I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1162
To establish a Deficit Reduction Trust Fund and provide for the downward
adjustment of discretionary spending limits in appropriation bills.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 8, 1995
Mr. CRAPO (for himself, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. HASTERT, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs.
MORELLA, Mr. BREWSTER, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. EDWARDS, Mr. INGLIS of
South Carolina, Mr. STENHOLM, Mr. KASICH, Ms. MOLINARI, Ms. DUNN
of Washington, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. FROST, Mr. KLUG, Mr. WELDON of
Pennsylvania, Mr. WELLER, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. MINGE, Mr. POSHARD,
Mr. HANCOCK, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. ORTON, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. CASTLE,
Mrs. LINCOLN, Mr. GREENWOOD, Mr. BURTON
of Indiana, Mrs.
WALDHOLTZ, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr. BARRETT of Wisconsin, Mr. BUYER,
Mr. BROWDER, Mr. BURR, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. NEUMANN, and
Mr. BROWN of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Gov-
ernment Reform and Oversight and 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
A BILL
To establish a Deficit Reduction Trust Fund and provide
for the downward adjustment of discretionary spending
limits in appropriation bills.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DEFICIT REDUCTION TRUST FUND.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—A trust fund known as the
‘‘Deficit Reduction Trust Fund’’ (hereinafter in this title
referred to as the ‘‘Fund’’) shall be established in the
Treasury of the United States.
(b) CONTENTS.—The Fund shall consist only of
amounts contained in the deficit reduction lock box provi-
sion of any appropriation Act. Such amounts shall be
transferred to the Fund as specified in subsection (c).
(c) TRANSFERS OF MONEYS TO THE FUND.—Within
10 days of enactment of any appropriation Act which has
a deficit reduction lock box provision, there shall be trans-
ferred from the general fund to the Fund an amount equal
to that amount.
(d) USE OF MONEYS IN THE FUND.—Notwithstand-
ing any other provision of law, the amounts in the Fund
shall not be available, in any fiscal year, for appropriation,
obligation, expenditure, or transfer.
SEC. 2. DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS OF DISCRETIONARY
SPENDING LIMITS.
(a) DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTS.—The discretionary
spending limit for new budget authority for any fiscal year
set forth in section 601(a)(2) of the Congressional Budget
Act of 1974, as adjusted in strict conformance with sec-
tion 251 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit
Control Act of 1985, shall be reduced by the amount of
budget authority transferred to the Fund for that fiscal
year under section 2(c), as calculated by the Director of
the Office of Management and Budget. The adjusted dis-
cretionary spending limit for outlays for that fiscal year
and each outyear as set forth in such section 601(a)(2)
shall be reduced as a result of the reduction of such budget
authority, as calculated by the Director of the Office of
Management and Budget based upon such programmatic
and other assumptions set forth in the joint explanatory
statement of managers accompanying the conference re-
port on that bill. All such reductions shall occur on the
same day that the amounts triggering the reductions are
transferred to the Fund.
(b) DEFINITION.—As used in this section, the term
‘‘appropriation bill’’ means any general or special appro-
priation bill, and any bill or joint resolution making sup-
plemental, deficiency, or continuing appropriations.
SEC. 3. DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS OF AP-
PROPRIATION MEASURES.
(a) DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS.—
Title III of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 is
amended by adding at the end the following new section:
‘‘DEFICIT REDUCTION LOCK-BOX PROVISIONS OF
APPROPRIATION BILLS
‘‘SEC. 314. (a) Any appropriation bill that is being
marked up by the Committee on Appropriations (or a sub-
committee thereof) of either House shall contain a line
item entitled ‘Deficit Reduction Lock-box’. The dollar
amount set forth under that heading shall be an amount
equal to the section 602(b)(1) or section 302(b)(1) alloca-
tions, as the case may be, to the subcommittee of jurisdic-
tion over the bill of the Committee on Appropriations
minus the aggregate level of budget authority or outlays
contained in the bill being considered.
‘‘(b) Whenever the Committee on Appropriations of
either House reports an appropriation bill, that bill shall
contain a line item entitled ‘Deficit Reduction Account’
comprised of the following:
‘‘(1) Only in the case of any general appropria-
tion bill containing the appropriations for Treasury
and Postal Service (or resolution making continuing
appropriations (if applicable)), an amount equal to
the amounts by which the discretionary spending
limit for new budget authority and outlays set forth
in the most recent OMB sequestration preview re-
port pursuant to section 601(a)(2) exceed the sec-
tion 602(a) allocation for the fiscal year covered by
that bill.
‘‘(2) Only in the case of any general appropria-
tion bill (or resolution making continuing appropria-
tions (if applicable)), an amount not to exceed the
amount by which the appropriate section 602 (b) al-
location of new budget authority exceeds the amount
of new budget authority provided by that bill (as re-
ported by that committee).
‘‘(3) Only in the case of any bill making supple-
mental appropriations following enactment of all
general appropriation bills for the same fiscal year,
an amount not to exceed the amount by which the
section 602(a) allocation of new budget authority ex-
ceeds the sum of all new budget authority provided
by appropriation bills enacted for that fiscal year
plus that supplemental appropriation bill (as re-
ported by that committee).
‘‘(c) Whenever a Member of either House of Congress
offers an amendment (whether in subcommittee, commit-
tee, or on the floor) to an appropriation bill to reduce
spending, that reduction shall be placed in the deficit re-
duction lock-box unless that Member indicates that it is
to be utilized for another program, project, or activity cov-
ered by that bill. If the amendment is agreed to and the
reduction was placed in the deficit reduction lock-box, then
the line item entitled ‘Deficit Reduction Lock-box’ shall
be increased by the amount of that reduction.
‘‘(d) It shall not be in order in the House of Rep-
resentatives or the Senate to consider a conference report
that modifies any Deficit Reduction Lock-box provision
that is beyond the scope of that provision as so committed
to the conference committee.’’.
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con-
tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget
and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by in-
serting after the item relating to section 313 the following
new item:
‘‘Sec. 314. Deficit reduction lock-box provisions of appropriation measures.’’.
SEC. 4. CBO TRACKING.
Section 202 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974
is amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(i) SCOREKEEPING
ASSISTANCE.—To facilitate
compliance by the Committees on Appropriations with sec-
tion 314, the Office shall score all general appropriation
measures as passed the House of Representatives and as
passed the Senate and have such scorecard published in
the Congressional Record.’’.
Æ