I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1075
To allow an item veto in appropriation Acts for fiscal years 1994, 1995,
1996, 1997, and 1998 by the President to reduce spending to levels
necessary to achieve a balanced budget by fiscal year 1998, and to
establish select committees on congressional budget and appropriation
process reform in the House of Representatives and in the Senate.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 23, 1993
Mr. WALKER introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on Government Operations and Rules
A BILL
To allow an item veto in appropriation Acts for fiscal years
1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 by the President
to reduce spending to levels necessary to achieve a bal-
anced budget by fiscal year 1998, and to establish select
committees on congressional budget and appropriation
process reform in the House of Representatives and in
the Senate.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
TITLE I—ITEM VETO TO ACHIEVE
BALANCED BUDGET BY FISCAL YEAR 1998
SEC. 101. PRESIDENT’S BUDGET SUBMISSION MUST BE IN
BALANCE BY FISCAL YEAR 1998.
The budgets submitted by the President under sec-
tion 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, for fiscal
years 1995, 1996, and 1997 shall be consistent with the
achievement of a balanced budget by fiscal year 1998, and
the budget so submitted for fiscal year 1998 shall be in
balance.
SEC. 102. ITEM VETO.
Subject to section 103, the President may disapprove
any item of appropriation in any Act or joint resolution
making or continuing appropriations for fiscal year 1994,
1995, 1996, 1997, or 1998.
SEC. 103. LIMITATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The amount of budget authority
which the President may disapprove under section 102
with respect to any Act or joint resolution may not exceed
an amount equal to the amount by which the total budget
authority for that fiscal year in that Act or joint resolution
exceeds the amount of budget authority for that fiscal year
which the Director of the Office of Management and
Budget estimates to be the amount of budget authority
submitted by the President under section 1105(a) of title
31, United States Code, in accounts covered by that Act
or joint resolution.
(b) ESTIMATING RULES.—The estimates referred to
in subsection (a) shall be made as prescribed in section
251(a)(7) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985. The Director of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget shall transmit a report to the Presi-
dent and to each House of Congress containing any such
estimate within 5 calendar days after the enactment of
any Act or joint resolution referred to in section 102.
SEC. 104. PROCEDURE.
The President shall return with objections any item
of appropriation disapproved to the House in which the
Act or joint resolution containing such item originated.
The Congress may, in the manner prescribed under sec-
tion 7 of Article I for Acts disapproved by the President,
reconsider any item so disapproved.
TITLE II—CHANGING BUDGETING AND AP-
PROPRIATING BY ELIMINATING THE
COMMITTEES ON APPROPRIATIONS
Subtitle A—Changes in the House
of Representatives
SEC. 201. ESTABLISHMENT; FUNCTIONS.
There is created in the House of Representatives a
select committee which is authorized and directed to re-
port to the House of Representatives in January 1994 a
resolution amending the Rules of the House of Represent-
atives with respect to the budget and appropriations proc-
ess, which includes the following changes:
(1) Elimination of the Committee on Appropria-
tions.
(2) Modification of the membership and juris-
diction of the Committee on the Budget to—
(A) make that committee an exclusive com-
mittee;
(B) provide that committee with exclusive
jurisdiction to report (anytime after September
15 of the calendar year in which the fiscal year
commences) joint resolutions making continuing
appropriations at current levels; and
(C) provide that committee with exclusive
jurisdiction to make binding allocations of
budget authority, spending authority, entitle-
ment authority, and credit authority by major
functional category and revenues to other
standing committees, consistent with the re-
quirements of the Balanced Budget and Emer-
gency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
(3) Modification of the jurisdiction of each
standing committee to provide it with the authority
to make appropriations with respect to its subject
matter jurisdiction.
SEC. 202. MEMBERSHIP.
The select committee is to be composed of 10 Mem-
bers of the House of Representatives to be appointed by
the Speaker; 5 from the majority party and 5 from the
minority party, one of whom he shall designate as chair-
man. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the
committee shall be filled in the manner in which the origi-
nal appointment was made. For purposes of this section,
the term ‘‘Members’’ shall mean any Representative in,
or Delegate or Resident Commissioner to, the House of
Representatives.
SEC. 203. AUTHORITY AND PROCEDURES.
(a) AUTHORITY.—To carry out this subtitle, the se-
lect committee is authorized to hold hearings and to sit
and act, whether the House is in session, has recessed,
or has adjourned.
(b) RULES OF PROCEDURE.—(1) The provisions of
clauses 1, 2, and 3 of rule XI of the Rules of the House
of Representatives, except the provisions of clause 2(m)
relating to the subpoena power, shall apply to the select
committee.
(2) Nothing contained in subsection (a) shall be con-
strued to limit the applicability of clause 2(i) of rule XI
of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the select
committee.
SEC. 204. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
(a) EXPENSES.—Subject to the adoption of expense
resolutions as required by clause 5 of rule XI of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the select committee may
incur expenses in connection with its duties under this
subtitle.
(b) STAFF.—To carry out its functions under this
subtitle, the select committee is authorized—
(1) to appoint, either on a permanent basis or
as experts or consultants, such staff as the select
committee considers necessary;
(2) to prescribe the duties and responsibilities
of such staff;
(3) to fix the compensation of such staff at a
single per annum gross rate which does not exceed
the highest rate of basic pay, as in effect from time
to time, of level V of the Executive Schedule in sec-
tion 5316 of title 5, United States Code; and
(4) to terminate the employment of any such
staff as the select committee considers appropriate.
(c) EXPIRATION.—The select committee and all au-
thority granted in this subtitle shall expire 30 days after
reporting to the House.
SEC. 205. RECORDS.
The records, files, and materials of the select commit-
tee shall be transferred to the Clerk of the House.
Subtitle B—Changes in the Senate
SEC. 211. ESTABLISHMENT; FUNCTIONS.
There is created in the Senate a select committee
which is authorized and directed to report to the Senate
in January 1994 a resolution amending the Standing
Rules of the Senate with respect to the budget and appro-
priations process, which includes the following changes:
(1) Elimination of the Committee on Appropria-
tions.
(2) Modification of the membership and juris-
diction of the Committee on the Budget to—
(A) make that committee an exclusive com-
mittee;
(B) provide that committee with exclusive
jurisdiction to report (anytime after September
15 of the calendar year in which the fiscal year
commences) joint resolutions making continuing
appropriations at current levels; and
(C) provide that committee with exclusive
jurisdiction to make binding allocations of
budget authority, spending authority, entitle-
ment authority, and credit authority by major
functional category and revenues to other
(b) STAFF.—To carry out its functions under this
subtitle, the select committee is authorized—
(1) to appoint, either on a permanent basis or
as experts or consultants, such staff as the select
committee considers necessary;
(2) to prescribe the duties and responsibilities
of such staff;
(3) to fix the compensation of such staff at a
single per annum gross rate which does not exceed
the highest rate of basic pay, as in effect from time
to time, of level V of the Executive Schedule in sec-
tion 5316 of title 5, United States Code; and
(4) to terminate the employment of any such
staff as the select committee considers appropriate.
(c) EXPIRATION.—The select committee and all au-
thority granted in this subtitle shall expire 30 days after
reporting to the Senate.
SEC. 215. RECORDS.
The records, files, and materials of the select commit-
tee shall be transferred to the Secretary of the Senate.
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