H. Con. Res. 68—16
(5) for the first time, a concurrent resolution on the budget
balances the Federal budget without counting the Social Secu-
rity surpluses;
(6) the only way to ensure that Social Security surpluses
are not diverted for other purposes is to balance the budget
exclusive of such surpluses; and
(7) Congress and the President should take such steps
as are necessary to ensure that future budgets are balanced
excluding the surpluses generated by the Social Security trust
funds.
(b) POINT OF ORDER.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall not be in order in the House
of Representatives or the Senate to consider any revision to
this concurrent resolution or a concurrent resolution on the
budget for fiscal year 2001, or any amendment thereto or con-
ference report thereon, that sets forth a deficit for any fiscal
year.
(2) DEFICIT LEVELS.—For purposes of this subsection—
(A) a deficit shall be the level (if any) set forth in
the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the
budget for that fiscal year pursuant to section 301(a)(3)
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974; and
(B) in setting forth the deficit level pursuant to section
301(a)(3) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, that
level shall not include any adjustments in aggregates that
would be made pursuant to any reserve fund that provides
for adjustments in allocations and aggregates for legislation
that enhances retirement security through structural pro-
grammatic reform.
(3) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply if the deficit
for a fiscal year results solely from legislation enacted pursuant
to section 202.
(4) BUDGET COMMITTEE DETERMINATIONS.—For purposes of
this subsection, the levels of new budget authority, outlays,
direct spending, new entitlement authority, revenues, deficits,
and surpluses for a fiscal year shall be determined on the
basis of estimates made by the Committee on the Budget of
the House of Representatives or the Senate, as applicable.
SEC. 202. RESERVE FUND FOR RETIREMENT SECURITY.
Whenever the Committee on Ways and Means of the House
or the Committee on Finance of the Senate reports a bill, or an
amendment thereto is offered, or a conference report thereon is
submitted that enhances retirement security through structural
programmatic reform, the appropriate chairman of the Committee
on the Budget may—
(1) increase the appropriate allocations and aggregates of
new budget authority and outlays by the amount of new budget
authority provided by such measure (and outlays flowing there-
from) for that purpose;
(2) in the Senate, adjust the levels used for determining
compliance with the pay-as-you-go requirements of section 207;
and
(3) reduce the revenue aggregates by the amount of the
revenue loss resulting from that measure for that purpose.
H. Con. Res. 68—17
SEC. 203. RESERVE FUND FOR MEDICARE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Whenever the Committee on Ways and Means
of the House or the Committee on Finance of the Senate reports
a bill, or an amendment thereto is offered (in the House), or a
conference report thereon is submitted that implements structural
Medicare reform and significantly extends the solvency of the Medi-
care Hospital Insurance Trust Fund without the use of transfers
of new subsidies from the general fund, the appropriate chairman
of the Committee on the Budget may change committee allocations
and spending aggregates if such legislation will not cause an on-
budget deficit for—
(1) fiscal year 2000;
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
(b) PRESCRIPTION
DRUG
BENEFIT.—The adjustments made
pursuant to subsection (a) may be made to address the cost of
the prescription drug benefit.
SEC. 204. RESERVE FUND FOR AGRICULTURE.
(a) ADJUSTMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Whenever the Committee on Agriculture
of the House or the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry of the Senate reports a bill, or an amendment thereto
is offered (in the House), or a conference report thereon is
submitted that provides risk management or income assistance
for agriculture producers that complies with paragraph (2),
the appropriate chairman of the Committee on the Budget
shall increase the allocation of budget authority and outlays
to that committee by the amount of budget authority (and
the outlays resulting therefrom) provided by that legislation
for such purpose in accordance with subsection (b).
(2) CONDITION.—Legislation complies with this paragraph
if it does not cause a net increase in budget authority or
outlays for fiscal year 2000 and does not cause a net increase
in budget authority that is greater than $2,000,000,000 for
any of fiscal years 2001 through 2004.
(b) LIMITATIONS.—The adjustments to the allocations required
by subsection (a) shall not exceed—
(1) $6,000,000,000 in budget authority (and the outlays
resulting therefrom) for the period of fiscal years 2000 through
2004; and
(2) $6,000,000,000 in budget authority and outlays for the
period of fiscal years 2000 through 2009.
SEC. 205. TAX REDUCTION RESERVE FUND IN THE SENATE.
In the Senate, the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget
may reduce the spending and revenue aggregates and may revise
committee allocations for legislation that reduces revenues if such
legislation will not increase the deficit or decrease the surplus
for—
(1) fiscal year 2000;
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2009.
SEC. 206. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION POINT OF ORDER IN THE
SENATE.
(a) DESIGNATIONS.—
H. Con. Res. 68—18
(1) GUIDANCE.—In making a designation of a provision
of legislation as an emergency requirement under section
251(b)(2)(A) or 252(e) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control Act of 1985, the committee report and any
statement of managers accompanying that legislation shall ana-
lyze whether a proposed emergency requirement meets all the
criteria in paragraph (2).
(2) CRITERIA.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—The criteria to be considered in deter-
mining whether a proposed expenditure or tax change is
an emergency requirement or whether it is—
(i) necessary, essential, or vital (not merely useful
or beneficial);
(ii) sudden, quickly coming into being, and not
building up over time;
(iii) an urgent, pressing, and compelling need
requiring immediate action;
(iv) subject to subparagraph (B), unforeseen,
unpredictable, and unanticipated; and
(v) not permanent, temporary in nature.
(B) UNFORESEEN.—An emergency that is part of an
aggregate level of anticipated emergencies, particularly
when normally estimated in advance, is not unforeseen.
(3) JUSTIFICATION FOR FAILURE TO MEET CRITERIA.—If the
proposed emergency requirement does not meet all the criteria
set forth in paragraph (2), the committee report or the state-
ment of managers, as the case may be, shall provide a written
justification of why the requirement should be accorded emer-
gency status.
(b) POINT OF ORDER.—When the Senate is considering a bill,
resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report, a point of
order may be made by a Senator against an emergency designation
in that measure and if the Presiding Officer sustains that point
of order, that provision making such a designation shall be stricken
from the measure and may not be offered as an amendment from
the floor.
(c) WAIVER AND APPEAL.—This section may be waived or sus-
pended in the Senate only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths
of the Members, duly chosen and sworn. An affirmative vote of
three-fifths of the Members of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn,
shall be required in the Senate to sustain an appeal of the ruling
of the Chair on a point of order raised under this section.
(d) DEFINITION OF AN EMERGENCY REQUIREMENT.—A provision
shall be considered an emergency designation if it designates any
item an emergency requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)
or 252(e) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control
Act of 1985.
(e) FORM OF THE POINT OF ORDER.—A point of order under
this section may be raised by a Senator as provided in section
313(e) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
(f ) CONFERENCE REPORTS.—If a point of order is sustained
under this section against a conference report the report shall
be disposed of as provided in section 313(d) of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974.
(g) EXCEPTION FOR DEFENSE SPENDING.—Subsection (b) shall
not apply against an emergency designation for a provision making
discretionary appropriations in the defense category.
H. Con. Res. 68—19
(h) SUNSET.—This section shall expire on the adoption of the
concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2001.
SEC. 207. PAY-AS-YOU-GO POINT OF ORDER IN THE SENATE.
(a) PURPOSE.—The Senate declares that it is essential to—
(1) ensure continued compliance with the balanced budget
plan set forth in this concurrent resolution; and
(2) continue the pay-as-you-go enforcement system.
(b) POINT OF ORDER.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall not be in order in the Senate
to consider any direct spending or revenue legislation that
would increase the on-budget deficit or cause an on-budget
deficit for any one of the three applicable time periods as
measured in paragraphs (5) and (6).
(2) APPLICABLE TIME PERIODS.—For purposes of this sub-
section the term ‘‘applicable time period’’ means any one of
the three following periods:
(A) The first year covered by the most recently adopted
concurrent resolution on the budget.
(B) The period of the first five fiscal years covered
by the most recently adopted concurrent resolution on the
budget.
(C) The period of the five fiscal years following the
first five fiscal years covered in the most recently adopted
concurrent resolution on the budget.
(3) DIRECT-SPENDING LEGISLATION.—For purposes of this
subsection and except as provided in paragraph (4), the term
‘‘direct-spending legislation’’ means any bill, joint resolution,
amendment, motion, or conference report that affects direct
spending as that term is defined by and interpreted for purposes
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act
of 1985.
(4) EXCLUSION.—For purposes of this subsection, the terms
‘‘direct-spending legislation’’ and ‘‘revenue legislation’’ do not
include—
(A) any concurrent resolution on the budget; or
(B) any provision of legislation that affects the full
funding of, and continuation of, the deposit insurance guar-
antee commitment in effect on the date of the enactment
of the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990.
(5) BASELINE.—Estimates prepared pursuant to this section
shall—
(A) use the baseline used for the most recently adopted
concurrent resolution on the budget; and
(B) be calculated under the requirements of subsections
(b) through (d) of section 257 of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for fiscal years
beyond those covered by that concurrent resolution on the
budget.
(6) PRIOR SURPLUS.—If direct spending or revenue legisla-
tion increases the on-budget deficit or causes an on-budget
deficit when taken individually, then it must also increase
the on-budget deficit or cause an on-budget deficit when taken
together with all direct spending and revenue legislation
enacted since the beginning of the calendar year not accounted
for in the baseline under paragraph (5)(A).
H. Con. Res. 68—20
(c) WAIVER.—This section may be waived or suspended in the
Senate only by the affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members,
duly chosen and sworn.
(d) APPEALS.—Appeals in the Senate from the decisions of the
Chair relating to any provision of this section shall be limited
to 1 hour, to be equally divided between, and controlled by, the
appellant and the manager of the bill or joint resolution, as the
case may be. An affirmative vote of three-fifths of the Members
of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn, shall be required in the
Senate to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a point
of order raised under this section.
(e) DETERMINATION OF BUDGET LEVELS.—For purposes of this
section, the levels of new budget authority, outlays, and revenues
for a fiscal year shall be determined on the basis of estimates
made by the Committee on the Budget of the Senate.
(f ) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 202 of House Concur-
rent Resolution 67 (104th Congress) is repealed.
(g) SUNSET.—Subsections (a) through (e) of this section shall
expire September 30, 2002.
SEC. 208. APPLICATION AND EFFECT OF CHANGES IN ALLOCATIONS
AND AGGREGATES.
(a) APPLICATION.—Any adjustments of allocations and aggre-
gates made pursuant to this concurrent resolution for any measure
shall—
(1) apply while that measure is under consideration;
(2) take effect upon the enactment of that measure; and
(3) be published in the Congressional Record as soon as
practicable.
(b) EFFECT
OF CHANGED ALLOCATIONS
AND AGGREGATES.—
Revised allocations and aggregates resulting from these adjust-
ments shall be considered for the purposes of the Congressional
Budget Act of 1974 as allocations and aggregates contained in
this concurrent resolution.
(c) ENFORCEMENT IN THE HOUSE.—In the House, for the purpose
of enforcing this concurrent resolution, sections 302(f ) and 311(a)
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 shall apply to fiscal year
2000 and the total for fiscal year 2000 and the four ensuing fiscal
years.
SEC. 209. ESTABLISHMENT OF LEVELS FOR FISCAL YEAR 1999.
The levels submitted pursuant to H. Res. 5 of the 106th Con-
gress or S. Res. 312 of the 105th Congress, and any revisions
authorized by such resolutions, shall be considered to be the levels
and revisions of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal
year 1999.
SEC. 210. DEFICIT-NEUTRAL RESERVE FUND TO FOSTER THE EMPLOY-
MENT AND INDEPENDENCE OF INDIVIDUALS WITH
DISABILITIES IN THE SENATE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In the Senate, revenue and spending aggre-
gates and other appropriate budgetary levels and limits may be
adjusted and allocations may be revised for legislation that finances
disability programs designed to allow individuals with disabilities
to become employed and remain independent if, to the extent that
this concurrent resolution on the budget does not include the costs
of that legislation, the enactment of that legislation will not increase
H. Con. Res. 68—21
the deficit or decrease the surplus in this concurrent resolution
for—
(1) fiscal year 2000;
(2) the period of fiscal years 2000 through 2004; or
(3) the period of fiscal years 2005 through 2009.
(b) REVISED ALLOCATIONS.—
(1) ADJUSTMENTS FOR LEGISLATION.—Upon the consider-
ation of legislation pursuant to subsection (a), the Chairman
of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may file with
the Senate appropriately-revised allocations under section
302(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and revised
functional levels and aggregates to carry out this section.
(2) ADJUSTMENTS FOR AMENDMENTS.—If the Chairman of
the Committee on the Budget of the Senate submits an adjust-
ment under this section for legislation in furtherance of the
purpose described in subsection (a), upon the offering of an
amendment to that legislation that would necessitate such
submission, the Chairman shall submit to the Senate appro-
priately-revised allocations under section 302(a) of the Congres-
sional Budget Act of 1974 and revised functional levels and
aggregates to carry out this section.
SEC. 211. RESERVE FUND FOR A FISCAL YEAR 2000 SURPLUS.
(a) CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE UPDATED BUDGET FORE-
CAST FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000.—Pursuant to section 202(e)(2) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Congressional Budget Office
shall update its economic and budget forecast for fiscal year 2000
by July 1, 1999.
(b) REPORTING A SURPLUS.—If the report provided pursuant
to subsection (a) estimates an on-budget surplus for fiscal year
2000, the appropriate chairman of the Committee on the Budget
may make the adjustments as provided in subsection (c).
(c) ADJUSTMENTS.—The appropriate chairman of the Committee
on the Budget may make the following adjustments in an amount
equal to the on-budget surplus for fiscal year 2000 as estimated
in the report submitted pursuant to subsection (a)—
(1) reduce the on-budget revenue aggregate by that amount
for fiscal year 2000;
(2) increase the on-budget surplus levels used for deter-
mining compliance with the pay-as-you-go requirements of sec-
tion 207; and
(3) adjust the instruction in sections 104 and 105 of this
concurrent resolution to—
(A) reduce revenues by that amount for fiscal year
2000; and
(B) increase the reduction in revenues for the period
of fiscal years 2000 through 2004 and for the period of
fiscal years 2000 through 2009 by that amount.
SEC. 212. RESERVE FUND FOR EDUCATION IN THE SENATE.
(a) IN GENERAL.—In the Senate, upon reporting of a bill, the
offering of an amendment thereto, or the submission of a conference
report thereon that allows local educational agencies to use appro-
priated funds to carry out activities under part B of the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act that complies with subsection (b),
the Chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may—
(1) increase the outlay aggregate and allocation for fiscal
year 2000 by not more than $360,000,000; and
H. Con. Res. 68—22
(2) adjust the levels used for determining compliance with
the pay-as-you-go requirements of section 207.
(b) CONDITION.—Legislation complies with this subsection if
it does not cause a net increase in budget authority or outlays
for the periods of fiscal years 2000 through 2004 and 2000 through
2009.
SEC. 213. EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWERS.
Congress adopts the provisions of this title—
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate
and the House of Representatives, respectively, and as such
they shall be considered as part of the rules of each House,
or of that House to which they specifically apply, and such
rules shall supersede other rules only to the extent that they
are inconsistent therewith; and
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right of either
House to change those rules (so far as they relate to that
House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same
extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.
TITLE III—SENSE OF CONGRESS,
HOUSE, AND SENATE PROVISIONS
Subtitle A—Sense of Congress Provisions
SEC. 301. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE PROTECTION OF THE SOCIAL
SECURITY SURPLUSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) Congress and the President should balance the budget
excluding the surpluses generated by the Social Security trust
funds;
(2) reducing the Federal debt held by the public is a top
national priority, strongly supported on a bipartisan basis, as
evidenced by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan’s com-
ment that debt reduction ‘‘is a very important element in sus-
taining economic growth’’, as well as President Clinton’s com-
ments that it ‘‘is very, very important that we get the Govern-
ment debt down’’ when referencing his own plans to use the
budget surplus to reduce Federal debt held by the public;
(3) according to the Congressional Budget Office, balancing
the budget excluding the surpluses generated by the Social
Security trust funds will reduce debt held by the public by
a total of $1,723,000,000,000 by the end of fiscal year 2009,
$417,000,000,000, or 32 percent, more than it would be reduced
under the President’s fiscal year 2000 budget submission;
(4) further, according to the Congressional Budget Office,
that 
the 
President’s 
budget 
would 
actually 
spend
$40,000,000,000 of the Social Security surpluses in fiscal year
2000 on new spending programs, and spend $158,000,000,000
of the Social Security surpluses on new spending programs
from fiscal year 2000 through 2004; and
(5) Social Security surpluses should be used for Social
Security reform, retirement security, or to reduce the debt
held by the public and should not be used for other purposes.
H. Con. Res. 68—23
(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that
the functional totals in this concurrent resolution on the budget
assume that Congress shall pass legislation which—
(1) reaffirms the provisions of section 13301 of the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 that provides that the
receipts and disbursements of the Social Security trust funds
shall not be counted for the purposes of the budget submitted
by the President, the congressional budget, or the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, and pro-
vides for a point of order within the Senate against any concur-
rent resolution on the budget, an amendment thereto, or a
conference report thereon that violates that section;
(2) mandates that the Social Security surpluses are used
only for the payment of Social Security benefits, retirement
security, Social Security reform, or to reduce the Federal debt
held by the public and such mandate shall be implemented
by establishing a super-majority point of order in the Senate
against limits established on the level of debt held by the
public;
(3) provides for a Senate super-majority point of order
against any bill, resolution, amendment, motion or conference
report that would use Social Security surpluses on anything
other than the payment of Social Security benefits, Social Secu-
rity reform, retirement security, or the reduction of the Federal
debt held by the public;
(4) ensures that all Social Security benefits are paid on
time; and
(5) accommodates Social Security reform legislation.
SEC. 302. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PROVIDING ADDITIONAL DOLLARS
TO THE CLASSROOM.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) strengthening America’s public schools while respecting
State and local control is critically important to the future
of our children and our Nation;
(2) education is a local responsibility, a State priority,
and a national concern;
(3) working with the Nation’s governors, parents, teachers,
and principals must take place in order to strengthen public
schools and foster educational excellence;
(4) education initiatives should boost academic achievement
for all students; and excellence in American classrooms means
having high expectations for all students, teachers, and
administrators, and holding schools accountable to the children
and parents served by such schools;
(5) successful schools and school systems are characterized
by parental involvement in the education of their children,
local control, emphasis on basic academics, emphasis on funda-
mental skills and exceptional teachers in the classroom;
(6) the one-size-fits-all approach to education often creates
barriers to innovation and reform initiatives at the local level;
America’s rural schools face challenges quite different from
their urban counterparts; and parents, teachers, and State
and local officials should have the freedom to tailor their edu-
cation plans and reforms according to the unique educational
needs of their children;
H. Con. Res. 68—24
(7) the consolidation of various Federal education programs
will benefit our Nation’s children, parents, and teachers by
sending more dollars directly to the classroom; and
(8) our Nation’s children deserve an educational system
that will provide opportunities to excel.
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that—
(1) Congress should enact legislation that would consolidate
31 Federal K–12 education programs;
(2) the Department of Education, the States, and local
educational agencies should work together to ensure that not
less than 95 percent of all funds appropriated for the purpose
of carrying out elementary and secondary education programs
administered by the Department of Education is spent for our
children in their classrooms;
(3) increased funding for elementary and secondary edu-
cation should be directed to States and local school districts;
and
(4) decision making authority should be placed in the hands
of States, localities, and families to implement innovative solu-
tions to local educational challenges and to increase the
performance of all students, unencumbered by unnecessary Fed-
eral rules and regulations.
SEC. 303. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON ASSET-BUILDING FOR THE
WORKING POOR.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) 33 percent of all American households and 60 percent
of African American households have no or negative financial
assets.
(2) 46.9 percent of all children in America live in households
with no financial assets, including 40 percent of Caucasian
children and 75 percent of African American children.
(3) In order to provide low-income families with more tools
for empowerment, incentives which encourage asset-building
should be established.
(4) Across the Nation, numerous small public, private, and
public-private asset-building incentives, including individual
development accounts, are demonstrating success at empow-
ering low-income workers.
(5) Middle and upper income Americans currently benefit
from tax incentives for building assets.
(6) The Federal Government should utilize the Federal
tax code to provide low-income Americans with incentives to
work and build assets in order to escape poverty permanently.
(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that
the provisions of this concurrent resolution assume that Congress
should modify the Federal tax law to include provisions which
encourage low-income workers and their families to save for buying
a first home, starting a business, obtaining an education, or taking
other measures to prepare for the future.
SEC. 304. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON CHILD NUTRITION.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) both Republicans and Democrats understand that an
adequate diet and proper nutrition are essential to a child’s
general well-being;
H. Con. Res. 68—25
(2) the lack of an adequate diet and proper nutrition may
adversely affect a child’s ability to perform up to his or her
ability in school;
(3) the Federal Government currently plays a role in
funding school nutrition programs; and
(4) there is a bipartisan commitment to helping children
learn.
(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that
the Committees on Education and the Workforce and Agriculture
in the House, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and
Forestry in the Senate should examine our Nation’s nutrition pro-
grams to determine if they can be improved, particularly with
respect to services to low-income children.
SEC. 305. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING FUNDING FOR SPECIAL
EDUCATION.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20
U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) (referred to in this concurrent resolution
as the ‘‘Act’’), Congress found that improving educational results
for children with disabilities is an essential element of our
national policy of ensuring equality of opportunity, full partici-
pation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for
individuals with disabilities.
(2) In the Act, the Secretary of Education is instructed
to make grants to States to assist them in providing special
education and related services to children with disabilities.
(3) The Act represents a commitment by the Federal
Government to fund 40 percent of the average per-pupil
expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools in the
United States.
(4) The budget submitted by the President for fiscal year
2000 ignores the commitment by the Federal Government under
the Act to fund special education and instead proposes the
creation of new programs that limit the manner in which States
may spend the limited Federal education dollars received.
(5) The budget submitted by the President for fiscal year
2000 fails to increase funding for special education, and leaves
States and localities with an enormous unfunded mandate to
pay for growing special education costs.
(b) SENSE
OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that
the budgetary levels in this concurrent resolution assume that
part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (20 U.S.C. 1400
et seq.) should be fully funded at the originally promised level
before any funds are appropriated for new education programs.
Subtitle B—Sense of the House Provisions
SEC. 311. SENSE OF THE HOUSE ON THE COMMISSION ON INTER-
NATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM.
(a) FINDINGS.—The House finds that—
(1) persecution of individuals on the sole ground of their
religious beliefs and practices occurs in countries around the
world and affects millions of lives;
(2) such persecution violates international norms of human
rights, including those established in the Universal Declaration
H. Con. Res. 68—26
of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights, the Helsinki Accords, and the Declaration on
the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination
Based on Religion or Belief;
(3) such persecution is abhorrent to all Americans, and
our very Nation was founded on the principle of the freedom
to worship according to the dictates of our conscience; and
(4) in 1998 Congress unanimously passed, and President
Clinton signed into law, the International Religious Freedom
Act of 1998, which established the United States Commission
on International Religious Freedom to monitor facts and cir-
cumstances of violations of religious freedom and authorized
$3,000,000 to carry out the functions of the Commission for
each of fiscal years 1999 and 2000.
(b) SENSE OF THE HOUSE.—It is the sense of the House that—
(1) this concurrent resolution assumes that $3,000,000 will
be appropriated within function 150 for fiscal year 2000 for
the United States Commission on International Religious
Freedom to carry out its duties; and
(2) the House Committee on Appropriations is strongly
urged to appropriate such amount for the Commission.
SEC. 312. SENSE OF THE HOUSE ON ASSESSMENT OF WELFARE-TO-
WORK PROGRAMS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the sense of the House that, recognizing
the need to maximize the benefit of the Welfare-to-Work Program,
the Secretary of Labor should prepare a report on Welfare-to-
Work Programs pursuant to section 403(a)(5) of the Social Security
Act. This report should include information on the following—
(1) the extent to which the funds available under such
section have been used (including the number of States that
have not used any of such funds), the types of programs that
have received such funds, the number of and characteristics
of the recipients of assistance under such programs, the goals
of such programs, the duration of such programs, the costs
of such programs, any evidence of the effects of such programs
on such recipients, and accounting of the total amount expended
by the States from such funds, and the rate at which the
Secretary expects such funds to be expended for each of the
fiscal years 2000, 2001, and 2002;
(2) with regard to the unused funds allocated for Welfare-
to-Work for each of fiscal years 1998 and 1999, identify areas
of the Nation that have unmet needs for Welfare-to-Work initia-
tives; and
(3) identify possible Congressional action that may be taken
to reprogram Welfare-to-Work funds from States that have
not utilized previously allocated funds to places of unmet need,
including those States that have rejected or otherwise not uti-
lized prior funding.
(b) REPORT.—It is the sense of the House that, not later than
January 1, 2000, the Secretary of Labor should submit to the
Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Ways and Means
of the House and the Committee on Finance of the Senate, in
writing, the report described in subsection (a).
H. Con. Res. 68—27
Subtitle C—Sense of the Senate Provisions
SEC. 321. SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
SHOULD NOT INVEST THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST
FUNDS IN PRIVATE FINANCIAL MARKETS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the assumptions underlying
the functional totals in this concurrent resolution assume that
the Federal Government should not directly invest contributions
made to the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund
and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund established under
section 201 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 401) in private
financial markets.
SEC. 322. SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE MODERNIZATION
AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE MEDICARE PROGRAM.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds the following:
(1) The health insurance coverage provided under the Medi-
care Program under title XVIII of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 1395 et seq.) is an integral part of the financial security
for retired and disabled individuals, as such coverage protects
those individuals against the financially ruinous costs of a
major illness.
(2) Expenditures under the Medicare Program for hospital,
physician, and other essential health care services that are
provided to nearly 39,000,000 retired and disabled individuals
will be $232,000,000,000 in fiscal year 2000.
(3) During the nearly 35 years since the Medicare Program
was established, the Nation’s health care delivery and financing
system has undergone major transformations. However, the
Medicare Program has not kept pace with such transformations.
(4) Former Congressional Budget Office Director Robert
Reischauer has described the Medicare Program as it exists
today as failing on the following four key dimensions (known
as the ‘‘Four I’s’’):
(A) The program is inefficient.
(B) The program is inequitable.
(C) The program is inadequate.
(D) The program is insolvent.
(5) The President’s budget framework does not devote 15
percent of the budget surpluses to the Medicare Program. The
Federal budget process does not provide a mechanism for set-
ting aside current surpluses for future obligations. As a result,
the notion of saving 15 percent of the surplus for the Medicare
Program cannot practically be carried out.
(6) The President’s budget framework would transfer to
the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund more than
$900,000,000,000 over 15 years in new IOUs that must be
redeemed later by raising taxes on American workers, cutting
benefits, or borrowing more from the public, and these new
IOUs would increase the gross debt of the Federal Government
by the amounts transferred.
(7) The Congressional Budget Office has stated that the
transfers described in paragraph (6), which are strictly
intragovernmental, have no effect on the unified budget sur-
pluses or the on-budget surpluses and therefore have no effect
on the debt held by the public.
H. Con. Res. 68—28
(8) The President’s budget framework does not provide
access to, or financing for, prescription drugs.
(9) The Comptroller General of the United States has stated
that the President’s Medicare Proposal does not constitute
reform of the program and ‘‘is likely to create a public
misperception that something meaningful is being done to
reform the Medicare Program’’.
(10) The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 enacted changes
to the Medicare Program which strengthen and extend the
solvency of that program.
(11) The Congressional Budget Office has stated that with-
out the changes made to the Medicare Program by the Balanced
Budget Act of 1997, the depletion of the Federal Hospital Insur-
ance Trust Fund would now be imminent.
(12) The President’s budget proposes to cut Medicare Pro-
gram spending by $19,400,000,000 over 10 years, primarily
through reductions in payments to providers under that pro-
gram.
(13) The recommendations by Senator John Breaux and
Representative William Thomas received the bipartisan support
of a majority of members on the National Bipartisan Commis-
sion on the Future of Medicare.
(14) The Breaux-Thomas recommendations provide for new
prescription drug coverage for the neediest beneficiaries within
a plan that substantially improves the solvency of the Medicare
Program without transferring new IOUs to the Federal Hospital
Insurance Trust Fund that must be redeemed later by raising
taxes, cutting benefits, or borrowing more from the public.
(b) SENSE OF THE SENATE.—It is the sense of the Senate that
the provisions contained in this budget resolution assume the fol-
lowing:
(1) This resolution does not adopt the President’s proposals
to reduce Medicare Program spending by $19,400,000,000 over
10 years, nor does this resolution adopt the President’s proposal
to spend $10,000,000,000 of Medicare Program funds on unre-
lated programs.
(2) Congress will not transfer to the Federal Hospital Insur-
ance Trust Fund new IOUs that must be redeemed later by
raising taxes on American workers, cutting benefits, or bor-
rowing more from the public.
(3) Congress should work in a bipartisan fashion to extend
the solvency of the Medicare Program and to ensure that bene-
fits under that program will be available to beneficiaries in
the future.
(4) The American public will be well and fairly served
in this undertaking if the Medicare Program reform proposals
are considered within a framework that is based on the fol-
lowing five key principles offered in testimony to the Senate
Committee on Finance by the Comptroller General of the United
States:
(A) Affordability.
(B) Equity.
(C) Adequacy.
(D) Feasibility.
(E) Public acceptance.
(5) The recommendations by Senator Breaux and Congress-
man Thomas provide for new prescription drug coverage for
H. Con. Res. 68—29
the neediest beneficiaries within a plan that substantially
improves the solvency of the Medicare Program without
transferring to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund
new IOUs that must be redeemed later by raising taxes, cutting
benefits, or borrowing more from the public.
(6) Congress should move expeditiously to consider the
bipartisan recommendations of the Chairmen of the National
Bipartisan Commission on the Future of Medicare.
(7) Congress should continue to work with the President
as he develops and presents his plan to fix the problems of
the Medicare Program.
SEC. 323. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON EDUCATION.
It is the sense of the Senate that—
(1) the levels in this concurrent resolution assume that—
(A) increased Federal funding for elementary and sec-
ondary education should be directed to States and local
school districts;
(B) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (20
U.S.C. 1400 et seq.) should be fully funded at the originally
promised level before any funds are appropriated for new
education programs;
(C) decisionmaking authority should be placed in the
hands of States, localities, and families to implement
innovative solutions to local education challenges and to
increase the performance of all students, unencumbered
by unnecessary Federal rules and regulations; and
(D) the Department of Education, the States, and local
education agencies should work together to ensure that
not less than 95 percent of all funds appropriated for
the purpose of carrying out elementary and secondary edu-
cation programs administered by the Department of Edu-
cation is spent for our children in their classrooms; and
(2) within the discretionary allocation provided to the
Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate for
function 500 that to the maximum extent practicable—
(A) the Federal Pell Grant maximum award should
be increased;
(B) funding for the Federal Supplemental Education
Opportunity Grants Program should be increased;
(C) funding for the Federal capital contributions under
the Federal Perkins Loan Program should be increased;
(D) funding for the Leveraging Educational Assistance
Partnership Program should be increased;
(E) funding for the Federal Work-Study Program
should be increased; and
(F) funding for the Federal TRIO Programs should
be increased.
SEC. 324. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON PROVIDING TAX RELIEF TO
AMERICANS BY RETURNING THE NON-SOCIAL SECURITY
SURPLUS TO TAXPAYERS.
It is the sense of the Senate that—
(1) the levels in this concurrent resolution assume that
the Senate not only puts a priority on protecting Social Security
and Medicare and reducing the Federal debt, but also on tax
reductions for working families in the form of family tax relief