I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5214 
To modify the congressional budget and appropriations process to provide 
fiscal stability for the United States, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 8, 2018 
Mr. BYRNE (for himself, Mr. MITCHELL, Mr. BARTON, and Mr. GAETZ) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, Oversight and Gov-
ernment Reform, and House Administration, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To modify the congressional budget and appropriations proc-
ess to provide fiscal stability for the United States, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Protecting Our Children’s Future Act of 2018’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
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TITLE I—BIENNIAL BUDGETING 
Subtitle A—Congressional Budget Process 
Sec. 101. Updating purpose of Congressional Budget Act. 
Sec. 102. Definitions. 
Sec. 103. Revision of timetable. 
Sec. 104. Biennial concurrent resolutions on the budget. 
Sec. 105. Committee allocations. 
Sec. 106. Multiyear authorizations of appropriations. 
Sec. 107. Additional amendments to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to 
effectuate biennial budgeting. 
Subtitle B—Conforming Amendments to the Rules of the House of 
Representatives and the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
Sec. 111. Rules Committee recommendations. 
Sec. 112. Conforming amendments to the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 
Subtitle C—Conforming Amendments to Titles 1, 5, 31, and 39, United 
States Code 
Sec. 121. Two-year appropriations; title and style of appropriation Acts. 
Sec. 122. Amendments to title 31, United States Code. 
Sec. 123. Government strategic and performance plans on a biennial basis. 
Subtitle D—Change of Fiscal Year 
Sec. 131. Change of fiscal year. 
TITLE II—DIRECT SPENDING PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO ANNUAL 
APPROPRIATIONS 
Sec. 201. Annual appropriations required for direct spending programs. 
TITLE III—ZERO-BASED BUDGETING 
Sec. 301. Zero-based budgeting. 
TITLE IV—PROCEDURE FOR CONSIDERATION OF APPROPRIA-
TIONS MEASURES CONSISTENT WITH A BUDGET RESOLUTION 
Sec. 401. Adoption of reconciliation procedures for appropriations bills. 
TITLE V—NO BUDGET NO PAY 
Sec. 501. No budget no pay. 
TITLE VI—REPEAL OF SEQUESTRATION 
Sec. 601. Repeal of sequestration. 
Sec. 602. Exclusion from PAYGO scorecards. 
TITLE VII—MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS 
Sec. 701. Effective date. 
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TITLE I—BIENNIAL BUDGETING 
Subtitle A—Congressional Budget 
Process 
SEC. 101. UPDATING PURPOSE OF CONGRESSIONAL BUDG-
ET ACT. 
Paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 2 of the Congres-
sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 are 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) to assure effective control over the budg-
etary process and Federal spending; 
‘‘(2) to facilitate the determination biennially of 
the appropriate level of Federal revenues and ex-
penditures by the Congress and the President;’’. 
SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 3 of the Congressional Budget and Impound-
ment Control Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(12) The term ‘direct spending’ has the mean-
ing given to such term in section 250(c)(8) of the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 
Act of 1985. 
‘‘(13) The term ‘biennium’ means the period of 
2 consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of 
any odd-numbered year.’’. 
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SEC. 103. REVISION OF TIMETABLE. 
Section 300 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
(2 U.S.C. 631) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘TIMETABLE 
‘‘SEC. 300. The timetable with respect to the congres-
sional budget process for any Congress (beginning with 
the One Hundred Sixteenth Congress) is as follows: 
‘‘First Session 
On or before: 
Action to be completed: 
First Monday in April ...............
President submits budget recommendations. 
April 15 .....................................
Congressional Budget Office submits report 
to Budget Committees. 
Not later than 6 weeks after 
budget submission.
Committees submit views and estimates to 
Budget Committees. 
June 1 ........................................
Budget Committees report concurrent resolu-
tion on the biennial budget. 
June 30 ......................................
Congress completes action on concurrent res-
olution on the biennial budget. 
July 1 .........................................
Biennial appropriation bills may be consid-
ered in the House of Representatives. 
September 15 .............................
House Appropriations Committee reports last 
biennial appropriation bill. 
November 15 .............................
Congress completes action on biennial appro-
priation bills. 
January 1 ..................................
Biennium begins. 
‘‘Second Session 
On or before: 
Action to be completed: 
First Monday in April ...............
President submits budget review. 
Not later than 6 weeks after 
President submits budget re-
view.
Congressional Budget Office submits report 
to Budget Committees. 
July 31 .......................................
Congress completes action on reconciliation 
legislation.’’. 
SEC. 104. BIENNIAL CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS ON THE 
BUDGET. 
(a) CONTENTS OF RESOLUTION.—Section 301(a) of 
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(a)) 
is amended— 
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(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by— 
(A) striking ‘‘April 15 of each year’’ and 
inserting ‘‘June 30 of each odd-numbered 
year’’; 
(B) striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning on 
October 1 of such year’’ the first place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘the biennium beginning on 
January 1 of the following year’’; 
(C) striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning on 
October 1 of such year’’ the second place it ap-
pears and inserting ‘‘each fiscal year in such 
period’’; and 
(D) striking ‘‘each of the 4 ensuing fiscal 
years’’ and inserting ‘‘each fiscal year in the 
next 2 bienniums’’; 
(2) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(4) subtotals of new budget authority and out-
lays for nondefense discretionary spending, defense 
discretionary spending, Medicare, Medicaid and 
other health-related spending, other direct spending 
(excluding interest), and net interest;’’; 
(3) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘for the fiscal 
year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year in the bien-
nium’’; and 
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(4) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘for the fiscal 
year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year in the bien-
nium’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL MATTERS IN CONCURRENT RESO-
LUTION.—Section 301(b) of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974 is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraph (1), and by striking 
paragraphs (6) through (9); 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), (4), 
and (5) as paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4), respec-
tively; 
(3) in paragraph (2), as redesignated, by strik-
ing ‘‘for such fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for either 
fiscal year in such biennium’’; 
(4) by striking paragraph (3), as redesignated, 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(3) set forth such other matters, and require 
such other procedures, relating to the budget as may 
be appropriate to carry out the purposes of the Act, 
but shall not include a suspension or alteration of 
the application of the motion to strike a provision as 
set forth in section 310(d)(2) or (h)(2)(F);’’; and 
(5) in paragraph (4), as redesignated, by strik-
ing the semicolon and inserting a period. 
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(c) VIEWS OF OTHER COMMITTEES.—Section 301(d) 
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 
632(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new sentences: ‘‘Each committee of the Senate or the 
House of Representatives shall review the strategic plans, 
performance plans, and performance reports required 
under section 306 of title 5, United States Code, and sec-
tions 1115 and 1116 of title 31, United States Code, of 
all agencies under the jurisdiction of the committee. Each 
committee may provide its views on such plans or reports 
to the Committee on the Budget of the applicable House.’’. 
(d) HEARINGS AND REPORT.—Section 301(e) of the 
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 632(e)) is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting 
‘‘biennium’’; and 
(B) by inserting after the second sentence 
the following: ‘‘On or before June 1 of each 
odd-numbered year, the Committee on the 
Budget of each House shall report to its House 
the concurrent resolution on the budget referred 
to in subsection (a) for the biennium beginning 
on January 1 of the following year.’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
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(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), 
(B), (C), (D), (E), and (F) as subparagraphs 
(B), (C), (E), (F), (H), and (I), respectively; 
(B) before subparagraph (B) (as redesig-
nated), by inserting the following new subpara-
graph: 
‘‘(A) new budget authority and outlays for 
each major functional category, based on alloca-
tions of the total levels set forth pursuant to 
subsection (a)(1);’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (C) (as redesignated), 
by striking ‘‘mandatory’’ and inserting ‘‘direct 
spending’’; and 
(D) after subparagraph (C) (as redesig-
nated), by inserting the following new subpara-
graph: 
‘‘(D) total outlays, total Federal revenues, 
the surplus or deficit, and new budget authority 
and outlays for nondefense discretionary spend-
ing, defense discretionary spending, Medicare, 
Medicaid and other health-related spending, 
other direct spending (excluding interest), social 
security and other major functional categories, 
as appropriate, and net interest as set forth in 
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such resolution as a percentage of the gross do-
mestic product of the United States;’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (3)— 
(A)(i) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
and (B) as subparagraphs (B) and (C), respec-
tively; 
(ii) by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D); 
(iii) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 
subparagraph (D); and 
(iv) by striking the period and the end of 
subparagraph (D), as redesignated, and insert-
ing ‘‘; and’’; 
(B) before subparagraph (B), as redesig-
nated, by inserting the following new subpara-
graph: 
‘‘(A) new budget authority and outlays for 
each major functional category, based on alloca-
tions of the total levels set forth pursuant to 
subsection (a)(1);’’; and 
(C) at the end, by adding the following 
new subparagraph: 
‘‘(E) set forth, if required by subsection 
(f), the calendar year in which, in the opinion 
of the Congress, the goals for reducing unem-
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ployment set forth in section 4(b) of the Em-
ployment Act of 1946 should be achieved.’’. 
(e) GOALS FOR REDUCING UNEMPLOYMENT.—Sec-
tion 301(f) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 
U.S.C. 632(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’. 
(f) ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS.—Section 301(g)(1) of 
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 
632(g)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’ and 
inserting ‘‘for a biennium’’. 
(g) SECTION HEADING.—The section heading of sec-
tion 301 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is 
amended by striking ‘‘ANNUAL’’ and inserting ‘‘BIEN-
NIAL’’. 
(h) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The item relating to sec-
tion 301 in the table of contents set forth in section 1(b) 
of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974 is amended by striking ‘‘Annual’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘Biennial’’. 
SEC. 105. COMMITTEE ALLOCATIONS. 
Section 302 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
(2 U.S.C. 633) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1) by— 
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