I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3835 
To increase the statutory limit on the public debt by $1 trillion upon the 
adoption by Congress of a balanced budget Constitutional amendment 
and by an additional $1 trillion upon ratification by the States of that 
amendment. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 27, 2015 
Mr. BROOKS of Alabama introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Ways and Means 
A BILL 
To increase the statutory limit on the public debt by $1 
trillion upon the adoption by Congress of a balanced 
budget Constitutional amendment and by an additional 
$1 trillion upon ratification by the States of that amend-
ment. 
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 ‘‘Protecting America’s 
Solvency Act of 2015’’. 
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SEC. 2. INCREASE IN THE STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUB-
LIC DEBT. 
(a) ADOPTION.—Effective upon the adoption by the 
Congress of a balanced budget Constitutional amendment 
with the provisions described in section 3 below, the statu-
tory limit on the public debt set forth in section 3101(b) 
of title 31, United States Code, is increased by $1 trillion. 
(b) RATIFICATION.—Effective upon the ratification 
by the States of the balanced budget Constitutional 
amendment with the provisions described in section 3 
below, the statutory limit on the public debt set forth in 
section 3101(b) of title 31, United States Code, is in-
creased by an additional $1 trillion. 
SEC. 3. REQUIRED PROVISIONS OF A BALANCED BUDGET 
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT. 
A balanced budget Constitutional amendment, to 
comply with the requirements of section 2 above, must in-
clude the following provisions: 
(1) Total outlays of the United States for any 
fiscal year shall not exceed total receipts for that fis-
cal year. Total receipts shall include all receipts of 
the United States except those derived from bor-
rowing. Total outlays shall include all outlays of the 
United States except those for repayment of debt 
principal. The United States shall have no fiscal 
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year deficits except pursuant to the terms of the 
amendment. 
(2) The fiscal year deficit prohibition described 
herein may be suspended by a majority of the mem-
bership of both Houses of Congress, by roll call vote, 
for any fiscal year in which the United States is ac-
tively engaged in military conflict pursuant to a war 
declared by Congress pursuant to article I, section 
8, or may be suspended by four-fifths of the mem-
bership of Congress, by roll call vote, for any other 
fiscal year. 
(3) In any fiscal year in which Congress does 
not suspend the amendment pursuant to its terms 
and in which total outlays will or may exceed total 
receipts, the President shall take such steps as are 
necessary to ensure total outlays for that fiscal year 
do not exceed total receipts. The President may not 
order any increase in taxes or other revenue meas-
ures to enforce the amendment. A President’s failure 
to prevent a prohibited fiscal year deficit is an im-
peachable offense. 
(4) Any Member of Congress and any Governor 
or attorney general of any State shall have standing 
and a cause of action to seek judicial enforcement of 
the amendment. No court of the United States or of 
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any State may order any increase in taxes or other 
revenue measures to prevent or reduce fiscal year 
deficits. 
(5)(A) The amendment shall be phased-in be-
ginning with the first fiscal year commencing six or 
more months after ratification of the amendment by 
the States. 
(B) Within three months after ratification, 
the President shall calculate the total outlays, 
the total receipts, and the resulting deficit of 
the United States for the fiscal year in which 
the amendment was ratified. This deficit is the 
‘‘Base Deficit’’. 
(C) Fiscal year deficits shall be phased out 
as follows: 
(i) The deficit for the first fiscal year 
commencing 6 or more months after ratifi-
cation by the States of the amendment 
shall not exceed 80 percent of the Base 
Deficit. 
(ii) The deficit for the first fiscal year 
commencing 18 or more months after rati-
fication by the States of the amendment 
shall not exceed 60 percent of the Base 
Deficit. 
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(iii) The deficit for the first fiscal year 
commencing 30 or more months after rati-
fication by the States of the amendment 
shall not exceed 40 percent of the Base 
Deficit. 
(iv) The deficit for the first fiscal year 
commencing 42 or more months after rati-
fication by the States of the amendment 
shall not exceed 20 percent of the Base 
Deficit. 
(v) There shall be no deficit for any 
fiscal year commencing 54 or more months 
after ratification by the States of the 
amendment. 
Æ 
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