Fight Inflation Through Balanced Budgets Act

To require balanced budgets in concurrent resolutions on the budget, to establish limits on the waiver of budget points of order, and to prevent appropriations in excess of the amount authorized to be appropriated. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Fight Inflation Through Balanced Budgets Act 2. Point of order against budget resolutions that do not include a balanced budget (a) Point of Order It shall not be in order in the Senate to consider a concurrent resolution on the budget that does not reduce the deficit to zero on or before the end of the 9th fiscal year after the budget year. (b) Waiver and appeal Subsection (a) may be waived or suspended in the Senate only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members, duly chosen and sworn. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn, shall be required to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a point of order raised under subsection (a). 3. Limits on waiver of budget points of order (a) Definition In this section, the term budget point of order 2 U.S.C. 621 et seq. 2 U.S.C. 900 et seq. 2 U.S.C. 931 et seq. (b) Prohibition on waiving multiple points of order In the Senate, it shall not be in order to move to waive more than 1 budget point of order with respect to a bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, amendment between the Houses, or conference report as part of a single motion, including a motion to waive all applicable budget points of order. (c) Prohibition on preemptive waivers In the Senate, it shall not be in order to move to waive or suspend a budget point of order with respect to a bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, amendment between the Houses, or conference report unless the budget point of order has been specifically raised by a Senator. (d) No waiver It shall not be in order to move to waive or suspend this section. 4. Point of order against appropriations in excess of the amount authorized to be appropriated (a) Point of order (1) In general In the Senate, it shall not be in order to consider a provision in a bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, amendment between the Houses, or conference report that would cause the total amount of funds appropriated for a program, project, or activity to exceed the amount authorized to be appropriated in statute for the program, project, or activity for the fiscal year. For purposes of this paragraph, if there is not an authorization of appropriations in statute for a program, project, or activity for a fiscal year, the amount authorized to be appropriated shall be $0. (2) Point of order sustained If a point of order is made by a Senator against a provision described in paragraph (1), and the point of order is sustained by the Chair, that provision shall be stricken from the measure and may not be offered as an amendment from the floor. (b) Form of the point of order A point of order under subsection (a)(1) may be raised by a Senator as provided in section 313(e) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 ( 2 U.S.C. 644(e) (c) Conference reports When the Senate is considering a conference report on, or an amendment between the Houses in relation to, a bill or joint resolution, upon a point of order being made by any Senator pursuant to subsection (a)(1), and such point of order being sustained, such material contained in such conference report or House amendment shall be stricken, and the Senate shall proceed to consider the question of whether the Senate shall recede from its amendment and concur with a further amendment, or concur in the House amendment with a further amendment, as the case may be, which further amendment shall consist of only that portion of the conference report or House amendment, as the case may be, not so stricken. Any such motion in the Senate shall be debatable. In any case in which such point of order is sustained against a conference report (or Senate amendment derived from such conference report by operation of this subsection), no further amendment shall be in order. (d) Supermajority waiver and appeal In the Senate, this section may be waived or suspended only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members, duly chose and sworn. An affirmative vote of three-fifths of Members of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn shall be required to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a point of order raised under this section.

Summary: Fight Inflation Through Balanced Budgets Act This bill establishes points of order that may be raised in the Senate against (1) budget resolutions that do not include a balanced budget; and (2) provisions that would cause the total amount of appropriations for a program, project, or activity to exceed the authorized amount. The bill also limits waivers of budget points of order in the Senate, including by prohibiting (1) waiving multiple points of order against a measure using a single motion, and (2) waiving a point of order that has not been specifically raised by a Senator.