IB 
Union Calendar No. 263 
112TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3521 
[Report No. 112–364, Parts I and II] 
To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 
to provide for a legislative line-item veto to expedite consideration of 
rescissions, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 30, 2011 
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin (for himself and Mr. VAN HOLLEN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Budget, and 
in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provi-
sions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
JANUARY 17, 2012 
Reported from the Committee on the Budget with amendments 
[Omit the part struck through in brackets and insert the part printed in italic] 
JANUARY 17, 2012 
Referral to the Committee on Rules extended for a period ending not later 
than February 3, 2012 
FEBRUARY 2, 2012 
Additional sponsors: Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. COSTA, 
Mr. MANZULLO, Mr. WELCH, Mr. PAULSEN, Mr. YOUNG of Indiana, Mr. 
CHAFFETZ, Mr. LANKFORD, Mrs. BLACK, Mr. STUTZMAN, Mr. SHULER, 
Ms. CASTOR of Florida, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. DUNCAN of South Caro-
lina, Mr. MCCLINTOCK, Mr. RIBBLE, Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois, Mr. 
AKIN, Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois, Mr. MULVANEY, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. 
BASS of California, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. HUELSKAMP, Mr. LANCE, Mr. 
PENCE, Mr. COOPER, Mr. FLORES, Mr. BERG, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. 
CUELLAR, Ms. JENKINS, Mr. UPTON, Mr. LOEBSACK, and Mr. POLIS 
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FEBRUARY 2, 2012 
Deleted sponsor: Mr. HONDA (added December 2, 2011; deleted December 13, 
2011) 
FEBRUARY 2, 2012 
Reported from the Committee on Rules with an amendment, committed to the 
Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered 
to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in boldface roman] 
A BILL 
To amend the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Con-
trol Act of 1974 to provide for a legislative line-item 
veto to expedite consideration of rescissions, and for 
other purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Expedited Legislative 
Line-Item Veto and Rescissions Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED 
RESCISSIONS AND DEFERRALS OF BUDGET 
AUTHORITY AND OBLIGATION LIMITATIONS. 
ø(a) IN GENERAL.—¿ Title X of the Congressional 
Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 
621 et seq.) is amended by striking all of part B (except 
for sections 1015, 1016, and 1013, which are transferred 
and redesignated as sections 1017, 1018, and 1019, re-
spectively) and part C and by inserting after part A the 
following: 
‘‘PART B—CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION
OF PRO-
POSED RESCISSIONS AND DEFERRALS OF BUDGET 
AUTHORITY AND OBLIGATION LIMITATIONS 
‘‘CONGRESSIONAL CONSIDERATION OF PROPOSED RESCIS-
SIONS AND DEFERRALS OF BUDGET AUTHORITY AND 
OBLIGATION LIMITATIONS 
‘‘SEC. 1011. (a) PROPOSED RESCISSIONS.—Within 
45 days after the enactment of any bill or joint resolution 
providing any funding, the President may propose, in the 
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manner provided in subsection (b), the rescission of all or 
part of any dollar amount of such funding. 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL MESSAGE.—If the President proposes 
that Congress rescind funding, the President shall trans-
mit a special message to Congress containing the informa-
tion specified in this subsection. 
‘‘(1)
PACKAGING
OF
REQUESTED
RESCIS-
SIONS.—For each piece of legislation that provides 
funding, the President shall request at most 2 pack-
ages of rescissions and the rescissions in each pack-
age shall apply only to funding contained in that leg-
islation. The President shall not include the same re-
scission in both packages. 
‘‘(2) TRANSMITTAL.—The President shall de-
liver each message requesting a package of rescis-
sions to the Secretary of the Senate if the Senate is 
not in session and to the Clerk of the House of Rep-
resentatives if the House is not in session. The 
President shall make a copy of the transmittal mes-
sage publicly available, and shall publish in the Fed-
eral Register a notice of the message and informa-
tion on how it can be obtained. 
‘‘(3) CONTENTS
OF
SPECIAL
MESSAGE.—For 
each request to rescind funding under this part, the 
transmittal message shall— 
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‘‘(A) specify— 
‘‘(i)
the
dollar
amount
to
be
re-
scinded; 
‘‘(ii) the agency, bureau, and account 
from which the rescission shall occur; 
‘‘(iii) the program, project, or activity 
within the account (if applicable) from 
which the rescission shall occur; 
‘‘(iv) the amount of funding, if any, 
that would remain for the account, pro-
gram, project, or activity if the rescission 
request is enacted; 
‘‘(v) the reasons the President re-
quests the rescission; 
‘‘(vi) to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, the estimated fiscal, economic, and 
budgetary effect (including the effect on 
outlays and receipts in each fiscal year) of 
the proposed rescission; 
‘‘(vii) to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, all facts, circumstances, and con-
siderations relating to or bearing upon the 
proposed rescission and the decision to 
propose the rescission, and the estimated 
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effect of the proposed rescission upon the 
objects, purposes, or programs; and 
‘‘(viii) if a second special message is 
transmitted pursuant to subsection (b)(2), 
a detailed explanation of why the proposed 
rescissions are not substantially similar to 
any other proposed rescission in such other 
message; and 
‘‘(B) designate each separate rescission re-
quest by number; and include proposed legisla-
tive text of an approval bill to accomplish the 
requested rescissions which may not include— 
‘‘(i) any changes in existing law, other 
than the rescission of funding; or 
‘‘(ii) any supplemental appropriations, 
transfers, or reprogrammings. 
‘‘GRANTS OF AND LIMITATIONS ON PRESIDENTIAL 
AUTHORITY 
‘‘SEC. 1012. (a) PRESIDENTIAL AUTHORITY TO 
WITHHOLD FUNDING.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law and if the President proposes a rescission of 
funding under this part, the President may, subject to the 
time limits provided in subsection (c), temporarily with-
hold that funding from obligation. 
‘‘(b) WITHHOLDING AVAILABLE ONLY ONCE PER 
PROPOSED RESCISSION.—Except as provided in section 
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1019, the President may not invoke the authority to with-
hold funding granted by subsection (a) for any other pur-
pose. 
‘‘(c) TIME LIMITS.—The President shall make avail-
able for obligation any funding withheld under subsection 
(a) on the earliest of— 
‘‘(1) the day on which the President determines 
that the continued withholding or reduction no 
longer advances the purpose of legislative consider-
ation of the approval bill; 
‘‘(2) the 45th day following the date of enact-
ment of the appropriations measure to which the ap-
proval bill relates; or 
‘‘(3) the last day that the President determines 
the obligation of the funding in question can no 
longer be fully accomplished in a prudent manner 
before its expiration. 
‘‘(d) DEFICIT REDUCTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Funds that are rescinded 
under this part shall be dedicated only to reducing 
the deficit or increasing the surplus. 
‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENT OF LEVELS IN THE CONCUR-
RENT
RESOLUTION
ON
THE
BUDGET.—Not later 
than 5 days after the date of enactment of an ap-
proval bill as provided under this part, the chairs of 
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the Committees on the Budget of the Senate and the 
House of Representatives shall revise allocations and 
aggregates and other appropriate levels under the 
appropriate concurrent resolution on the budget to 
reflect the rescissions, and the Committees on Ap-
propriations of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate shall report revised suballocations pursuant 
to section 302(b) of title III, as appropriate. 
‘‘(3) ADJUSTMENTS TO STATUTORY LIMITS.— 
After enactment of an approval bill provided under 
this section, the President shall revise downward by 
the amount of the rescissions applicable limits under 
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 
Act of 1985. 
‘‘PROCEDURES FOR EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION 
‘‘SEC. 1013. (a) EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION.— 
‘‘(1) REFERRAL
OF
SPECIAL
MESSAGE.—Any 
special message received by the Congress pursuant 
to section 1011(b) shall be referred to the Commit-
tees on Appropriations and the Committees on the 
Budget of the House of Representatives and the 
Senate. 
‘‘(2) INTRODUCTION OF APPROVAL BILL.—The 
majority leader or minority leader of the House of 
Representatives or his designee shall (by request) in-
troduce an approval bill as defined in section 1015 
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not later than the third day or, if the House is not 
in session during that period, the next day of session 
after the date of receipt of a special message trans-
mitted to the Congress under section 1011(b). If the 
bill is not introduced as provided in the preceding 
sentence in the House, then, on the first day the 
House is in session following the period during 
which the leaders may introduce the message, any 
Member of that House may introduce the bill. 
‘‘(3) CONSIDERATION IN THE HOUSE OF REP-
RESENTATIVES.— 
‘‘(A)
REFERRAL
AND
REPORTING.—(i) 
Each committee of referral of the House of 
Representatives shall report an approval bill 
without amendment not later than the fifth day 
after the date of its referral. If the committee 
fails to report the bill within that period or the 
House of Representatives has adopted a concur-
rent resolution providing for adjournment sine 
die at the end of a Congress, such committee 
shall be automatically discharged from further 
consideration of the bill and it shall be placed 
on the appropriate calendar. 
‘‘(ii) As soon as practicable after such ap-
proval bill is referred to the Committee on Ap-
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propriations, CBO shall prepare, and submit to 
the Committees on Appropriations and the 
Committees on the Budget of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate, an estimate of 
the reduction in budget authority which would 
result from the enactment of that bill. 
‘‘(B) PROCEEDING TO CONSIDERATION.— 
Within three days after an approval bill is re-
ported by or discharged from the Committee on 
Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
or if the House has adopted a concurrent reso-
lution providing for adjournment sine die at the 
end of a Congress, it shall be in order for any 
Member to announce his intention to move to 
proceed to consider the approval bill in the 
House. The motion to proceed shall be in order 
only during a time designated by the Speaker 
within the legislative schedule for the next two 
days or the next day on which the House is in 
session. Such a motion shall not be in order 
after the House of Representatives has disposed 
of a prior motion to proceed with respect to 
that approval bill. The previous question shall 
be considered as ordered on the motion to pro-
ceed without intervening motion. A motion to 
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reconsider the vote by which the motion to pro-
ceed is disposed of shall not be in order. 
‘‘(C) HOUSE CONSIDERATION.—If the mo-
tion to proceed is agreed to, the House shall 
immediately proceed to consider the approval 
bill in the House without intervening motion, 
order, or other business, and the approval bill 
shall remain the unfinished business of the 
House until disposed of. The approval bill shall 
be considered as read. All points of order 
against the approval bill or its consideration are 
waived. The previous question shall be consid-
ered as ordered on an approval bill to its pas-
sage,
without
intervening
motion,
except
hours of debate equally divided and controlled 
by the proponent and an opponent and one mo-
tion to further limit debate on the bill. A mo-
tion to reconsider the vote on passage of the bill 
shall not be in order. 
‘‘(4) CONSIDERATION IN THE SENATE.— 
‘‘(A)
REFERRAL.—An
approval
bill
re-
ceived in the Senate shall be referred to the 
Committee on Appropriations. 
‘‘(B)
COMMITTEE
ACTION.—The
Com-
mittee on Appropriations shall report without 
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amendment the bill referred to it under this 
subsection not later than 5 days after the refer-
ral. The committee may order the bill reported 
favorably, unfavorably, or without recommenda-
tion. If the Committee on Appropriations has 
not reported the bill by the end of the 5-day pe-
riod, the Committee shall be automatically dis-
charged from further consideration of the bill 
and it shall be placed on the appropriate cal-
endar. 
‘‘(C) MOTION TO PROCEED.—On the fol-
lowing day, 3 subsequent days, or, if the Senate 
is not in session during that period, the next 
day of session, it shall be in order for any Sen-
ator to move to proceed to consider the bill in 
the Senate. The motion shall be decided without 
debate and the motion to reconsider shall be 
deemed to have been laid on the table. Such a 
motion shall not be in order after the Senate 
has disposed of a prior motion to proceed with 
respect to that approval bill. 
‘‘(D) CONSIDERATION.—If a motion to 
proceed to the consideration of the approval bill 
is agreed to, the Senate shall immediately pro-
ceed to consideration of the approval bill with-
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out intervening motion, order, or other busi-
ness, and the approval bill shall remain the un-
finished business of the Senate until disposed 
of. Consideration on the bill in the Senate 
under this subsection, and all debatable motions 
and appeals in connection therewith, shall not 
exceed 10 hours, equally divided and controlled 
in the usual form. All points of order against 
the approval bill or its consideration are waived. 
Consideration in the Senate on any debatable 
motion or appeal in connection with the ap-
proval bill shall be limited to not more than 1 
hour, to be equally divided and controlled in the 
usual form. A motion to postpone, or a motion 
to proceed to the consideration of other busi-
ness, or a motion to recommit the approval bill 
is not in order. A motion to reconsider the vote 
by which the approval bill is agreed to or dis-
agreed to is not in order. 
‘‘(b) AMENDMENTS PROHIBITED.—No amendment to 
an approval bill considered under this section shall be in 
order in either the Senate or the House of Representa-
tives. 
‘‘TREATMENT OF RESCISSIONS 
‘‘SEC. 1014. Rescissions proposed by the President 
under this part shall take effect only upon enactment of 
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the applicable approval bill. If an approval bill is not en-
acted into law within 45 days from the enactment of the 
appropriation measure to which the approval bill relates, 
then the approval bill shall not be eligible for expedited 
consideration under the provisions of this Act. 
‘‘DEFINITIONS 
‘‘SEC. 1015. As used in this part: 
‘‘(1)
APPROPRIATION
MEASURE.—The
term 
‘appropriation measure’ means an Act referred to in 
section 105 of title 1, United States Code, including 
any general or special appropriation Act, or any Act 
making supplemental, deficiency, or continuing ap-
propriations, that has been enacted into law pursu-
ant to article I, section 7, of the Constitution of the 
United States. 
‘‘(2) APPROVAL BILL.—The term ‘approval bill’ 
means a bill which only approves rescissions of fund-
ing in a special message transmitted by the Presi-
dent under this part and— 
‘‘(A) the title of which is as follows: ‘A bill 
approving the proposed rescissions transmitted 
by the President on lll’, the blank space 
being filled in with the date of transmission of 
the relevant special message and the public law 
number to which the message relates; and 
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‘‘(B) which provides only the following 
after the enacting clause: ‘That the Congress 
approves the proposed rescissions lll’, the 
blank space being filled in with the list of the 
rescissions contained in the President’s special 
message, ‘as transmitted by the President in a 
special message on llll’, the blank space 
being filled in with the appropriate date, ‘re-
garding llll.’, the blank space being filled 
in with the public law number to which the spe-
cial message relates. 
‘‘(3) DAY.—The term ‘day’ means a standard 
24-hour period beginning at midnight and a number 
of days shall be calculated by excluding Sundays, 
legal holidays, and any day during which neither 
chamber of Congress is in session. 
‘‘(4) RESCIND OR RESCISSION.—The terms ‘re-
scind’ or ‘rescission’ ømeans¿ mean to permanently 
cancel or prevent budget authority or outlays avail-
able under an obligation limit from having legal 
force or effect. 
‘‘(5) CONGRESSIONAL
BUDGET
OFFICE.—The 
term ‘CBO’ means the Director of the Congressional 
Budget Office. 
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