IA 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. J. RES. 83 
Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United 
States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 2, 2016 
Mr. ASHFORD (for himself, Mr. CUELLAR, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. SCHRADER, Mr. 
COSTA, and Mr. COOPER) introduced the following joint resolution; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution 
of the United States. 
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States of America in Congress assembled
(two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the fol-
lowing article is proposed as an amendment to the Con-
stitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all 
intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several 
States within seven years after the date of its submission 
by the Congress: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:18 Mar 03, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HJ83.IH
HJ83
smartinez on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HJ 83 IH 
‘‘ARTICLE — 
‘‘SECTION 1. Total outlays for any fiscal year shall 
not exceed total receipts for that fiscal year, unless three- 
fifths of the whole number of each House of Congress shall 
provide by law for a specific excess of outlays over receipts 
by a roll call vote. 
‘‘SECTION 2. Prior to each fiscal year, the President 
shall transmit to the Congress a proposed budget for the 
United States Government for that fiscal year in which 
total outlays do not exceed total receipts. 
‘‘SECTION 3. Sections 1 and 2 of this article shall 
not apply during any fiscal year in which a declaration 
of war is in effect or in which the United States is engaged 
in military conflict which causes an imminent and serious 
military threat to national security and is so declared by 
a joint resolution, adopted by a majority of the whole num-
ber of each House, which becomes law. 
‘‘SECTION 4. Section 1 of this article shall not apply 
during a fiscal year if, during that fiscal year or the pre-
ceding fiscal year, the economy of the United States grew 
by less than an annualized rate of 0.0 percent in real gross 
domestic product during 2 or more consecutive quarters 
or the unemployment rate was more than 7 percent during 
2 or more consecutive months. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:10 Mar 03, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HJ83.IH
HJ83
smartinez on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HJ 83 IH 
‘‘Section 2 of this article shall not apply to a fiscal 
year if, during the 1-year period ending on the date on 
which the President transmits to Congress a proposed 
budget for the United States Government for that fiscal 
year, the economy of the United States grew by less than 
an annualized rate of 0.0 percent in real gross domestic 
product during 2 or more consecutive quarters or the un-
employment rate was more than 7 percent during 2 or 
more consecutive months. 
‘‘SECTION 5. Congress shall enforce and implement 
this article by appropriate legislation, which may rely on 
estimates of outlays and receipts. 
‘‘SECTION 6. Except as provided in the second clause, 
total receipts shall include all receipts of the United States 
Government other than those derived from borrowing, and 
total outlays shall include all outlays of the United States 
Government other than those for repayment of debt prin-
cipal. 
‘‘For each fiscal year, the receipts (including attrib-
utable interest) and outlays of the Federal Old-Age and 
Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Medicare 
Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal Disability In-
surance Trust Fund, or any fund that is a successor to 
any such fund, shall not be considered to be receipts or 
outlays for purposes of this Article. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
01:10 Mar 03, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HJ83.IH
HJ83
smartinez on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HJ 83 IH 
‘‘SECTION 7. No court of the United States or of any 
State shall enforce this article by ordering any reduction 
in Social Security or Medicare payments authorized by 
law, including any amounts paid from the Federal Old- 
Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal 
Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, the Federal 
Disability Insurance Trust Fund, or any fund that is a 
successor to any such fund, unless the receipts (including 
attributable interest) and other amounts available for that 
fund for the applicable fiscal year are not sufficient to 
cover the outlays that would otherwise occur during that 
fiscal year if the fund were fully solvent. 
‘‘SECTION 8. This article shall take effect beginning 
with the fifth fiscal year beginning after its ratification.’’. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
00:18 Mar 03, 2016
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HJ83.IH
HJ83
smartinez on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS