IB
Union Calendar No. 5
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2
[Report No. 104–11, Parts I and II]
To give the President item veto authority over appropriation Acts and
targeted tax benefits in revenue Acts.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JANUARY 4, 1995
Mr. CLINGER, Mr. BLUTE, Mr. NEUMANN, and Mr. PARKER (for themselves,
Mr. ALLARD, Mr. ARMEY, Mr. BAKER of California, Mr. BUNNING, Mr.
BACHUS, Mr. BALLENGER, Mr. BARR, Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr.
BARTON of Texas, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. BONO, Mr. BRYANT of Tennessee,
Mr. BROWNBACK, Mr. BURR, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CALVERT,
Mr. 
CALLAHAN, 
Mr. 
CAMP, 
Mr. 
CANADY, 
Mr. 
CASTLE, 
Mr.
CHRISTENSEN, Mr. CHRYSLER, Mr. COBURN, Mr. COLLINS of Georgia,
Miss COLLINS of Michigan, Mr. COOLEY, Mr. COX, Mr. CRANE, Mr.
CRAPO, Mr. CREMEANS, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Ms. DANNER, Mr. DAVIS,
Mr. DOOLITTLE, Mr. DORNAN, Mr. DREIER, Ms. DUNN, Mr. EMERSON,
Mr. ENGLISH of Pennsylvania, Mr. ENSIGN, Mr. EVERETT, Mr. EWING,
Mr. FAWELL, Mr. FLANAGAN, Mr. FOLEY, Mr. FORBES, Ms. FOWLER,
Mr. FOX, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. FRISA, Mr. GANSKE, Mr. GILLMOR,
Mr. GOODLATTE, Mr. GOODLING, Mr. GOSS, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. GUN-
DERSON, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. HANCOCK, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. HAST-
INGS of Washington, Mr. HAYWORTH, Mr. HEINEMAN, Mr. HERGER, Mr.
HILLEARY, Mr. HOBSON, Mr. HOKE, Mr. HOSTETTLER, Mr. HORN, Mr.
HOUGHTON, Mr. HUTCHINSON, Mr. INGLIS of South Carolina, Mr.
ISTOOK, Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut, Mr. JONES, Mr. KIM, Mr.
KINGSTON, Mr. KNOLLENBERG, Mr. LAHOOD, Mr. LARGENT, Mr.
LATHAM, Mr. LATOURETTE, Mr. LAZIO, Mr. LEWIS of Kentucky, Mr.
LIGHTFOOT, Mr. LINDER, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. LONGLEY, Mr. MCCOL-
LUM, Mr. MCHUGH, Mr. MCINTOSH, Mr. MICA, Mr. MILLER of Florida,
Ms. MOLINARI, Mrs. MYRICK, Mr. NUSSLE, Mr. OXLEY, Mr. PACKARD,
Mr. 
POMBO, 
Mr. 
PORTMAN, 
Mr. 
QUILLEN, 
Mr. 
QUINN, 
Mr.
RADANOVICH, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. RIGGS, Mr. ROTH, Mr. ROYCE,
Mr. SANFORD, Mr. SAXTON, Mr. SCHAEFER, Mr. SENSENBRENNER, Mr.
SHADEGG, Mr. SHAW, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. SMITH of Michigan, Mr. SMITH
of New Jersey, Mr. SMITH of Texas, Mr. SOLOMON, Mr. STEARNS, Mr.
STOCKMAN, Mr. STUMP, Mr. TALENT, Mr. TATE, Mr. TAYLOR of North
Carolina, 
Mr. 
THORNBERRY, 
Mr. 
TIAHRT, 
Mr. 
UPTON, 
Mrs.
WALDHOLTZ, Mr. WAMP, Mr. WELDON of Florida, Mr. WELDON of
Pennsylvania, Mr. WHITFIELD, Mr. WICKER, Mr. WELLER, Mr. ZELIFF,
Mr. ZIMMER, Mr. KOLBE, Mr. PAXON, Mr. YOUNG of Florida, Mr. COM-
BEST, Mr. COBLE, Mr. EHRLICH, and Mrs. MEYERS of Kansas) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Govern-
ment Reform and Oversight, and in addition to the Committee on Rules,
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.
JANUARY 27, 1995
Reported from the Committee on Rules with amendments
[Omit the part in black brackets and insert the part printed in boldface roman]
JANUARY 30, 1995
Additional sponsors: Ms. PRYCE, Mr. BAKER of Louisiana, Mr. CHABOT, Mr.
CONDIT, Mr. LIVINGSTON, Mr. LUCAS, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. MOORHEAD,
Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr. NEY, Mr. NORWOOD, Mr. PETERSON of Min-
nesota, Mr. POSHARD, Mr. RAMSTAD, Mrs. SEASTRAND, Mr. SOUDER,
Mr. WALKER, and Mr. KLUG
Deleted sponsor: Miss COLLINS of Michigan (added January 4, 1995; deleted
January 24, 1995)
JANUARY 30, 1995
Reported from the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight with
amendments, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic]
A BILL
To give the President item veto authority over appropriation
Acts and targeted tax benefits in revenue Acts.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Line Item Veto Act’’.
SEC. 2. LINE ITEM VETO AUTHORITY.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding the provisions of
part B of title X of The Congressional Budget and Im-
poundment Control Act of 1974, and subject to the provi-
sions of this section, the President may rescind all or part
of any discretionary budget authority or veto any targeted
tax benefit which is subject to the terms of this Act if
the President—
(1) determines that—
(A) such rescission or veto would help re-
duce the Federal budget deficit;
(B) such rescission or veto will not impair
any essential Government functions; and
(C) such rescission or veto will not harm
the national interest; and
(2) notifies the Congress of such rescission or
veto by a special message not later than twenty cal-
endar days (not including Saturdays, Sundays, or
holidays) ten calendar days (not including Sundays)
after the date of enactment of a regular or supple-
mental appropriation Act or a joint resolution mak-
ing continuing appropriations an appropriation Act
providing such budget authority or a revenue or rec-
onciliation Act containing a targeted tax benefit.
(b) DEFICIT REDUCTION.—In each special message,
the President may also propose to reduce the appropriate
discretionary spending limit set forth in section 601(a)(2)
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 by an amount that
does not exceed the total amount of discretionary budget au-
thority rescinded by that message.
(c) SEPARATE MESSAGES.—The President shall sub-
mit a separate rescission special message for each appro-
priation Act and for each revenue or reconciliation Act
under this paragraph.
SEC. 
3. 
LINE 
ITEM 
VETO 
EFFECTIVE 
UNLESS 
DIS-
APPROVED.
(a)(1) Any amount of budget authority rescinded
under this Act as set forth in a special message by the
President shall be deemed canceled unless, during the pe-
riod described in subsection (b), a rescission/receipts dis-
approval bill making available all of the amount rescinded
is enacted into law.
(2) Any provision of law vetoed under this Act as set
forth in a special message by the President shall be
deemed repealed unless, during the period described in
subsection (b), a rescission/receipts disapproval bill restor-
ing that provision is enacted into law.
(b) The period referred to in subsection (a) is—
(1) a congressional review period of twenty cal-
endar days of session, beginning on the first calendar
day of session after the date of submission of the spe-
cial message, during which Congress must complete
action on the rescission/receipts disapproval bill and
present such bill to the President for approval or
disapproval;
(2) after the period provided in paragraph (1),
an additional ten days (not including Sundays) dur-
ing which the President may exercise his authority
to sign or veto the rescission/receipts disapproval
bill; and
(3) if the President vetoes the rescission/re-
ceipts disapproval bill during the period provided in
paragraph (2), an additional five calendar days of
session after the date of the veto.
(c) If a special message is transmitted by the Presi-
dent under this Act and the last session of the Congress
adjourns sine die before the expiration of the period de-
scribed in subsection (b), the rescission or veto, as the case
may be, shall not take effect. The message shall be deemed
to have been retransmitted on the first day Monday in
February of the succeeding Congress and the review period
referred to in subsection (b) (with respect to such mes-
sage) shall run beginning after such first day.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act: