I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2956
To provide for a biennial budget process and a biennial appropriations process
and to enhance oversight and the performance of the Federal Government.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 8, 1997
Mr. LUTHER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Commit-
tee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, and Gov-
ernment Reform and Oversight, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To provide for a biennial budget process and a biennial
appropriations process and to enhance oversight and the
performance of the Federal Government.
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 ‘‘Biennial Budgeting
and Appropriations Act’’.
SEC. 2. 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. (a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided by
subsection (b), the timetable with respect to the congres-
sional budget process for any Congress (beginning with
the One Hundred Sixth Congress) is as follows:
‘‘First Session
‘‘On or before:
Action to be completed:
First Monday in Feb-
ruary.
President submits budget recommendations.
February 15 ....................
Congressional Budget Office submits report
to Budget Committees.
Within 6 weeks after
budget submission.
Committees submit views and estimates to
Budget Committees.
April 1 .............................
Budget Committees report concurrent resolu-
tion on the biennial budget.
May 15 ............................
Congress completes action on concurrent res-
olution on the biennial budget.
May 15 ............................
Biennial appropriation bills may be consid-
ered in the House.
June 10 ...........................
House Appropriations Committee reports last
biennial appropriation bill.
June 30 ...........................
Congress completes action on biennial appro-
priation bills.
August 1 ..........................
House completes action on reconciliation leg-
islation.
October 1 .........................
Biennium begins.
‘‘Second Session
‘‘On or before:
Action to be completed:
February 15 ....................
Congressional Budget Office submits report
to Budget Committees.
The last day of the ses-
sion.
Congress completes action on bills and resolu-
tions authorizing new budget authority for
the succeeding biennium.
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of any first session
of Congress that begins in any year immediately following
a leap year and during which the term of a President (ex-
cept a President who succeeds himself) begins, the follow-
ing dates shall supersede those set forth in subsection (a):
‘‘First Session
‘‘On or before:
Action to be completed:
‘‘First Session—Continued
First Monday in April .....
President submits budget recommendations.
April 20 ...........................
Committees submit views and estimates to
Budget Committees.
May 15 ............................
Budget Committees report concurrent resolu-
tion on the biennial budget.
June 1 .............................
Congress completes action on concurrent res-
olution on the biennial budget.
July 1 ..............................
Biennial appropriation bills may be consid-
ered in the House.
July 20 ............................
House Appropriations Committee reports last
biennial appropriation bill.’’.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET
AND IMPOUNDMENT CONTROL ACT OF 1974.
(a) DECLARATION OF PURPOSE.—Section 2(2) of the
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of
1974 (2 U.S.C. 621(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘each
year’’ and inserting ‘‘biennially’’.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—
(1) Section 3(4) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 622(4))
is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ each place it
appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’.
(2) Section 3 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 622) is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following
new paragraph:
‘‘(11) The term ‘biennium’ means the period of
2 consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of
any odd-numbered year.’’.
(c) BIENNIAL CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE
BUDGET.—
(1) Section 301(a) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(a)) is amended—
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)
by—
(i) striking ‘‘April 15 of each year’’
and inserting ‘‘May 15 of each odd-num-
bered year’’;
(ii) striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning
on October 1 of such year’’ the first place
it appears and inserting ‘‘the biennium be-
ginning on October 1 of such year’’;
(iii) striking ‘‘the fiscal year beginning
on October 1 of such year’’ the second
place it appears and inserting ‘‘each fiscal
year in such period’’; and
(iv) striking ‘‘and planning levels for
each of the two ensuing fiscal years’’ and
inserting ‘‘and the appropriate levels for
each of the 4 ensuing fiscal years’’;
(B) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘for the
fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year
in the biennium’’; and
(C) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘for the
fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for each fiscal year
in the biennium’’.
(2) Section 301(b) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(b)) is amended—
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1),
by inserting ‘‘for a biennium’’ after ‘‘concurrent
resolution on the budget’’; and
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘for such
fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘for either fiscal year
in such biennium’’.
(3) Section 301(d) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(d)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(or, if applicable,
as provided by section 300(b))’’ after ‘‘United States
Code’’.
(4) Section 301(e) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(e)) is amended—
(A) in the first sentence by striking ‘‘fiscal
year’’ and inserting ‘‘biennium’’;
(B) by inserting between the second and
third sentences the following new sentence: ‘‘On
or before April 1 of each odd-numbered year
(or, if applicable, as provided by section
300(b)), the Committee on the Budget of each
House shall report to its House the concurrent
resolution on the budget referred to in sub-
section (a) for the biennium beginning on Octo-
ber 1 of that year.’’; and
(C) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘five fis-
cal years beginning with such fiscal year’’ and
inserting ‘‘six fiscal years beginning with the
first fiscal year of such biennium’’.
(5) Section 301(f) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ each
place it appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’.
(6) Section 301(g)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
632(g)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’
and inserting ‘‘for a biennium’’.
(7) The section heading of section 301 of such
Act is amended by striking ‘‘ANNUAL’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘BIENNIAL’’.
(8) The item relating to section 301 in the table
of contents set forth in section 1(b) of such Act is
amended by striking ‘‘Annual’’ and inserting ‘‘Bien-
nial’’.
(d) COMMITTEE
ALLOCATIONS.—Section 302 is
amended—
(1) by striking subsection (a)(2) and inserting
the following:
‘‘(2)(A) For the Senate, the joint explanatory
statement accompanying a conference report on a
concurrent resolution on the budget shall include an
estimated allocation of the appropriate levels of total
new budget authority, total outlays, and social secu-
rity outlays, based upon the concurrent resolution as
recommended in the conference report, to each com-
mittee of the Senate which has jurisdiction over bills
and resolutions providing budget authority.
‘‘(B) For all committees except the Committee
on Appropriations, the allocation under subpara-
graph (A) shall include the appropriate levels of
budget authority, outlays, and social security outlays
for each fiscal year in the biennium and the total of
the biennium and the 4 succeeding fiscal years.
‘‘(C) For the Committee on Appropriations, the
allocation under subparagraph (A) shall include the
appropriate levels of budget authority, outlays, and
social security outlays for each fiscal year in the bi-
ennium.’’;
(2) in subsection (f)(1)—
(A) by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’;
(B) by striking ‘‘for such fiscal year’’, both
places it appears; and
(C) by striking ‘‘effective during such fis-
cal year’’; and
(3) in subsection (f)(2)—
(A) by striking the first sentence and in-
serting the following: ‘‘At any time after Con-
gress has completed action on a concurrent res-
olution on the budget required to be reported
under section 301(a), it shall not be in order to
consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment,
motion, or conference report, that provides new
budget authority, outlays, new spending author-
ity (as defined in section 401(c)(2)), or social
security outlays in excess of allocations made
pursuant to subsection (a) and (b).’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘Subparagraph (A)’’ and
inserting ‘‘The requirement of this paragraph
to comply with allocations made pursuant to
section 302(a)’’.
(e) SECTION 303 POINT OF ORDER.—
(1) The matter following paragraph (6) of sec-
tion 303(a) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 634(a)) is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ the first place it appears
and inserting ‘‘biennium’’.
(2) Section 303(b) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
634(b)) is amended—
(A) in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of para-
graph (1), by striking ‘‘the fiscal year’’ each
place it appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’;
(B) in the matter following paragraph
(1)(B), by striking ‘‘any calendar year’’ and in-
serting ‘‘any odd-numbered calendar year (or, if
applicable, as provided by section 300(b))’’; and
(C) by—
(i) striking paragraph (2);
(ii) striking ‘‘(1)’’; and
(iii) redesignating subparagraphs (A)
and (B) as paragraphs (1) and (2), respec-
tively, and indenting appropriately.
(f) PERMISSIBLE REVISIONS OF CONCURRENT RESO-
LUTIONS ON THE BUDGET.—Section 304(a) of such Act
(2 U.S.C. 635) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ the first two places
it appears and inserting ‘‘biennium’’;
(2) by striking ‘‘for such fiscal year’’; and
(3) by inserting before the period ‘‘for such bi-
ennium’’.
(g) PROCEDURES FOR CONSIDERATION OF BUDGET
RESOLUTIONS.—Section 305(a)(3) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
636(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and in-
serting ‘‘biennium’’.
(h) COMPLETION OF HOUSE ACTION ON APPROPRIA-
TION BILLS.—Section 307 of such Act (2 U.S.C. 638) is
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘bi-
ennium’’; and
(2) by striking ‘‘that year’’ and inserting ‘‘each
odd-numbered year’’.
(i) COMPLETION OF ACTION ON REGULAR APPRO-
PRIATION BILLS.—Section 309 of such Act (2 U.S.C.
640) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘of any odd-numbered calendar
year’’ after ‘‘July’’; and
(2) by striking ‘‘annual’’ and inserting ‘‘bien-
nial’’.
(j) RECONCILIATION PROCESS.—Section 310(a) of
such Act (2 U.S.C. 641(a)) is amended—
(1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by
striking ‘‘any fiscal year’’ and inserting ‘‘any bien-
nium’’; and
(2) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘such fiscal
year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘any fiscal
year covered by such resolution’’.
(k) SECTION 311 POINT OF ORDER.—
(1)(A) Section 311(a)(1) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
642(a)) is amended—
(i) by striking ‘‘for a fiscal year’’ and in-
serting ‘‘for a biennium’’;
(ii) by striking ‘‘such fiscal year’’ the first
place it appears and inserting ‘‘either fiscal
year in such biennium’’;
(iii) by striking ‘‘during such fiscal year’’
and inserting ‘‘during either fiscal year in such
biennium’’;
(iv) by striking ‘‘revenues for such fiscal
year’’ and inserting ‘‘revenues for a fiscal
year’’; and
(v) by striking ‘‘budget for such fiscal
year’’ and inserting ‘‘budget for either fiscal
year in such biennium’’.
(B) Section 311(a)(2)(A) of such Act is amend-
ed—
(i) by striking ‘‘for the first’’ and inserting
‘‘for either’’;
(ii) by striking ‘‘covering such fiscal year’’
and inserting ‘‘covering the biennium’’;
(iii) by striking ‘‘the first fiscal year cov-
ered’’ and inserting ‘‘either fiscal year in the bi-
ennium covered’’; and
(iv) by striking ‘‘the first fiscal year plus’’
and inserting ‘‘the biennium plus’’.
(2) Section 311(b) of such Act (2 U.S.C.
642(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘such fiscal year’’
the second place it appears and inserting ‘‘either fis-
cal year in such biennium’’.
(l) BILLS PROVIDING NEW SPENDING AUTHORITY.—
Section 401(b)(2) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 651(b)(2)) is
amended by striking ‘‘for such fiscal year’’ the second
place it appears and inserting ‘‘for the biennium in which
such fiscal year occurs’’.
(m) DATE OF ADJUSTING ALLOCATIONS.—Section
603(a) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 665b) is amended by insert-
ing after ‘‘April 15’’ the following ‘‘(or if section 300(b)
applies by June 15th)’’.
SEC. 4. PAY-AS-YOU-GO IN THE SENATE.
Subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of section 202(b)(2)
of House Concurrent Resolution 67 (104th Congress) are
amended to read as follows:
‘‘(A) The period of the biennium covered
by the most recently adopted concurrent resolu-
tion on the budget.
‘‘(B) The period of the first six fiscal years
covered by the most recently adopted concur-
rent resolution on the budget.
‘‘(C) The period of the four fiscal years
following the first six fiscal years covered by the
most recently adopted concurrent resolution on
the budget.’’.