I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2
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.
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) after the date of enactment of a regular or
supplemental appropriation Act or a joint resolution
making continuing appropriations providing such
budget authority or a revenue Act containing a tar-
geted tax benefit.
The President shall submit a separate rescission message
for each appropriation Act and for each revenue 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 during which Congress must
complete action on the rescission/receipts disapproval
bill and present such bill to the President for ap-
proval 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 of the succeed-
ing Congress and the review period referred to in sub-
section (b) (with respect to such message) shall run begin-
ning after such first day.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:
(1) The term ‘‘rescission/receipts disapproval
bill’’ means a bill or joint resolution which—
(A) only disapproves a rescission of discre-
tionary budget authority, in whole, rescinded, or
(B) only disapproves a veto of any targeted
tax benefit,
in a special message transmitted by the President
under this Act.
(2) The term ‘‘calendar days of session’’ shall
mean only those days on which both Houses of Con-
gress are in session.
(3) The term ‘‘targeted tax benefit’’ means any
provision of a revenue Act which the President de-
termines would provide a Federal tax benefit to 5 or
fewer taxpayers.
SEC. 5. CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF LINE ITEM
VETOES.
(a) PRESIDENTIAL SPECIAL MESSAGE.—Whenever
the President rescinds any budget authority as provided
in this Act or vetoes any provision of law as provided in
this Act, the President shall transmit to both Houses of
Congress a special message specifying—
(1) the amount of budget authority rescinded or
the provision vetoed;
(2) any account, department, or establishment
of the Government to which such budget authority
is available for obligation, and the specific project or
governmental functions involved;
(3) the reasons and justifications for the deter-
mination to rescind budget authority or veto any
provision pursuant to this Act;
(4) to the maximum extent practicable, the esti-
mated fiscal, economic, and budgetary effect of the
rescission or veto; and
(5) all actions, circumstances, and consider-
ations relating to or bearing upon the rescission or
veto and the decision to effect the rescission or veto,
and to the maximum extent practicable, the esti-
mated effect of the rescission upon the objects, pur-
poses, and programs for which the budget authority
is provided.
(b) TRANSMISSION OF MESSAGES TO HOUSE AND
SENATE.—
(1) Each special message transmitted under
this Act shall be transmitted to the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Senate on the same day, and
shall be delivered to the Clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives if the House is not in session, and to
the Secretary of the Senate if the Senate is not in
session. Each special message so transmitted shall
be referred to the appropriate committees of the
House of Representatives and the Senate. Each such
message shall be printed as a document of each
House.
(2) Any special message transmitted under this
Act shall be printed in the first issue of the Federal
Register published after such transmittal.
(c) REFERRAL
OF
RESCISSION/RECEIPTS
DIS-
APPROVAL BILLS.—Any rescission/receipts disapproval
bill introduced with respect to a special message shall be
referred to the appropriate committees of the House of
Representatives or the Senate, as the case may be.
(d) CONSIDERATION IN THE SENATE.—
(1) Any rescission/receipts disapproval bill re-
ceived in the Senate from the House shall be consid-
ered in the Senate pursuant to the provisions of this
Act.
(2) Debate in the Senate on any rescission/re-
ceipts disapproval bill and debatable motions and ap-
peals in connection therewith, shall be limited to not