that committee an exclusive com10 mittee;

11 (B) provide that committee with exclusive

12 jurisdiction to report (anytime after September

13 15 of the calendar year in which the fiscal year

14 commences) joint resolutions making continuing

15 appropriations at current levels; and

16 (C) provide that committee with exclusive

17 jurisdiction to make binding allocations of

18 budget authority, spending authority, entitle19 ment authority, and credit authority by major

20 functional category and revenues to other

21 standing committees, consistent with the re22 quirements of the Balanced Budget and Emer23 gency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

24 (3) Modification of the jurisdiction of each

25 standing committee to provide it with the authority
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1 to make appropriations with respect to its subject

2 matter jurisdiction.

3 SEC. 202. MEMBERSHIP.

4 The select committee is to be composed of 10 Mem5 bers of the House of Representatives to be appointed by

6 the Speaker; 5 from the majority party and 5 from the

7 minority party, one of whom he shall designate as chair8 man. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the

9 committee shall be filled in the manner in which the origi10 nal appointment was made. For purposes of this section,

11 the term ‘‘Members’’ shall mean any Representative in,

12 or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the House of

13 Representatives.

14 SEC. 203. AUTHORITY AND PROCEDURES.

15 (a) AUTHORITY.—To carry out this subtitle, the se16 lect committee is authorized to hold hearings and to sit

17 and act, whether the House is in session, has recessed,

18 or has adjourned.

19 (b) RULES OF PROCEDURE.—(1) The provisions of

20 clauses 1, 2, and 3 of rule XI of the Rules of the House

21 of Representatives, except the provisions of clause 2(m)

22 relating to the subpoena power, shall apply to the select

23 committee.

24 (2) Nothing contained in subsection (a) shall be con25 strued to limit the applicability of clause 2(i) of rule XI
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1 of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the select

2 committee.

3 SEC. 204. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

4 (a) EXPENSES.—Subject to the adoption of expense

5 resolutions as required by clause 5 of rule XI of the Rules

6 of the House of Representatives, the select committee may

7 incur expenses in connection with its duties under this

8 subtitle.

9 (b) STAFF.—To carry out its functions under this

10 subtitle, the select committee is authorized—

11 (1) to appoint, either on a permanent basis or

12 as experts or consultants, such staff as the select

13 committee considers necessary;

14 (2) to prescribe the duties and responsibilities

15 of such staff;

16 (3) to fix the compensation of such staff at a

17 single per annum gross rate which does not exceed

18 the highest rate of basic pay, as in effect from time

19 to time, of level V of the Executive Schedule in sec20 tion 5316 of title 5, United States Code; and

21 (4) to terminate the employment of any such

22 staff as the select committee considers appropriate.

23 (c) EXPIRATION.—The select committee and all au24 thority granted in this subtitle shall expire 30 days after

25 reporting to the House.
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1 SEC. 205. RECORDS.

2 The records, files, and materials of the select commit3 tee shall be transferred to the Clerk of the House.

4 Subtitle B—Changes in the Senate

5 SEC. 211. ESTABLISHMENT; FUNCTIONS.

6 There is created in the Senate a select committee

7 which is authorized and directed to report to the Senate

8 in January 1994 a resolution amending the Standing

9 Rules of the Senate with respect to the budget and appro10 priations process, which includes the following changes:

11 (1) Elimination of the Committee on Appropria12 tions.

13 (2) Modification of the membership and juris14 diction of the Committee on the Budget to—

15 (A) make that committee an exclusive com16 mittee;

17 (B) provide that committee with exclusive

18 jurisdiction to report (anytime after September

19 15 of the calendar year in which the fiscal year

20 commences) joint resolutions making continuing

21 appropriations at current levels; and

22 (C) provide that committee with exclusive

23 jurisdiction to make binding allocations of

24 budget authority, spending authority, entitle25 ment authority, and credit authority by major

26 functional category and revenues to other
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1 standing committees, consistent with the re2 quirements of the Balanced Budget and Emer3 gency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

4 (3) Modification of the jurisdiction of each

5 standing committee to provide it with the authority

6 to make appropriations with respect to its subject

7 matter jurisdiction.

8 SEC. 212. MEMBERSHIP.

9 The select committee is to be composed of 6 Members

10 of the Senate to be appointed by the President of the Sen11 ate; 3 from the majority party and 3 from the minority

12 party, one of whom he shall designate as chairman. Any

13 vacancy occurring in the membership of the committee

14 shall be filled in the manner in which the original appoint15 ment was made.

16 SEC. 213. AUTHORITY.

17 To carry out this subtitle, the select committee is au18 thorized to hold hearings and to sit and act, whether the

19 Senate is in session, has recessed, or has adjourned.

20 SEC. 214. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

21 (a) EXPENSES.—Subject to the adoption of an au22 thorization resolution as required by paragraph 9 of rule

23 XXVI of the Standing Rules of the Senate, the select com24 mittee may incur expenses in connection with its duties

25 under this subtitle.
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1 (b) STAFF.—To carry out its functions under this

2 subtitle, the select committee is authorized—

3 (1) to appoint, either on a permanent basis or

4 as experts or consultants, such staff as the select

5 committee considers necessary;

6 (2) to prescribe the duties and responsibilities

7 of such staff;

8 (3) to fix the compensation of such staff at a

9 single per annum gross rate which does not exceed

10 the highest rate of basic pay, as in effect from time

11 to time, of level V of the Executive Schedule in sec12 tion 5316 of title 5, United States Code; and

13 (4) to terminate the employment of any such

14 staff as the select committee considers appropriate.

15 (c) EXPIRATION.—The select committee and all au16 thority granted in this subtitle shall expire 30 days after

17 reporting to the Senate.

18 SEC. 215. RECORDS.

19 The records, files, and materials of the select commit20 tee shall be transferred to the Secretary of the Senate.

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