(b) ELIMINATION OF EMERGENCY ADJUSTMENTS.— 
Section 314(b) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
is amended by striking paragraph (1) and by redesig-
nating paragraphs (2) through (5) as paragraphs (1) 
through (4), respectively. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Clause 2 of rule 
XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives is 
amended by repealing paragraph (e) and by redesignating 
paragraph (f) as paragraph (e). 
SEC. 113. OMB EMERGENCY CRITERIA. 
(a) DEFINITION OF EMERGENCY.—Section 3 of the 
Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 
1974 (as amended by section 105(e)) is further amended 
by adding at the end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(12)(A) The term ‘emergency’ means a situa-
tion that— 
‘‘(i) requires new budget authority and 
outlays (or new budget authority and the out-
lays flowing therefrom) for the prevention or 
mitigation of, or response to, loss of life or 
property, or a threat to national security; and 
‘‘(ii) is unanticipated. 
‘‘(B) As used in subparagraph (A), the term 
‘unanticipated’ means that the situation is— 
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‘‘(i) sudden, which means quickly coming 
into being or not building up over time; 
‘‘(ii) urgent, which means a pressing and 
compelling need requiring immediate action; 
‘‘(iii) unforeseen, which means not pre-
dicted or anticipated as an emerging need; and 
‘‘(iv) temporary, which means not of a per-
manent duration.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The term ‘‘emer-
gency’’ has the meaning given to such term in section 3 
of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control 
Act of 1974.’’. 
SEC. 114. DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES FOR APPLICA-
TION OF EMERGENCY DEFINITION. 
Not later than 5 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the chairmen of the Committees on the Budget 
(in consultation with the President) shall, after consulting 
with the chairmen of the Committees on Appropriations 
and applicable authorizing committees of their respective 
Houses and the Directors of the Congressional Budget Of-
fice and the Office of Management and Budget, jointly 
publish in the Congressional Record guidelines for applica-
tion of the definition of emergency set forth in section 
3(12) of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
Control Act of 1974. 
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SEC. 115. RESERVE FUND FOR EMERGENCIES IN PRESI-
DENT’S BUDGET. 
Section 1105(f) of title 31, United States Code is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sen-
tences: ‘‘Such budget submission shall also comply with 
the requirements of subsections (b) and (c) of section 316 
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and, in the case 
of any budget authority requested for an emergency, such 
submission shall include a detailed justification of why 
such emergency is an emergency within the meaning of 
section 3(12) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.’’. 
SEC. 116. ADJUSTMENTS AND RESERVE FUND FOR EMER-
GENCIES IN JOINT BUDGET RESOLUTIONS. 
(a) EMERGENCIES.—Title III of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section: 
‘‘EMERGENCIES 
‘‘SEC. 316. (a) ADJUSTMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—After the reporting of a bill 
or joint resolution or the submission of a conference 
report thereon that provides budget authority for 
any emergency as identified pursuant to subsection 
(d) that is not covered by subsection (c)— 
‘‘(A) the chairman of the Committee on 
the Budget of the House of Representatives or 
the Senate shall determine and certify, pursu-
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ant to the guidelines referred to in section 114 
of the Family Budget Protection Act of 2007, 
the portion (if any) of the amount so specified 
that is for an emergency within the meaning of 
section 3(12); and 
‘‘(B) such chairman shall make the adjust-
ment set forth in paragraph (2) for the amount 
of new budget authority (or outlays) in that 
measure and the outlays flowing from that 
budget authority. 
‘‘(2) MATTERS TO BE ADJUSTED.—The adjust-
ments referred to in paragraph (1) are to be made 
to the allocations made pursuant to the appropriate 
joint resolution on the budget pursuant to section 
302(a) and shall be in an amount not to exceed the 
amount reserved for emergencies pursuant to the re-
quirements of subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) RESERVE FUND
FOR NONMILITARY EMER-
GENCIES.—The amount set forth in the reserve fund for 
emergencies for budget authority and outlays for a fiscal 
year pursuant to section 301(a)(4) shall equal— 
‘‘(1) the average of the enacted levels of budget 
authority for emergencies (other than those covered 
by subsection (c)) in the 5 fiscal years preceding the 
current year; and 
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‘‘(2) the average of the levels of outlays for 
emergencies in the 5 fiscal years preceding the cur-
rent year flowing from the budget authority referred 
to in paragraph (1), but only in the fiscal year for 
which such budget authority first becomes available 
for obligation. 
‘‘(c) TREATMENT OF EMERGENCIES TO FUND CER-
TAIN MILITARY OPERATIONS.—Whenever the Committee 
on Appropriations reports any bill or joint resolution that 
provides budget authority for any emergency that is a 
threat to national security and the funding of which car-
ries out a military operation authorized by a declaration 
of war or a joint resolution authorizing the use of military 
force (or economic assistance funding in furtherance of 
such operation) and the report accompanying that bill or 
joint resolution, pursuant to subsection (d), identifies any 
provision that increases outlays or provides budget author-
ity (and the outlays flowing therefrom) for such emer-
gency, the enactment of which would cause the total 
amount of budget authority or outlays provided for emer-
gencies for the budget year in the joint resolution on the 
budget (pursuant to section 301(a)(4)) to be exceeded: 
‘‘(1) Such bill or joint resolution shall be re-
ferred to the Committee on the Budget of the House 
or the Senate, as the case may be, with instructions 
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to report it without amendment, other than that 
specified in paragraph (2), within 5 legislative days 
of the day in which it is reported from the origi-
nating committee. If the Committee on the Budget 
of either House fails to report a bill or joint resolu-
tion referred to it under this subparagraph within 
such 5-day period, the committee shall be automati-
cally discharged from further consideration of such 
bill or joint resolution and such bill or joint resolu-
tion shall be placed on the appropriate calendar. 
‘‘(2) An amendment to such a bill or joint reso-
lution referred to in this subsection shall only consist 
of an exemption from section 251 of the Balanced 
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 
of all or any part of the provisions that provide 
budget authority (and the outlays flowing therefrom) 
for such emergency if the committee determines, 
pursuant to the guidelines referred to in section 114 
of the Family Budget Protection Act of 2007, that 
such budget authority is for an emergency within 
the meaning of section 3(12). 
‘‘(3) If such a bill or joint resolution is reported 
with an amendment specified in paragraph (2) by 
the Committee on the Budget of the House of Rep-
resentatives or the Senate, then the budget authority 
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and resulting outlays that are the subject of such 
amendment shall not be included in any determina-
tions under section 302(f) or 311(a) for any bill, 
joint resolution, amendment, motion, or conference 
report. 
‘‘(d) COMMITTEE NOTIFICATION
OF EMERGENCY 
LEGISLATION.—Whenever the Committee on Appropria-
tions or any other committee of either House (including 
a committee of conference) reports any bill or joint resolu-
tion that provides budget authority for any emergency, the 
report accompanying that bill or joint resolution (or the 
joint explanatory statement of managers in the case of a 
conference report on any such bill or joint resolution) shall 
identify all provisions that provide budget authority and 
the outlays flowing therefrom for such emergency and in-
clude a statement of the reasons why such budget author-
ity meets the definition of an emergency pursuant to the 
guidelines referred to in section 114 of the Family Budget 
Protection Act of 2007.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget 
and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by in-
serting after the item relating to section 315 the following 
new item: 
‘‘Sec. 316. Emergencies.’’. 
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SEC. 117. APPLICATION OF SECTION 306 TO EMERGENCIES 
IN EXCESS OF AMOUNTS IN RESERVE FUND. 
Section 306 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 
is amended by inserting at the end the following new sen-
tence: ‘‘No amendment reported by the Committee on the 
Budget (or from the consideration of which such com-
mittee has been discharged) pursuant to section 316(c) 
may be amended.’’. 
SEC. 118. UP-TO-DATE TABULATIONS. 
Section 308(b)(2) of the Congressional Budget Act 
of 1974 is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (B), by striking the period at the end of sub-
paragraph (C) and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and by adding at 
the end the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(D) shall include an up-to-date tabulation 
of amounts remaining in the reserve fund for 
emergencies.’’. 
SEC. 119. PROHIBITION ON AMENDMENTS TO EMERGENCY 
RESERVE FUND. 
(a) POINT OF ORDER.—Section 305 of the Congres-
sional Budget Act of 1974 (as amended by section 103(f)) 
is further amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(f) POINT OF ORDER REGARDING EMERGENCY RE-
SERVE FUND.—It shall not be in order in the House of 
Representatives or in the Senate to consider an amend-
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ment to a joint resolution on the budget which changes 
the amount of budget authority and outlays set forth in 
section 301(a)(4) for emergency reserve fund.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—(1) Section 904(c)(1) 
of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by 
inserting ‘‘305(e), 305(f),’’ after ‘‘305(c)(4),’’. 
(2) Section 904(d)(2) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974 is amended by inserting ‘‘305(e), 305(f),’’ 
after ‘‘305(c)(4),’’. 
Subtitle C—Biennial Budget 
Option 
SEC. 121. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
If— 
(1) as part of the President’s budget submis-
sion under section 1105(a) of title 31, United States 
Code, during the first session of any Congress, the 
President includes a request that the joint resolution 
on the budget that will be considered during the first 
session of the next Congress be for a biennium con-
sisting of two consecutive fiscal years; and 
(2) the joint resolution on the budget for the 
fiscal year to which the President’s submission re-
lates contains a provision stating that the joint reso-
lution on the budget that will be considered during 
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the first session of the next Congress shall be for a 
biennium consisting of two consecutive fiscal years; 
then the provisions of this subtitle shall take effect on Jan-
uary 1 of the calendar year in which that next Congress 
commences and apply to that Congress and each Congress 
thereafter. 
SEC. 122. 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 Twelfth Congress or a subsequent Con-
gress, as applicable) is as follows: 
‘‘On or before: 
First session action to be com-
pleted: 
First Monday in February ...................
President 
submits 
budget 
rec-
ommendations 
February 15 .........................................
Congressional Budget Office submits 
report to Budget Committees 
Not later than 6 weeks after budget 
submission.
Committees submit views and esti-
mates to Budget Committees 
April 1 ..................................................
Budget Committees report joint reso-
lution on the biennial budget 
May 15 .................................................
Congress completes action on joint res-
olution on the biennial budget 
May 15 .................................................
Biennial appropriation bills may be 
considered in the House 
June 10 ................................................
House Appropriations Committee re-
ports last biennial appropriation bill 
June 30 ................................................
House completes action on biennial ap-
propriation bills 
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‘‘On or before: 
First session action to be com-
pleted: 
October 1 ..............................................
Biennium begins 
‘‘On or before: 
Second session sction to be 
completed: 
February 15 .........................................
President submits budget review 
Not later than 6 weeks after President 
submits budget review.
Congressional Budget Office submits 
report to Budget Committees 
The last day of the session ..................
Congress completes action on bills and 
resolutions authorizing new budget 
authority for the succeeding bien-
nium 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of any first session 
of Congress that begins in any year during which the term 
of a President (except a President who succeeds himself) 
begins, the following dates shall supersede those set forth 
in subsection (a): 
‘‘On or before: 
First session action to be com-
pleted: 
First Monday in April ..........................
President 
submits 
budget 
rec-
ommendations 
April 20 ................................................
Committees submit views and esti-
mates to Budget Committees 
May 15 .................................................
Budget Committees report joint reso-
lution on the biennial budget 
June 1 ..................................................
Congress completes action on joint res-
olution on the biennial budget 
June 1 ..................................................
Biennial appropriation bills may be 
considered in the House 
July 1 ...................................................
House Appropriations Committee re-
ports last biennial appropriation bill 
July 20 .................................................
House completes action on biennial ap-
propriation bills. 
October 1 ..............................................
Biennium begins’’. 
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SEC. 123. 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) BUDGET
RESOLUTION.—Section 3(4) of 
such Act (2 U.S.C. 622(4)) is amended by striking 
‘‘fiscal year’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘bi-
ennium’’. 
(2) BIENNIUM.—Section 3 of such Act (2 
U.S.C. 622) (as amended by section 111(a)) is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following 
new paragraph: 
‘‘(13) The term ‘biennium’ means the period of 
2 consecutive fiscal years beginning on October 1 of 
any odd-numbered year.’’. 
(c) BIENNIAL JOINT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDG-
ET.— 
(1) 
CONTENTS
OF
RESOLUTION.—Section 
301(a) of such Act (2 U.S.C. 632(a)) is amended— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1) 
by— 
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