I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3580 
To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 
to provide for long-term budgeting, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 7, 2011 
Mr. MULVANEY (for himself, Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. 
ROKITA, Mr. STUTZMAN, Mr. CHAFFETZ, and Mr. LANKFORD) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Rules, Agriculture, Ways 
and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and the Workforce, 
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 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Con-
trol Act of 1985 to provide for long-term budgeting, 
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 
‘‘Balancing Our Obligations for the Long-Term Act of 
2011’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.— 
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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Long-term direct spending limits. 
Sec. 3. Total spending limits. 
Sec. 4. Reports and orders. 
Sec. 5. Exempt programs and activities; special sequestration rules. 
Sec. 6. Long-term baseline projections. 
Sec. 7. Five-year fiscal sustainability review. 
Sec. 8. Concurrent resolutions on the budget to include long-term budgeting. 
Sec. 9. Long-term reconciliation. 
Sec. 10. Long-term spending increase point of order. 
Sec. 11. CBO and OMB projections. 
Sec. 12. Long-term analysis by Congressional Budget Office of legislation. 
Sec. 13. Long-term budgeting reflected in President’s budget submissions. 
Sec. 14. GAO and OMB statements of the Federal Government’s financial con-
dition. 
Sec. 15. Medicare trigger. 
SEC. 2. LONG-TERM DIRECT SPENDING LIMITS. 
(a) CONTROL OF DIRECT SPENDING.—Section 252 
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 
Act of 1985 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 252. DIRECT SPENDING LIMITS. 
‘‘(a) DIRECT SPENDING LIMITS.—The total level of 
direct spending as a percentage of current gross domestic 
product of the United States for each fiscal year set forth 
below is as follows: 
‘‘(1) For fiscal year 2030— 
‘‘(A) for Medicare, 4.3 percent; 
‘‘(B) for Medicaid and other health-related 
spending, 1.5 percent; and 
‘‘(C) for all other direct spending, 1.0 percent. 
‘‘(2) For fiscal year 2040— 
‘‘(A) for Medicare, 5.0 percent; 
‘‘(B) for Medicaid and other health-related 
spending, 1.3 percent; and 
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‘‘(C) for all other direct spending, 1.2 percent. 
‘‘(3) For fiscal year 2050— 
‘‘(A) for Medicare, 4.8 percent; 
‘‘(B) for Medicaid and other health-related 
spending, 1.0 percent; and 
‘‘(C) for all other direct spending, 0.8 percent. 
‘‘(b) SEQUESTRATION.—(1) Within 15 calendar days 
after Congress adjourns to end a session and on the same 
day as a sequestration under section 252A, but after any 
sequestration required by that section, there shall be a se-
questration to eliminate any direct spending in excess of 
the direct spending limits set forth in subsection (a) for 
the budget year. 
‘‘(2) The amount required to be sequestered in a fis-
cal year under paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) for Medicare spending shall be obtained 
from non-exempt direct spending accounts for Medi-
care; 
‘‘(B) for Medicaid and other health-related 
spending shall be obtained from non-exempt direct 
spending accounts for Medicaid and other health-re-
lated spending; and 
‘‘(C) for all other direct spending shall be ob-
tained from non-exempt direct spending accounts. 
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‘‘(3) Each account referred to in subparagraph (A), 
(B), or (C) of paragraph (2) shall be reduced by the uni-
form percentage necessary to reduce any excess direct 
spending in accounts in that subparagraph to the applica-
ble level set forth in subsection (a) for the budget year. 
‘‘(c) SCOREKEEPING GUIDELINES.—OMB and CBO, 
after consultation with each other and the Committees on 
the Budget of the House of Representatives and the Sen-
ate, shall— 
‘‘(1) determine common scorekeeping guide-
lines; and 
‘‘(2) in conformance with such guidelines, pre-
pare estimates under this section’’. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 250(c) of the Balanced 
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is 
amended by adding at the end the following new para-
graphs: 
‘‘(22) The term ‘Medicare’ means programs 
within budget function 570. 
‘‘(23) The term ‘Medicaid and other health-re-
lated spending’ means programs within budget func-
tion 550. 
‘‘(24) The term ‘other direct spending’ means 
direct spending programs other than those within 
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budget functions 550 and 570, excluding Social Se-
curity and net interest.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating 
to section 252 in the table of contents set forth in 250(a) 
of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 
Act of 1985 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘Sec. 252. Direct spending limits.’’. 
SEC. 3. TOTAL SPENDING LIMITS. 
(a) TOTAL SPENDING LIMITS.—The Balanced Budg-
et and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 is amended 
by adding after section 252 the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 252A. TOTAL SPENDING LIMITS. 
‘‘(a) SEQUESTRATION.—(1) Within 15 calendar days 
after Congress adjourns to end a session and on the same 
day as a spending reduction ordered under section 252, 
but after any spending reduction required by that section, 
there shall be a sequestration of all non-exempt direct 
spending accounts and discretionary accounts to eliminate 
any total spending in excess of the total spending limits 
set forth in subsection (c) for the budget year. 
‘‘(2) Each account referred to in paragraph (1) shall 
be reduced by the uniform percentage necessary to reduce 
total spending to the applicable level set forth in sub-
section (c) for the budget year. 
‘‘(b) TOTAL SPENDING LIMITS.— 
‘‘(1) fiscal year 2030: 20 percent; 
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