II 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 304 

To establish a commission to develop legislation designed to reform tax 

policy and entitlement benefit programs and to ensure a sound fiscal 

future for the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 16, 2007 

Mr. VOINOVICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on the Budget 

A BILL 

To establish a commission to develop legislation designed 

to reform tax policy and entitlement benefit programs 

and to ensure a sound fiscal future for the United States, 

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 ‘‘Securing America’s 

5 Future Economy Commission Act’’ or ‘‘SAFE Commis6 sion Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT. 

2 There is established a commission to be known as the 

3 ‘‘Securing America’s Future Economy Commission’’ 

4 (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 

5 SEC. 3. DUTIES OF COMMISSION. 

6 (a) MANDATORY LEGISLATION DEVELOPMENT.— 

7 (1) ISSUES TO ADDRESS.—The Commission 

8 shall examine the long-term fiscal challenges facing 

9 the United States and develop legislation designed to 

10 address the following issues: 

11 (A) The unsustainable imbalance between 

12 long-term Federal spending commitments and 

13 projected revenues. 

14 (B) Increasing net national savings to pro15 vide for domestic investment and economic 

16 growth. 

17 (C) The implications of foreign ownership 

18 of debt instruments issued by the United States 

19 Government. 

20 (D) Improving the budget process to place 

21 greater emphasis on long-term fiscal issues. 

22 (2) POLICY SOLUTIONS.—Legislation developed 

23 to address the issues described in paragraph (1) may 

24 include the following: 


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1 (A) Reforms that limit the growth of enti2 tlement spending to ensure that the programs 

3 are fiscally sustainable. 

4 (B) Reforms that strengthen the safety net 

5 functions of entitlement programs. 

6 (C) Reforms that make United States tax 

7 laws more efficient and more conducive to en8 couraging economic growth. 

9 (D) Incentives to increase private savings. 

10 (E) Any other reforms designed to address 

11 the issues described in paragraph (1). 

12 (b) OPTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF COST ESTIMATE

13 ALTERNATIVES.—The Commission shall by an affirmative 

14 vote of 5 members develop not more than 2 methods for 

15 estimating the cost of legislation as an alternative to the 

16 method currently used by the Congressional Budget Of17 fice. Any such alternative method must— 

18 (1) be designed to address any shortcomings in 

19 the method currently used with regard to estimating 

20 the positive economic effects of legislation; and 

21 (2) consider the use of automatic stabilizers or 

22 triggers to enforce spending and revenue targets, in 

23 the event that policies based on the alternative meth24 od fail to achieve targets for outlays and revenues. 


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1 (c) LIMITATION.—Any alternative method developed 

2 pursuant to subsection (b) shall generally comply with 

3 subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 14. 

4 SEC. 4. INITIAL TOWN-HALL STYLE PUBLIC HEARINGS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall hold at 

6 least 1 town-hall style public hearing within each Federal 

7 Reserve district, and shall, to the extent feasible, ensure 

8 that there is broad public participation in the hearings. 

9 (b) HEARING FORMAT.—During each hearing, the 

10 Commission shall present to the public, and generate com11 ments and suggestions regarding, the issues described in 

12 section 3, policies designed to address those issues, and 

13 tradeoffs between such policies. 

14 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

15 The Commission shall, not later than 1 year after the 

16 date of enactment of this Act, submit a report to Congress 

17 and the President containing the following: 

18 (1) A detailed description of the long-term fis19 cal problems faced by the United States. 

20 (2) A list of policy options for addressing those 

21 problems. 

22 (3) A summary of comments and suggestions 

23 generated from the town-hall style public hearings. 

24 (4) A detailed statement of any findings of the 

25 Commission as to public preferences regarding the 


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1 issues, policies, and tradeoffs presented in the town2 hall style public hearings. 

3 (5) Criteria for the legislative proposal to be de4 veloped by the Commission. 

5 (6) A detailed description of the other activities 

6 of the Commission. 

7 SEC. 6. LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the 

9 date the report is submitted under section 5 and by a vote 

of 3 10 ⁄4 of the members, the Commission shall submit a legis11 lative proposal to Congress and the President designed to 

12 address the issues described in section 3. 

13 (b) PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS.—The proposal shall, 

14 to the extent feasible, be designed to— 

15 (1) achieve generational equity and long-term 

16 economic stability; 

17 (2) address the comments and suggestions of 

18 the public; and 

19 (3) meet the criteria set forth in the Commis20 sion report. 

21 (c) INCLUSION OF COST ESTIMATE.—The Commis22 sion shall submit with the proposal— 

23 (1) a long-term CBO cost estimate prepared 

24 under section 14 for the proposal; and 


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1 (2) if an alternative cost estimate method is de2 veloped by the Commission, a 50-year cost estimate 

3 using such method. 

4 SEC. 7. MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall be com6 posed of 16 voting members appointed pursuant to para7 graph (1) and 2 nonvoting members described in para8 graph (2). 

9 (1) VOTING MEMBERS.—The Commission shall 

10 be composed of 16 voting members of whom— 

11 (A) one shall be the Director of the Office 

12 of Management and Budget; 

13 (B) one shall be the Secretary of the 

14 Treasury; 

15 (C) four shall be appointed by the Majority 

16 Leader of the Senate; 

17 (D) three shall be appointed by the Minor18 ity Leader of the Senate; 

19 (E) four shall be appointed by the Speaker 

20 of the House of Representatives; and 

21 (F) three shall be appointed by the Minor22 ity Leader of the House of Representatives. 

23 (2) NONVOTING MEMBERS.—The Comptroller 

24 General of the United States and the Director of the 

25 Congressional Budget Office shall each be nonvoting 


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1 members of the Commission and shall advise and as2 sist at the request of the Commission. 

3 (3) CO-CHAIRPERSONS.—The President shall 

4 designate 2 Co-Chairpersons of the Commission 

5 from among the members appointed under para6 graph (1), one of whom shall be a Republican and 

7 one of whom shall be a Democrat. 

8 (b) LIMITATION AS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS.— 

9 (1) FOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ON THE

10 COMMISSION.—Each appointing authority described 

11 in subsection (a)(1) who is a Member of Congress 

12 shall appoint 1 Member of Congress to the Commis13 sion but may not appoint more than 1 Member of 

14 Congress to the Commission. 

15 (2) CONTINUATION OF VOTING MEMBERSHIP.— 

16 In the case of an individual appointed pursuant to 

17 subsection (a)(1) who was appointed as a Member of 

18 Congress under paragraph (1), if such individual is 

19 no longer a Member of Congress they shall no longer 

20 be eligible to serve on the Commission. Such indi21 vidual shall be removed from the Commission and 

22 replaced in accordance with subsection (d)(2). 

23 (c) DATE FOR ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT.—The ap24 pointing authorities described in subsection (a)(1) shall 


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1 appoint the initial members of the Commission not later 

2 than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act. 

3 (d) TERMS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The term of each member is 

5 for the life of the Commission. 

6 (2) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Commission 

7 shall be filled not later than 30 days after the date 

8 on which the vacancy occurs and in the manner in 

9 which the original appointment was made. 

10 (e) PAY AND REIMBURSEMENT.— 

11 (1) NO COMPENSATION FOR MEMBERS OF COM12 MISSION.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), a 

13 member of the Commission may not receive pay, al14 lowances, or benefits by reason of their service on 

15 the Commission. 

16 (2) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member shall 

17 receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 

18 subsistence under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 

19 5, United States Code. 

20 (f) MEETINGS.—The Commission shall meet upon 

21 the call of the Co-Chairpersons or a majority of its voting 

22 members. 

23 (g) QUORUM.—Six voting members of the Commis24 sion shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number may 

25 hold hearings. 


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1 SEC. 8. DIRECTOR AND STAFF OF COMMISSION. 

2 (a) DIRECTOR.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (c) 

4 and to the extent provided in advance in appropria5 tion Acts, the Commission shall appoint and fix the 

6 pay of a director. 

7 (2) DUTIES.—The director of the Commission 

8 shall be responsible for the administration and co9 ordination of the duties of the Commission and shall 

10 perform other such duties as the Commission may 

11 require. 

12 (b) STAFF.—In accordance with rules agreed upon 

13 by the Commission, subject to subsection (c), and to the 

14 extent provided in advance in appropriation Acts, the di15 rector may appoint and fix the pay of additional personnel. 

16 (c) APPLICABILITY OF CERTAIN CIVIL SERVICE

17 LAWS.—The director and staff of the Commission may be 

18 appointed without regard to the provisions of title 5, 

19 United States Code, governing appointments in the com20 petitive service, and may be paid without regard to the 

21 provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 

22 of that title relating to classification and General Schedule 

23 pay rates, except that pay fixed under subsection (a) may 

24 not exceed $150,000 per year and pay fixed under sub25 section (b) may not exceed a rate equal to the daily equiva26 lent of the annual rate of basic pay for level V of the ExecVerDate Aug 31 2005 18:41 Jan 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S304.IS S304

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1 utive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States 

2 Code. 

3 (d) DETAILEES.—Any Federal Government employee 

4 may be detailed to the Commission without reimbursement 

5 from the Commission, and such detailee shall retain the 

6 rights, status, and privileges of their regular employment 

7 without interruption. 

8 (e) EXPERTS AND CONSULTANTS.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), in 

10 accordance with rules agreed upon by the Commis11 sion and to the extent provided in advance in appro12 priation Acts, the director may procure the services 

13 of experts and consultants under section 3109(b) of 

14 title 5, United States Code, but at rates not to ex15 ceed the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic 

16 pay for level V of the Executive Schedule under sec17 tion 5316 of title 5, United States Code. 

18 (2) EXCLUSION OF LOBBYISTS AND AGENTS OF

19 FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS.—In no case may any indi20 vidual who is a registered lobbyist or an agent of a 

21 foreign government serve as an expert or a consult22 ant under this subsection. 

23 (f) RESOURCES.—The Commission shall have reason24 able access to materials, resources, statistical data, and 

25 other information the Commission determines to be necVerDate Aug 31 2005 18:41 Jan 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S304.IS S304

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1 essary to carry out its duties from the Commissioner of 

2 the Social Security Administration, the Administrator of 

3 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Sec4 retary of the Treasury, and other agencies and representa5 tives of the executive and legislative branches of the Fed6 eral Government. The Co-Chairpersons shall make re7 quests for such access in writing when necessary. 

8 SEC. 9. POWERS OF COMMISSION. 

9 (a) HEARINGS AND EVIDENCE.—The Commission 

10 may, for the purpose of carrying out this Act, hold such 

11 hearings in addition to the town-hall style public hearings, 

12 sit and act at such times and places, take such testimony, 

13 and receive such evidence as the Commission considers ap14 propriate. The Commission may administer oaths or affir15 mations to witnesses appearing before it. 

16 (b) POWERS OF MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any mem17 ber or agent of the Commission may, if authorized by the 

18 Commission, take any action which the Commission is au19 thorized to take under this section. 

20 (c) MAILS.—The Commission may use the United 

21 States mails in the same manner and under the same con22 ditions as other departments and agencies of the United 

23 States. 

24 (d) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.—Upon 

25 the request of the Commission, the Administrator of GenVerDate Aug 31 2005 18:41 Jan 17, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S304.IS S304

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1 eral Services shall provide to the Commission, on a reim2 bursable basis, the administrative support services nec3 essary for the Commission to carry out its responsibilities 

4 under this Act. 

5 (e) CONTRACT AUTHORITY.—To the extent provided 

6 in advance in appropriation Acts, the Commission may 

7 enter into contracts to enable the Commission to discharge 

8 its duties under this Act. 

9 (f) GIFTS.—The Commission may accept, use, and 

10 dispose of gifts or donations of services or property. 

11 SEC. 10. TERMINATION. 

12 The Commission shall terminate on the date that is 

13 the earlier of— 

14 (1) 60 days after the Commission submits its 

15 legislative proposal; or 

16 (2) the date on which the Comptroller General 

17 of the United States determines and publishes in the 

18 Federal Register a statement that new legislation 

19 has been enacted that is estimated to reduce the fis20 cal gap by— 

21 (A) 1 percent of gross domestic product, 

22 measured over the 20-year period beginning 

23 with the first fiscal year after the enactment of 

24 such legislation; and 


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1 (B) 2 percent of gross domestic product, 

2 measured over the 50-year period beginning 

3 with the first fiscal year after the enactment of 

4 such legislation. 

5 SEC. 11. ALTERNATIVE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL OF THE 

6 PRESIDENT. 

7 The President may, not later than 90 calendar days 

8 after the Commission submits its legislative proposal, sub9 mit to Congress an alternative to the legislative proposal 

10 submitted by the Commission. 

11 SEC. 12. ALTERNATIVE LEGISLATIVE PROPOSALS. 

12 (a) FROM THE COMMITTEE ON THE BUDGET.—The 

13 Committee on the Budget of either House may, in con14 sultation with the relevant committees of their respective 

15 House and not later than 90 calendar days after the Com16 mission submits its legislative proposal, have published in 

17 the Congressional Record an alternative to the legislative 

18 proposal submitted by the Commission. 

19 (b) FROM RANKING MEMBER.—The ranking minor20 ity member of the Committee on the Budget of either 

21 House may, not later than 90 calendar days after the 

22 Commission submits its legislative proposal, have pub23 lished in the Congressional Record an alternative to the 

24 legislative proposal submitted by the Commission. 


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1 SEC. 13. CONSIDERATION OF LEGISLATION. 

2 (a) INTRODUCTION.—Not later than the fifth legisla3 tive day after the Commission submits its legislative pro4 posal, the majority leader of each House or the majority 

5 leader’s designee shall introduce (by request) the legisla6 tion submitted by the Commission. 

7 (b) IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.— 

8 (1) PRIVILEGED CONSIDERATION.—In the 

9 House of Representatives, the legislation shall be re10 ported to the Committee on the Budget, which shall 

11 report the bill without substantive revision. If the 

12 Committee on the Budget has not reported the legis13 lation before the expiration of the 90-day period de14 scribed in section 12, then— 

15 (A) that committee shall be discharged 

16 from consideration of the legislation; 

17 (B) the legislation shall be placed on the 

18 appropriate calendar; and 

19 (C) a motion to proceed to the consider20 ation of the legislation shall be highly privileged 

21 and shall not be debatable, and a motion to re22 consider the vote by which the motion is dis23 posed of shall not be in order. 

24 (2) CONSIDERATION.—To the extent not incon25 sistent with this Act, consideration of such legisla26 tion shall be pursuant to the procedures set forth in 


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1 paragraphs (2), (5), and (6) of section 305(a) of the 

2 Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

3 (3) AMENDMENTS LIMITED.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

5 subparagraph (B), an amendment to the legis6 lation may not be offered in the House of Rep7 resentatives. 

8 (B) PERMITTED AMENDMENTS.—(i) Any 

9 Member may offer, as an amendment in the na10 ture of a substitute, the alternative legislative 

11 proposal submitted by the President. 

12 (ii) The chairman of the House Committee 

13 on the Budget may offer, as an amendment in 

14 the nature of a substitute, the alternative legis15 lative proposal published in the Congressional 

16 Record by the House Committee on the Budget. 

17 (iii) The ranking minority member of the 

18 House Committee on the Budget may offer, as 

19 an amendment in the nature of a substitute, 

20 the alternative legislative proposal published in 

21 the Congressional Record by such ranking mi22 nority member 

23 (C) POINT OF ORDER.— 


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1 (i) IN GENERAL.—An amendment of2 fered under subparagraph (B) is subject to 

3 a point of order if— 

4 (I) the amendment is not accom5 panied by a long-term CBO cost esti6 mate of the amendment or a long7 term revenue estimate of the amend8 ment by the Joint Committee of Tax9 ation (including the information de10 scribed in section 14); or 

11 (II) it would increase the deficit 

12 or cause a deficit either for the period 

13 of the first 20 fiscal years beginning 

14 with the first fiscal year after the cur15 rent fiscal year or for the period of 

16 the first 50 fiscal years beginning 

17 with the first fiscal year after the cur18 rent fiscal year, as judged against the 

19 baseline. 

20 (ii) BASELINE CALCULATION.—For 

21 purposes of clause (i)(II), the baseline shall 

22 be calculated using the assumption that 

23 the legislation submitted by the Commis24 sion has been enacted into law, subject to 

25 the limitation imposed by section 14(d). 


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1 (iii) WAIVER OF POINT OF ORDER.— 

2 A point of order raised in accordance with 

3 clause (i) may only be waived or suspended 

4 in the House of Representatives by a reso5 lution devoted solely to the subject of 

6 waiving that point of order. 

7 (D) MULTIPLE AMENDMENTS.—If more 

8 than one amendment is offered under this para9 graph, then each amendment shall be consid10 ered separately, and the amendment receiving 

11 both a majority and the highest number of 

12 votes shall be the amendment adopted. 

13 (4) TRANSMITTAL TO THE SENATE.—If legisla14 tion passes the House pursuant to this subsection, 

15 the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall 

16 cause the legislation to be engrossed, certified, and 

17 transmitted to the Senate within one calendar day of 

18 the day on which the legislation is passed. The legis19 lation shall be referred to the Senate Committee on 

20 the Budget. 

21 (c) IN THE SENATE.— 

22 (1) AUTOMATIC DISCHARGE OF SENATE BUDG23 ET COMMITTEE.—If the Senate Committee on the 

24 Budget has not reported the legislation before the 


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1 expiration of the 90-day period described in section 

2 12, then— 

3 (A) the committee shall be discharged from 

4 consideration of the legislation; and 

5 (B) a motion to proceed to the consider6 ation of the legislation is highly privileged and 

7 is not debatable. 

8 (2) CONSIDERATION.—To the extent not incon9 sistent with this Act, consideration of such legisla10 tion shall be pursuant to the procedures set forth in 

11 paragraphs (1),(2), (5), and (6) of section 305(b) of 

12 the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

13 (3) AMENDMENTS LIMITED.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

15 subparagraph (B), an amendment to the legis16 lation may not be offered in the Senate. 

17 (B) PERMITTED AMENDMENTS.—(i) Any 

18 Member may offer, as an amendment in the na19 ture of a substitute, the alternative legislative 

20 proposal submitted by the President. 

21 (ii) The chairman of the Senate Committee 

22 on the Budget may offer, as an amendment in 

23 the nature of a substitute, the alternative legis24 lative proposal published in the Congressional 


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1 Record by the Senate Committee on the Budg2 et. 

3 (iii) The ranking minority member of the 

4 Senate Committee on the Budget may offer, as 

5 an amendment in the nature of a substitute, 

6 the alternative legislative proposal published in 

7 the Congressional Record by such ranking mi8 nority member. 

9 (C) POINT OF ORDER.— 

10 (i) IN GENERAL.—An amendment of11 fered under subparagraph (B) is subject to 

12 a point of order if— 

13 (I) the amendment is not accom14 panied by a long-term CBO cost esti15 mate of the amendment or a long16 term revenue estimate of the amend17 ment by the Joint Committee of Tax18 ation (including the information de19 scribed in section 14); or 

20 (II) it would increase the deficit 

21 or cause a deficit either for the period 

22 of the first 20 fiscal years beginning 

23 with the first fiscal year after the cur24 rent fiscal year or for the period of 

25 the first 50 fiscal years beginning 


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1 with the first fiscal year after the cur2 rent fiscal year, as judged against the 

3 baseline. 

4 (ii) BASELINE CALCULATION.—For 

5 purposes of clause (i)(II), the baseline shall 

6 be calculated using the assumption that 

7 the legislation submitted by the Commis8 sion has been enacted into law, subject to 

9 the limitation imposed by section 14(d). 

10 (iii) WAIVER OF POINT OF ORDER.— 

11 A point of order raised in accordance with 

12 clause (i) may only be waived or suspended 

in the Senate by an affirmative vote of 3 13 ⁄5

14 of the Members duly chosen and sworn. 

15 (D) MULTIPLE AMENDMENTS.—If more 

16 than one amendment is offered under this para17 graph, then each amendment shall be consid18 ered separately, and the amendment receiving 

19 both a majority and the highest number of 

20 votes shall be the amendment adopted. 

21 (d) PROHIBITION ON CONCURRENT CONSIDERATION

22 OF OTHER BUDGET-RELATED LEGISLATION.— 

23 (1) PROHIBITION ON CONCURRENT CONSIDER24 ATION OF OTHER BUDGET-RELATED LEGISLA25 TION.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph 

2 (2), until a bill or joint resolution considered 

3 pursuant to the procedures of this section or a 

4 conference report thereon has been enrolled and 

5 presented to the President of the United States, 

6 it shall not be in order in either the House of 

7 Representatives or the Senate to consider any 

8 bill or joint resolution, amendment or motion 

9 thereto, or conference report thereon that— 

10 (i) provides new budget authority for 

11 any fiscal year; 

12 (ii) provides for an increase in outlays 

13 for any fiscal year; 

14 (iii) provides a decrease in revenues 

15 during any fiscal year; or 

16 (iv) provides an increase in the public 

17 debt limit to become effective during any 

18 fiscal year. 

19 (B) APPLICATION OF PROHIBITION.— 

20 Clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A) 

21 shall be applied on a provision-by-provision 

22 basis. 

23 (2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) shall not 

24 apply to any— 


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1 (A) measure under consideration prior to 

2 the introduction, in either House, of a bill or 

3 joint resolution considered pursuant to the pro4 cedures of this section; 

5 (B) measure considered after a bill or joint 

6 resolution considered pursuant to the proce7 dures of this section has been defeated in either 

8 House; or 

9 (C) general appropriation bill or amend10 ment thereto, but only to the extent of discre11 tionary new budget authority provided for the 

12 budget year or for the first or second fiscal year 

13 after the budget year. 

14 (3) WAIVERS.— 

15 (A) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.—In the 

16 House of Representatives, if a special rule is 

17 considered that would waive points of order 

18 pursuant to paragraph (1), a motion to strike 

19 the provision waiving such points of order shall 

20 be in order. 

21 (B) SENATE.—In the Senate, a point of 

22 order properly raised pursuant to paragraph (1) 

23 shall be waived only by an affirmative vote of 

2 24 ⁄3 of the Members duly chosen and sworn. 


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1 (e) APPLICATION OF CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET

2 ACT.—To the extent that they are relevant and not incon3 sistent with this Act, the provisions of title III of the Con4 gressional Budget Act of 1974 shall apply in the House 

5 of Representatives and the Senate to any bill or joint reso6 lution, any amendment thereto, and any conference report 

7 thereon that is considered pursuant to this section. 

8 (f) RULES OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF

9 REPRESENTATIVES.—This section is enacted by Con10 gress— 

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

12 the Senate and the House of Representatives, re13 spectively, and is deemed to be part of the rules of 

14 each House, respectively, but applicable only with re15 spect to the procedure to be followed in that House 

16 in the case of a bill introduced pursuant to this sec17 tion, and it supersedes other rules only to the extent 

18 that it is inconsistent with such rules; and 

19 (2) with full recognition of the constitutional 

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

21 they relate to the procedure of that House) at any 

22 time, in the same manner, and to the same extent 

23 as in the case of any other rule of that House. 


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1 SEC. 14. LONG-TERM CBO COST ESTIMATE. 

2 (a) PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION.—When the 

3 Commission, the President, or the Chairman or ranking 

4 minority member of the Committee on the Budget of ei5 ther House submits a written request to the Director of 

6 the Congressional Budget Office for a long-term cost esti7 mate by the Congressional Budget Office (referred to in 

8 this Act as a ‘‘long-term CBO cost estimate’’) of legisla9 tion proposed under this Act or an amendment referred 

10 to in section 13(b)(3)(B) or section 13(c)(3)(B), the Di11 rector shall prepare the estimate and have it published in 

12 the Congressional Record as expeditiously as possible. 

13 (b) CONTENT.—A long-term CBO cost estimate shall 

14 include— 

15 (1) an estimate of the cost of each provision (if 

16 practicable) or group of provisions of the legislation 

17 or amendment for the first fiscal year it would take 

18 effect and for each of the 49 fiscal years thereafter; 

19 and 

20 (2) a statement of any estimated future costs 

21 not reflected by the estimate described in paragraph 

22 (1). 

23 (c) FORM.—To the extent that a long-term CBO cost 

24 estimate presented in dollars is impracticable, the Director 

25 of the Congressional Budget Office may instead present 

26 the estimate in terms of percentages of gross domestic 


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product, with rounding to the nearest 1 1 ⁄10 of 1 percent 

2 of gross domestic product. 

3 (d) LIMITATIONS ON DISCRETIONARY SPENDING.— 

4 A long-term CBO cost estimate shall only consider the ef5 fects of provisions affecting revenues and direct spending 

6 (as defined by the Balanced Budget and Emergency Def7 icit Control Act of 1985), and shall not assume that any 

8 changes in outlays will result from limitations on, or re9 ductions in, annual appropriations. 

Æ 


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