cation by $2.8 billion below the current level, take 
away housing vouchers from thousands of families, 
and provide $1.4 billion less than the President re-
quested for the Department of Veterans Affairs. 
(7) The sequester—in addition to endangering 
our defense, reducing investments in our future, and 
risking harm to vulnerable Americans—will weaken 
the Nation’s ongoing economic recovery. A recent 
analysis by the Congressional Budget Office found 
that eliminating the sequester would increase Gross 
Domestic Product by 0.4 percent in 2016 and 0.2 
percent in 2017. It would also increase employment 
by 500,000 next year and 300,000 in 2017. 
(8) Providing relief from the sequester will also 
make it possible for Congress to act on appropria-
tions legislation before temporary Government fund-
ing expires in December, averting a Government 
shutdown if funding is not in place. 
(9) The last Government shutdown lasted for 
16 days in 2013. The Office of Management and 
Budget later found that the shutdown cost the econ-
omy about 120,000 private-sector jobs and shrunk 
GDP growth in that quarter by 0.2 percent to 0.6 
percent. The country lost 6.6 million days’ worth of 
work through furloughs of Federal employees; na-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:54 Oct 14, 2015
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3708.IH
H3708
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
tional parks lost $500 million in visitor spending; $4 
billion in tax refunds were delayed; nearly 6,300 
children lost access to Head Start; and hundreds of 
food safety inspections were delayed. 
(10) Therefore, to prevent another Government 
shutdown and allow appropriations bills for fiscal 
year 2016 to fund vital services at necessary levels, 
immediate negotiations on a budget agreement are 
needed. An essential component of those negotia-
tions should be to raise the discretionary spending 
caps for defense and non-defense, eliminating the 
non-defense sequester and reducing the defense se-
quester by the same amount. 
(11) It is preferable that Congress agree to off-
set the cost of the sequester relief with deficit reduc-
tion from closing special interest tax loopholes. How-
ever, it is imperative that the sequester relief occur 
regardless of whether the agreement for offsetting 
deficit reduction is reached. 
SEC. 2. BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL AGREEMENT ON SEQUES-
TER RELIEF. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—A bipartisan measure shall be ne-
gotiated, by the individuals appointed under subsection 
(b), that— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:30 Oct 14, 2015
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3708.IH
H3708
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(1) increases the discretionary spending limit 
for fiscal year 2016 in section 251(c) of the Bal-
anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 
1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(c)), with the increases equally 
applied to the revised security category and the re-
vised nonsecurity category for such fiscal year; and 
(2) includes provisions that reduce the deficit 
by an amount deemed appropriate. 
(b) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.—Not later than 1 
day after the date of enactment of this Act— 
(1) the Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives shall determine the total number of individuals 
that shall negotiate the measure described under 
subsection (a); and 
(2) the Speaker, the Minority Leader of the 
House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of 
the Senate, and the Minority Leader of the Senate 
shall each appoint one quarter of the total number 
of individuals determined under paragraph (1). 
(c) APPROVAL AND CONSIDERATION OF MEASURE.— 
(1) APPROVAL.—The measure described in sub-
section (a) shall require the approval of a majority 
of the individuals appointed under subsection (b)(2). 
(2) CONSIDERATION.—If approved under para-
graph (1), the measure shall be considered under the 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:30 Oct 14, 2015
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00006
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3708.IH
H3708
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
procedures set forth in section 402 of the Budget 
Control Act of 2011 (Public Law 112–25), other 
than subsection (g), and except that in applying 
such section, ‘‘October 30, 2015’’ shall be sub-
stituted for ‘‘December 9, 2011’’ and ‘‘November 
16, 2015’’ shall be substituted for ‘‘December 23, 
2011’’ in each place it appears. 
SEC. 3. ALTERNATIVE ADJUSTMENT TO DISCRETIONARY 
SPENDING LIMIT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016. 
(a) SECURITY AND NONSECURITY DISCRETIONARY 
SPENDING LIMIT ADJUSTMENTS.—If the measure de-
scribed under section 2(a) is not enacted into law before 
November 17, 2015, effective upon November 17, 2015, 
the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act 
of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended as follows: 
(1) In section 251(c), in paragraph (3)(A), by 
striking 
the 
dollar 
amount 
and 
inserting 
‘‘$559,600,000,000’’. 
(2) In section 251A— 
(A) in paragraph (10)(A), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘and for fiscal 
year 2016 by the Prevent a December Govern-
ment Shutdown Act.’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (10)(B), by striking 
‘‘and 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘2015, and 2016’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:30 Oct 14, 2015
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H3708.IH
H3708
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
(b) APPLICATION.—Any adjustment made to the dis-
cretionary spending limit for fiscal year 2016 in section 
251(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit 
Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(c)) by the Office of 
Management and Budget before the date of enactment of 
this Act shall have no force or effect. The preceding sen-
tence shall only apply if the measure described under sec-
tion 2(a) is not enacted into law before November 17, 
2015. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:30 Oct 14, 2015
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H3708.IH
H3708
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS