IA

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. J. RES. 112

Establishing the Joint Committee on Social Security Reform.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 26, 1998

Mr. KOLBE (for himself, Mr. STENHOLM, Mr. KLECZKA, Mr. MINGE, Mr.

CRAMER, Mr. BOYD, Mr. TANNER, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. JOHN, Mr.

DOOLEY of California, Mr. MEEHAN, Ms. RIVERS, Ms. DANNER, Mr.

CONDIT, Mr. BERRY, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. SANDLIN, Mr.

SAWYER, Mr. PORTER, Mr. GIBBONS, Mr. SANFORD, Mr. CASTLE, Mr.

SHAYS, Mr. CAMPBELL, and Mr. GREENWOOD) introduced the following

joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Rules

JOINT RESOLUTION

Establishing the Joint Committee on Social Security Reform.

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT.

4 There is hereby established in the legislative branch

5 the Joint Committee on Social Security Reform (hereafter

6 in this joint resolution referred to as the ‘‘Joint Commit7 tee’’).
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1 SEC. 2. DUTIES.

2 (a) STUDY OF RETIREMENT FINANCING.—The Joint

3 Committee shall conduct a thorough study of retirement

4 financing issues, concentrating primarily on the problems

5 related to the long-term financing of the old-age, sur6 vivors, and disability insurance program under title II of

7 the Social Security Act, with a goal of restoring the long8 term solvency of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insur9 ance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance

10 Trust Fund and improving financial security for retirees.

11 (b) REPORTS.—

12 (1) INTERIM.—The Joint Committee shall sub13 mit an interim report to Congress on its activities

14 and findings at any time prior to December 31,

15 1998, that the Joint Committee considers appro16 priate.

17 (2) FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—

18 The Joint Committee shall submit a final report to

19 Congress on its activities and findings not later than

20 March 31, 1999, and shall include in the report such

21 recommendations for changes to the programs de22 scribed in subsection (a), including legislative lan23 guage to carry out such changes, as the Joint Com24 mittee considers appropriate, except that the Joint

25 Committee may not include a recommendation in the

26 report unless the recommendation is approved by a
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1 majority of the Senators and a majority of the mem2 bers of the House who serve on the Joint Commit3 tee.

4 (c) CONSIDERATION OF WORK OF ADVISORY COM5 MISSION ON SOCIAL SECURITY.—In carrying out its duties

6 under this section, the Joint Committee shall take into

7 consideration the findings and recommendations of the

8 1994–1996 Advisory Council on Social Security and the

9 Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform.

10 SEC. 3. MEMBERSHIP.

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Joint Committee shall consist

12 of 32 members appointed in accordance with this section.

13 (b) SENATORS.—16 members of the Joint Committee

14 shall be Senators, who shall be appointed as follows:

15 (1) The Majority Leader shall appoint a co16 chair of the Joint Committee and 7 other members,

17 of whom—

18 (A) at least 2 shall be members of the

19 Committee on Finance;

20 (B) at least 1 shall be a member of the

21 Committee on the Budget; and

22 (C) at least 1 shall be a member of the

23 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban

24 Affairs.
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1 (2) The Minority Leader shall appoint a co-vice

2 chair of the Joint Committee and 7 other members,

3 of whom—

4 (A) at least 2 shall be members of the

5 Committee on Finance;

6 (B) at least 1 shall be a member of the

7 Committee on the Budget; and

8 (C) at least 1 shall be a member of the

9 Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban

10 Affairs.

11 (c) MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE.—16 members of the

12 Joint Committee shall be members of the House of Rep13 resentatives (who may include a Delegate or Resident

14 Commissioner to the Congress), who shall be appointed

15 as follows:

16 (1) The Speaker shall appoint a co-chair of the

17 Joint Committee and 7 other members, of whom—

18 (A) at least 2 shall be members of the

19 Committee on Ways and Means;

20 (B) at least 1 shall be a member of the

21 Committee on the Budget;

22 (C) at least 1 shall be a member of the

23 Committee on Commerce; and

24 (D) at least 1 shall be a member of the

25 Committee on Banking and Financial Services.
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1 (2) The Minority Leader shall appoint a co-vice

2 chair of the Joint Committee and 5 other members,

3 of whom—

4 (A) at least 2 shall be members of the

5 Committee on Ways and Means;

6 (B) at least 1 shall be a member of the

7 Committee on the Budget;

8 (C) at least 1 shall be a member of the

9 Committee on Commerce; and

10 (D) at least 1 shall be a member of the

11 Committee on Banking and Financial Services.

12 (d) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the membership of the

13 Joint Committee shall not affect the power of the remain14 ing members to execute the functions of the Joint Com15 mittee, and shall be filled in the same manner as in the

16 case of the original appointment.

17 SEC. 4. STAFF.

18 (a) APPOINTMENT OF STAFF.—The co-chairs of the

19 Joint Committee may appoint and fix the pay of such per20 sonnel as the co-chairs consider appropriate to assist the

21 Joint Committee in carrying out its duties.

22 (b) DETAIL OF FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Upon the

23 request of the Joint Committee, the head of any Federal

24 agency or of any office in the legislative branch is author25 ized to detail, without reimbursement, any of the person-
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1 nel of such agency or office to the Joint Committee to

2 assist the Joint Committee in carrying out its duties.

3 SEC. 5. POWERS.

4 (a) HEARINGS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES.—For the

5 purpose of carrying out its duties, the Joint Committee

6 may hold such hearings and undertake such other activi7 ties as the Joint Committee determines to be necessary

8 to carry out its duties.

9 (b) ACCESS TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH SERVICES.—

10 The Joint Committee shall have access to the services of

11 the General Accounting Office, the Congressional Budget

12 Office, and the Congressional Research Service in the

13 same manner and under the same terms and conditions

14 as any standing committee of the House of Representa15 tives or Senate.

16 (c) OBTAINING INFORMATION.—The Joint Commit17 tee may secure directly from any Federal agency informa18 tion necessary to enable it to carry out its duties, if the

19 information may be disclosed under section 552 of title

20 5, United States Code. Upon request of the co-chairs of

21 the Joint Committee, the head of such agency shall fur22 nish such information to the Joint Committee.
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1 SEC. 6. SPECIAL RULES REGARDING CONSIDERATION OF

2 LEGISLATION TO CARRY OUT RECOMMENDA3 TIONS.

4 (a) TERMS OF THE LEGISLATION.—For purposes of

5 this section, legislation described in this subsection is any

6 bill or joint resolution the substance of which implements

7 a recommendation of the Joint Committee submitted

8 under section 2(b)(2).

9 (b) DISCHARGE OF COMMITTEES.—If any committee

10 to which legislation described in subsection (a) (or any

11 portion thereof) is referred has not reported such legisla12 tion (or an identical resolution) by the end of the 60-cal13 endar day period beginning on the date on which the rec14 ommendation involved is submitted under section 2(b)(2),

15 such committee shall be, at the end of such period, dis16 charged from further consideration of such legislation, and

17 such legislation shall be placed on the appropriate cal18 endar of the House involved.

19 (c) CONSIDERATION.—(1) On or after the third day

20 after the date on which the committee to which such legis21 lation is referred has reported, or has been discharged

22 (under subsection (b)) from further consideration of, such

23 legislation, it is in order (even though a previous motion

24 to the same effect has been disagreed to) for any Member

25 of the respective House to move to proceed to the consider26 ation of the legislation. A Member may make the motion
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1 only on the day after the calendar day on which the Mem2 ber announces to the House concerned the Member’s in3 tention to make the motion, except that, in the case of

4 the House of Representatives, the motion may be made

5 without such prior announcement if the motion is made

6 by direction of the committee to which the legislation was

7 referred. All points of order against the legislation (and

8 against consideration of the legislation) are waived. The

9 motion is highly privileged in the House of Representatives

10 and is privileged in the Senate and is not debatable. The

11 motion is not subject to amendment, or to a motion to

12 postpone, or to a motion to proceed to the consideration

13 of other business. A motion to reconsider the vote by

14 which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not

15 be in order. If a motion to proceed to the consideration

16 of the legislation is agreed to, the respective House shall

17 immediately proceed to consideration of the legislation

18 without intervening motion, order, or other business, and

19 the legislation shall remain the unfinished business of the

20 respective House until disposed of.

21 (2) Immediately following the conclusion of the de22 bate on legislation described in subsection (a) and a single

23 quorum call at the conclusion of the debate if requested

24 in accordance with the rules of the appropriate House, the

25 vote on final passage of the legislation shall occur.
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1 (3) Appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating

2 to the application of the rules of the Senate or the House

3 of Representatives, as the case may be, to the procedure

4 relating to legislation described in subsection (a) shall be

5 decided without debate.

6 (d) CONSIDERATION BY OTHER HOUSE.—(1) If, be7 fore the passage by one House of legislation of that House

8 described in subsection (a), that House receives from the

9 other House legislation described in subsection (a), then

10 the following procedures shall apply:

11 (A) The legislation of the other House shall not

12 be referred to a committee and may not be consid13 ered in the House receiving it except in the case of

14 final passage as provided in subparagraph (B)(ii).

15 (B) With respect to legislation described in sub16 section (a) of the House receiving the legislation—

17 (i) the procedure in that House shall be

18 the same as if no legislation had been received

19 from the other House; but

20 (ii) the vote on final passage shall be on

21 the legislation of the other House.

22 (2) Upon disposition of the legislation received from

23 the other House, it shall no longer be in order to consider

24 the legislation that originated in the receiving House.
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1 (e) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING AUTHORITY.—This

2 section is enacted by Congress—

3 (1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of

4 the Senate and the House of Representatives, re5 spectively, and as such it is deemed a part of the

6 rules of each House, respectively, but applicable only

7 with respect to the procedure to be followed in that

8 House in the case of legislation described by this

9 section, and it supersedes other rules only to the ex10 tent that it is inconsistent with such rules; and

11 (2) with full recognition of the constitutional

12 right of either House to change the rules (so far as

13 relating to the procedure of that House) at any time,

14 in the same manner, and to the same extent as in

15 the case of any other rule of that House.

16 SEC. 7. VOUCHERS.

17 Payments for expenses of the Joint Committee shall

18 be made using vouchers authorized by the Joint Commit19 tee, signed by the co-chairs of the Joint Committee, and

20 approved in a manner directed by the Committee on Rules

21 and Administration of the Senate and the Committee on

22 House Oversight of the House of Representatives.
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1 SEC. 8. TERMINATION.

2 The Commission shall terminate on December 31,

3 1999.

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