IA 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 89 

Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United 

States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 17, 2011 

Ms. CASTOR of Florida introduced the following joint resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution 

of the United States. 

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 estimated outlays of the operating 

3 funds of the United States for any fiscal year shall not 

4 exceed total estimated receipts to those funds for that fis5 cal year, unless Congress approves a specific excess of out6 lays over receipts by three-fifths of the whole number of 

7 each House by a roll-call vote. 

8 ‘‘SECTION 2. Prior to each fiscal year, the President 

9 shall transmit to the Congress a proposed budget for the 

10 United States Government for the fiscal year beginning 

11 in that calendar year in which total estimated outlays of 

12 the operating funds of the United States for that fiscal 

13 year shall not exceed total estimated receipts to those 

14 funds for that fiscal year. 

15 ‘‘SECTION 3. No bill to increase revenue shall become 

16 law unless approved by a majority of the whole number 

17 of each House by a roll-call vote. 

18 ‘‘SECTION 4. The Congress may waive the provisions 

19 of this article for any fiscal year and the first fiscal year 

20 thereafter if a declaration of war is in effect or if the Di21 rector of the Congressional Budget Office, or any suc22 cessor, estimates that real economic growth has been or 

23 will be less than one percent for two consecutive quarters 

24 during the period of those two fiscal years. The provisions 

25 of this article may be waived for any fiscal year in which 


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1 the United States is engaged in military conflict which 

2 causes an imminent and serious military threat to national 

3 security and is so declared by a joint resolution, adopted 

4 by a majority of the whole number of each House, which 

5 becomes law, or if a presidential declaration of major dis6 aster is in effect. 

7 ‘‘SECTION 5. Total estimated receipts of the oper8 ating funds shall exclude those derived from net bor9 rowing. Total estimated outlays of the operating funds of 

10 the United States shall exclude those for repayment of 

11 debt principal; and for capital investments. The receipts 

12 (including attributable interest) and outlays of the Federal 

13 Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and the 

14 Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund shall not be 

15 counted as receipts or outlays for purposes of this article. 

16 ‘‘SECTION 6. The Congress shall enforce and imple17 ment this article by appropriate legislation, which may rely 

18 on estimates of outlays and receipts. 

19 ‘‘SECTION 7. This article shall take effect beginning 

20 with the later of the second fiscal year beginning after its 

21 ratification or the first fiscal year beginning after Decem22 ber 31, 2016.’’. 

Æ 


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