I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3982 

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide for procedures 

for establishing discretionary spending limits, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 25, 2019 

Mr. FLORES (for himself and Mr. WOMACK) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the 

Committee on the Budget, 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 amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide 

for procedures for establishing discretionary spending 

limits, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Stop The Ever-growing 

5 Wasteful And Reckless Deficits Act’’ or the ‘‘STEWARD 

6 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PROCEDURES FOR ESTABLISHING DISCRETIONARY 

2 SPENDING LIMITS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Congressional 

4 Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘PROCEDURES TO ESTABLISH LIMITS ON DISCRETIONARY

7 SPENDING

8 ‘‘SEC. 316. (a) IN GENERAL.—Upon adoption by 

9 Congress of a concurrent resolution on the budget for a 

10 fiscal year under section 301 or 304 that sets forth a dis11 cretionary spending limit for that fiscal year, the chair of 

12 the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representa13 tives shall introduce the joint resolution described in sub14 section (b) and it shall be in order to consider such joint 

15 resolution in the House anytime after introduction without 

16 intervening motion. 

17 ‘‘(b) TITLE AND TEXT OF JOINT RESOLUTION.—The 

18 joint resolution described in subsection (a)— 

19 ‘‘(1) shall have the following title: ‘A joint reso20 lution amending section 251(c) of the Balanced 

21 Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 

22 to establish the discretionary spending limit for fis23 cal year lll.’, for the fiscal year of the applica24 ble concurrent resolution on the budget for the dis25 cretionary spending limit; 


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1 ‘‘(2) may establish a discretionary spending 

2 limit for any of the 9 fiscal years following the fiscal 

3 year described in paragraph (1); and 

4 ‘‘(3) shall have in the matter after the resolving 

5 clause solely the text contained in the separate sec6 tion described in subsection (c). 

7 ‘‘(c) TEXT FOR DISCRETIONARY SPENDING LIMIT.— 

8 A concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year 

9 shall include, as a separate section, text setting forth an 

10 amendment to section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget and 

11 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to establish a dis12 cretionary spending limit for that fiscal year or any of the 

13 9 ensuing fiscal years. 

14 ‘‘(d) EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION IN HOUSE OF

15 REPRESENTATIVES.— 

16 ‘‘(1) PROCEEDING TO CONSIDERATION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—It shall be in order at 

18 any time to move to proceed to consider the 

19 joint resolution in the House of Representa20 tives. 

21 ‘‘(B) PROCEDURE.—For a motion to pro22 ceed to consider the joint resolution— 

23 ‘‘(i) all points of order against the 

24 motion are waived; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) such a motion shall not be in 

2 order after the House of Representatives 

3 has disposed of a motion to proceed on the 

4 joint resolution; 

5 ‘‘(iii) the previous question shall be 

6 considered as ordered on the motion to its 

7 adoption without intervening motion; 

8 ‘‘(iv) the motion shall not be debat9 able; and 

10 ‘‘(v) a motion to reconsider the vote 

11 by which the motion is disposed of shall 

12 not be in order. 

13 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATION.—When the House of 

14 Representatives proceeds to consideration of the 

15 joint resolution— 

16 ‘‘(A) the joint resolution shall be consid17 ered as read; 

18 ‘‘(B) all points of order against the joint 

19 resolution and against its consideration are 

20 waived; 

21 ‘‘(C) the previous question shall be consid22 ered as ordered on the joint resolution to its 

23 passage without intervening motion except 10 

24 hours of debate equally divided and controlled 

25 by the proponent and an opponent; 


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1 ‘‘(D) an amendment to the joint resolution 

2 shall not be in order; and 

3 ‘‘(E) a motion to reconsider the vote on 

4 passage of the joint resolution shall not be in 

5 order. 

6 ‘‘(3) VOTE ON PASSAGE.—In the House of Rep7 resentatives, the joint resolution shall be agreed to 

8 upon a vote of a majority of the Members present 

9 and voting, a quorum being present. 

10 ‘‘(e) EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION IN SENATE.— 

11 ‘‘(1) PLACEMENT ON CALENDAR.—Upon receipt 

12 in the Senate, the joint resolution shall be placed im13 mediately on the calendar. 

14 ‘‘(2) PROCEEDING TO CONSIDERATION.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding rule 

16 XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, it is 

17 in order to move to proceed to the consideration 

18 of the joint resolution. 

19 ‘‘(B) PROCEDURE.—For a motion to pro20 ceed to the consideration of the joint resolu21 tion— 

22 ‘‘(i) all points of order against the 

23 motion are waived; 

24 ‘‘(ii) the motion is not debatable; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the motion is not subject to a 

2 motion to postpone; 

3 ‘‘(iv) a motion to reconsider the vote 

4 by which the motion is agreed to or dis5 agreed to shall not be in order; and 

6 ‘‘(v) if the motion is agreed to, the 

7 joint resolution shall remain the unfinished 

8 business until disposed of. 

9 ‘‘(3) FLOOR CONSIDERATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the Senate proceeds 

11 to consideration of the joint resolution— 

12 ‘‘(i) all points of order against the 

13 joint resolution (and against consideration 

14 of the joint resolution) are waived; 

15 ‘‘(ii) consideration of the joint resolu16 tion, and all debatable motions and appeals 

17 in connection therewith, shall be limited to 

18 not more than 30 hours, which shall be di19 vided equally between the majority and mi20 nority leaders or their designees; 

21 ‘‘(iii) a motion further to limit debate 

22 is in order and not debatable; 

23 ‘‘(iv) an amendment to, a motion to 

24 postpone, or a motion to commit the joint 

25 resolution is not in order; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) a motion to proceed to the con2 sideration of other business is not in order. 

3 ‘‘(B) VOTE ON PASSAGE.—In the Senate— 

4 ‘‘(i) the vote on passage shall occur 

5 immediately following the conclusion of the 

6 consideration of the joint resolution, and a 

7 single quorum call at the conclusion of the 

8 debate if requested in accordance with the 

9 rules of the Senate; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the joint resolution shall be 

11 agreed to upon a vote of a majority of the 

12 Members present and voting, a quorum 

13 being present. 

14 ‘‘(C) RULINGS OF THE CHAIR ON PROCE15 DURE.—Appeals from the decisions of the Chair 

16 relating to the application of this subsection or 

17 the rules of the Senate, as the case may be, to 

18 the procedure relating to the joint resolution 

19 shall be decided without debate. 

20 ‘‘(f) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con21 gress that if a discretionary spending limit for a fiscal year 

22 established by any joint resolution pursuant to this section 

23 is greater than the baseline level for that fiscal year, as 

24 estimated by the Congressional Budget Office, an amount 

25 equal to the difference should be offset.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 301(b) of 

2 the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended— 

3 (1) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

4 end; 

5 (2) in paragraph (7), by striking the period and 

6 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

7 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(8) include the matter described in section 

9 316.’’. 

10 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

11 set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget Act 

12 of 1974 is amended by inserting after the item relating 

13 to section 315 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 316. Procedures to establish limits on discretionary spending.’’. 

Æ 


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