I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2685 

To increase the statutory limit on the public debt by $750,000,000,000 

upon the adoption by Congress of a balanced budget constitutional 

amendment and by an additional $750,000,000,000 upon ratification 

by the States of that amendment. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 28, 2011 

Mr. BROOKS (for himself and Mr. BACHUS) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means 

A BILL 

To increase the statutory limit on the public debt by 

$750,000,000,000 upon the adoption by Congress of a 

balanced budget constitutional amendment and by an 

additional $750,000,000,000 upon ratification by the 

States of that amendment. 

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 ‘‘Restoring America’s 

5 Dignity Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INCREASE IN THE STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUB2 LIC DEBT. 

3 (a) ADOPTION.—Effective upon the adoption by the 

4 Congress of a balanced budget constitutional amendment 

5 as described in section 3, the statutory limit on the public 

6 debt set forth in section 3101(b) of title 31, United States 

7 Code, is increased by $750,000,000,000. 

8 (b) RATIFICATION.—Effective upon the ratification 

9 by the States of a balanced budget constitutional amend10 ment as described in section 3, the statutory limit on the 

11 public debt set forth in section 3101(b) of title 31, United 

12 States Code, is increased by an additional 

13 $750,000,000,000. 

14 SEC. 3. REQUIRED PROVISIONS OF A BALANCED BUDGET 

15 CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 

16 The balanced budget constitutional amendment that 

17 is referenced in section 2 shall include the following provi18 sions: 

19 (1) Total outlays of the United States for any 

20 fiscal year shall not exceed total receipts for that fis21 cal year. Total receipts shall include all receipts of 

22 the United States except those derived from bor23 rowing. Total outlays shall include all outlays of the 

24 United States except those for repayment of debt 

25 principal. The United States shall have no fiscal 

26 year deficits. 


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1 (2) The limitations imposed by the amendment 

2 may be suspended by a majority of the membership 

3 of both houses of Congress, by rollcall vote, for any 

4 fiscal year in which the United States is in a war 

5 declared by Congress pursuant to article I, section 

6 8, or may be suspended by three-fourths of the 

7 membership of Congress, by rollcall vote, for any 

8 other fiscal year. 

9 (3) Any bill that increases net gross tax re10 ceipts of the United States by levying a new tax or 

11 revenue source, or increasing the rate of any existing 

12 tax or revenue source, or by amending the terms of 

13 one or more then-existing taxes or revenue sources, 

14 shall not become law unless approved by three-fifths 

15 of the membership of each House of Congress by a 

16 rollcall vote. 

17 (4) The Congress shall enforce and implement 

18 the amendment by appropriate legislation, which 

19 may rely on estimates of outlays and receipts. 

20 (5) In any fiscal year in which Congress does 

21 not suspend the amendment pursuant to its terms 

22 and the President determines that total budgeted 

23 outlays will exceed total receipts, the President shall 

24 take such steps as the President in his discretion 

25 deems are necessary to ensure total outlays for that 


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1 fiscal year do not exceed total receipts. Notwith2 standing the foregoing, the President may not order 

3 any increase in tax or other revenue to enforce the 

4 amendment. A President’s intentional noncompliance 

5 with this provision is an impeachable offense. 

6 (6) Any Member of Congress and any Governor 

7 or Attorney General of any State shall have standing 

8 and a cause of action to seek judicial enforcement of 

9 the amendment. No court of the United States or of 

10 any State may order any increase in tax or other 

11 revenue to enforce this article. 

12 (7)(A) The amendment shall be effective after 

13 ratification by the legislatures of three-fourths of the 

14 several States and shall be phased in beginning with 

15 the first fiscal year commencing six or more months 

16 after ratification. 

17 (B) Within three months after ratification, Con18 gress shall determine, or cause to be determined, the 

19 total outlays, the total receipts, and the resulting 

20 deficit of the United States for the fiscal year in 

21 which ratification occurred. 

22 (C) The first fiscal year deficit shall not exceed 

23 eighty percent of the deficit for the fiscal year in 

24 which ratification occurred. 


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1 (D) The second fiscal year deficit shall not ex2 ceed sixty percent of the deficit for the fiscal year 

3 in which ratification occurred. 

4 (E) The third fiscal year deficit shall not exceed 

5 forty percent of the deficit for the fiscal year in 

6 which ratification occurred. 

7 (F) The fourth fiscal year deficit shall not ex8 ceed twenty percent of the deficit for the fiscal year 

9 in which ratification occurred. 

10 (G) The fifth phase-in fiscal year deficit, and all 

11 years thereafter, shall have no deficit. 

Æ 


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