I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3966 
To facilitate Presidential leadership and Congressional accountability regard-
ing reduction of other spending to offset costs of responding to recent 
natural disasters. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 29, 2005 
Mr. UDALL of Colorado (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. FLAKE, and Mrs. 
MUSGRAVE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Budget, 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To facilitate Presidential leadership and Congressional ac-
countability regarding reduction of other spending to off-
set costs of responding to recent natural disasters. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Stimulating Leadership in Cutting Expenditures Act of 
2005’’. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) large areas of several States, including 
many large and small communities, have suffered 
numerous deaths and widespread destruction as a 
result of recent hurricanes and other natural disas-
ters; 
(2) millions of Americans have been forced to 
flee their homes, and in some cases have been left 
homeless, by those disasters; 
(3) the adverse consequences for the regional 
and national economy are expected to be substantial 
and ongoing; 
(4) Congress has responded by providing large 
amounts of funding to enable the Government to as-
sist States, local authorities, and individuals most 
affected by those disasters; 
(5) substantial additional appropriations for 
these purposes probably will be required in the fu-
ture; 
(6) Federal expenditures for other purposes al-
ready exceed revenues, so unless offset by increased 
revenues or reductions in other expenditures, fund-
ing for these purposes will increase the national debt 
that must be repaid, with interest, in the future;
(7) the President has indicated that he thinks 
funds provided for other purposes can be reduced in 
order to offset some or all of these costs; and 
(8) however, under current law, the Congress is 
not required to act on any such proposals by the 
President. 
(c) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to enable 
the President to require Congress to debate and vote on 
certain presidential proposals for reducing other spending 
in order to offset amounts appropriated in response to the 
effects of recent natural disasters. 
SEC. 2. EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN PRO-
POSED SPENDING REDUCTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Part B of title X of the Congres-
sional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 
U.S.C. 681 et seq.) is amended by redesignating sections 
1013 through 1017 as sections 1014 through 1018, re-
spectively, and inserting after section 1012 the following 
new section: 
‘‘EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN PROPOSED 
RESCISSIONS 
‘‘SEC. 1013. (a) PROPOSED RESCISSION OF BUDGET 
AUTHORITY.—In addition to the method of rescinding 
budget authority specified in section 1012, the President 
may propose, at the time and in the manner provided in 
subsection (b), the rescission of any budget authority pro-
vided in Public Law 109–59 or in an appropriation Act. 
Funds made available for obligation under this procedure 
may not be proposed for rescission again under this sec-
tion or section 1012. 
‘‘(b) TRANSMITTAL OF SPECIAL MESSAGE.— 
‘‘(1) PROPOSED
RESCISSIONS
OF
TRANSPOR-
TATION PROJECTS.— 
‘‘(A) On or before November 1, 2005, the 
President may transmit to Congress a special 
message proposing to rescind amounts of budg-
et authority provided in the Transportation Eq-
uity Act: A Legacy for Users (P.L. 109–59). 
‘‘(B) A special message transmitted pursu-
ant to this subsection shall be accompanied by 
a draft bill each section of which would affect 
only the specific project or purpose specified in 
such section. 
‘‘(2) PROPOSED
RESCISSIONS
IN
APPROPRIA-
TION ACTS.— 
‘‘(A) Not later than January 1, 2006, the 
President may transmit to Congress a special 
message proposing to rescind amounts of budg-
et authority provided in an appropriation Act 
enacted prior to such date in order to offset 
amounts appropriated or expected to be appro-
priated in connection with natural disasters oc-
curring during calendar year 2005 and include 
with that special message a draft bill each sec-
tion of which, if enacted, would only rescind the 
amount of budget authority specified in such 
section. That bill shall clearly identify the 
amount of budget authority that is proposed to 
be rescinded for each program, project, or activ-
ity to which that budget authority relates. 
‘‘(B) If a special message transmitted pur-
suant to this subsection proposes to rescind 
budget authority included in an appropriation 
Act that includes accounts within the jurisdic-
tion of more than one subcommittee of the 
Committee on Appropriations, the President 
shall send a draft bill that separates the pro-
posed rescissions from accounts within the ju-
risdiction of each such subcommittee. 
‘‘(C) Each special message shall specify, 
with respect to the budget authority proposed 
to be rescinded, the matters referred to in para-
graphs (1) through (5) of section 1012(a). 
‘‘(c) PROCEDURES
FOR
EXPEDITED
CONSIDER-
ATION.—
‘‘(1)(A) Before the close of the second legisla-
tive day of the House of Representatives after the 
date of receipt of a special message transmitted to 
Congress under subsection (b), the majority leader 
or minority leader of the House of Representatives 
shall introduce (by request) the draft bill accom-
panying that special message. If the bill is not intro-
duced as provided in the preceding sentence, then, 
on the third legislative day of the House of Rep-
resentatives after the date of receipt of that special 
message, any Member of that House may introduce 
the bill. 
‘‘(B) A bill affecting Public Law 109–59 shall 
be referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure and a bill to rescind budgetary au-
thority included in an appropriation Act shall be re-
ferred to the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives. The committee of referral 
shall report the bill without substantive revision, and 
with or without recommendation. The bill shall be 
reported not later than the seventh legislative day of 
that House after the date of receipt of that special 
message. If the Committee of referral fails to report 
the bill within that period, that committee shall be 
automatically discharged from consideration of the
bill, and the bill shall be placed on the appropriate 
calendar. 
‘‘(C) A separate vote on each section and, if 
any section is approved, on final passage of a bill re-
ferred to in subparagraph (B) shall be taken in the 
House of Representatives on or before the close of 
the 10th legislative day of that House after the date 
of the introduction of the bill in that House. If the 
bill is passed, the Clerk of the House of Representa-
tives shall cause the bill to be engrossed, certified, 
and transmitted to the Senate within one calendar 
day of the day on which the bill is passed. 
‘‘(2)(A) A motion in the House of Representa-
tives to proceed to the consideration of a bill under 
this section shall be highly privileged and not debat-
able. An amendment to the motion shall not be in 
order, nor shall it be in order to move to reconsider 
the vote by which the motion is agreed to or dis-
agreed to. 
‘‘(B) Debate in the House of Representatives 
on each section of a bill under this section shall not 
exceed one hour and debate on such bill shall not ex-
ceed 4 hours, in each case with such time being di-
vided equally between those favoring and those op-
posing the section or final passage of the bill. A mo-
tion further to limit debate shall not be debatable. 
It shall not be in order to move to recommit a bill 
under this section or to move to reconsider the vote 
by which the bill is agreed to or disagreed to. 
‘‘(C) Appeals from decisions of the Chair relat-
ing to the application of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives to the procedure relating to a bill 
under this section shall be decided without debate. 
‘‘(3)(A) A bill transmitted to the Senate pursu-
ant to paragraph (1)(C) shall be referred to the ap-
propriate committee. The committee shall report the 
bill without substantive revision and with or without 
recommendation. The bill shall be reported not later 
than the seventh legislative day of the Senate after 
it receives the bill. A committee failing to report the 
bill within such period shall be automatically dis-
charged from consideration of the bill, and the bill 
shall be placed upon the appropriate calendar. 
‘‘(B) A separate vote on each section and on 
final passage of a bill transmitted to the Senate 
shall be taken on or before the close of the 10th leg-
islative day of the Senate after the date on which 
the bill is transmitted. 
‘‘(4)(A) A motion in the Senate to proceed to 
the consideration of a bill under this section shall be
privileged and not debatable. An amendment to the 
motion shall not be in order, nor shall it be in order 
to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion 
is agreed to or disagreed to. 
‘‘(B) Debate in the Senate on a bill under this 
section, and all debatable motions and appeals in 
connection therewith, shall not exceed 10 hours. The 
time shall be equally divided between, and controlled 
by, the majority leader and the minority leader or 
their designees. 
‘‘(C) Debate in the Senate on any debatable 
motion or appeal in connection with a bill under this 
section shall be limited to not more than 1 hour, to 
be equally divided between, and controlled by, the 
mover and the manager of the bill, except that in 
the event the manager of the bill is in favor of any 
such motion or appeal, the time in opposition there-
to, shall be controlled by the minority leader or his 
designee. Such leaders, or either of them, may, from 
time under their control on the passage of a bill, 
allot additional time to any Senator during the con-
sideration of any debatable motion or appeal. 
‘‘(D) A motion in the Senate to further limit 
debate on a bill under this section is not debatable.
A motion to recommit a bill under this section is not 
in order. 
‘‘(d) AMENDMENTS AND DIVISIONS PROHIBITED.— 
No amendment to a bill considered under this section shall 
be in order in either the House of Representatives or the 
Senate. It shall not be in order to demand a division of 
the question in the House of Representatives (or in a Com-
mittee of the Whole) or in the Senate. No motion to sus-
pend the application of this subsection shall be in order 
in either House, nor shall it be in order in either House 
to suspend the application of this subsection by unanimous 
consent. 
‘‘(e) REQUIREMENT TO MAKE AVAILABLE FOR OBLI-
GATION.—Any amount of budget authority proposed to be 
rescinded in a special message transmitted to Congress 
under subsection (b) shall be made available for obligation 
on the earlier of— 
‘‘(1) the day after the date upon which the 
House of Representatives defeats the section of a bill 
transmitted with that special message rescinding the 
amount proposed to be rescinded; or 
‘‘(2) the day after the date upon which the Sen-
ate rejects the relevant section of a bill that makes 
rescissions to carry out the applicable special mes-
sage of the President.
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section— 
‘‘(1) the term ‘appropriation Act’ means any 
general or special appropriation Act, and any Act or 
joint resolution making supplemental, deficiency, or 
continuing appropriations; and 
‘‘(2) the term ‘legislative day’ means, with re-
spect to either House of Congress, any calendar day 
during which that House is in session.’’. 
(b) EXERCISE OF RULEMAKING POWERS.—Section 
904 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 621 note) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and 1017’’ in subsection (a) 
and inserting ‘‘1013, and 1018’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘section 1017’’ in subsection (d) 
and inserting ‘‘sections 1013 and 1018’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) Section 1011 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 682(5)) 
is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘1013’’ 
and inserting ‘‘1014’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (5)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘1016’’ and inserting 
‘‘1017’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘1017(b)(1)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘1018(b)(1)’’.
(2) Section 1015 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 685) 
(as redesignated by section 2(a)) is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘1012 or 1013’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘1012, 1013, or 
1014’’; 
(B) in subsection (b)(1), by striking 
‘‘1012’’ and inserting ‘‘1012 or 1013’’; 
(C) in subsection (b)(2), by striking 
‘‘1013’’ and inserting ‘‘1014’’; and 
(D) in subsection (e)(2)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 
subparagraph (A); 
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph 
(B) as subparagraph (C); 
(iii) by striking ‘‘1013’’ in subpara-
graph (C) (as so redesignated) and insert-
ing ‘‘1014’’; and 
(iv) by inserting after subparagraph 
(A) the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(B) he has transmitted a special message 
under section 1013 with respect to a proposed 
rescission; and’’. 
(3) Section 1016 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 686) 
(as redesignated by section 2(a)) is amended by