Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act

Bill: 116-s-2765
Sponsor: Sen. Enzi, Michael B. [R-WY]
Introduced: 2019-10-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Appropriations
Budget deficits and national debt
Budget process
Congressional committees
Congressional oversight
Crime victims
Government studies and investigations
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Legislative rules and procedure
Senate
Senate Committee on the Budget

Summary:
action_date: 2019-10-31
text: 

Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act

 
This bill makes several modifications to the federal budget process, including the procedures for considering congressional budget resolutions and adjusting the debt limit.
 
Among other modifications, the bill includes provisions that 
 
 
require biennial congressional budget resolutions, instead of the annual budget resolutions required under current law;
 
retain the existing annual appropriations process;
 
require a budget resolution to specify a target for the ratio of the debt held by the public to the gross domestic product (GDP) for each year covered by the resolution;
 
require the debt-to-GDP target to be enforced using a mandatory reconciliation process that requires deficit reduction legislation to be considered using expedited legislative procedures; 
 
provide for automatic adjustments of the debt limit and statutory discretionary spending limits to conform to the levels in the budget resolution;
 
modify the procedures for considering budget resolutions in the Senate;
 
allow budget resolutions that have bipartisan support and meet specified requirements to be considered in the Senate using expedited procedures;
 
rename the Committee on the Budget of the Senate as the Committee on Fiscal Control and the Budget of the Senate; and
 
expand reporting requirements for congressional committees, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office.
 

action_date: 2019-11-13
text: 

Bipartisan Congressional Budget Reform Act

 
This bill makes several modifications to the federal budget process, including the procedures for considering congressional budget resolutions and adjusting the debt limit.
 
Among other modifications, the bill includes provisions that 
 
 
require biennial congressional budget resolutions, instead of the annual budget resolutions required under current law;
 
retain the existing annual appropriations process;
 
require a budget resolution to specify a target for the ratio of the debt held by the public to the gross domestic product (GDP) for each year covered by the resolution;
 
require the debt-to-GDP target to be enforced using a reconciliation process that requires deficit reduction legislation to be considered using expedited legislative procedures;
 
allow a budget resolution to include the amount of tax expenditures; 
 
provide for automatic adjustments of the debt limit and statutory discretionary spending limits to conform to the levels in the budget resolution;
 
modify the procedures for considering budget resolutions in the Senate;
 
allow budget resolutions that have bipartisan support and meet specified requirements to be considered in the Senate using expedited procedures;
 
modify and establish budget points of order that may be raised against legislation;
 
rename the Committee on the Budget of the Senate as the Committee on Fiscal Control and the Budget of the Senate; and
 
expand reporting requirements for congressional committees, the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Government Accountability Office.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-12-15
text: By Senator Enzi from Committee on the Budget filed written report. Report No. 116-325. Additional views filed.
action_date: 2020-12-15
text: By Senator Enzi from Committee on the Budget filed written report. Report No. 116-325. Additional views filed.
action_date: 2019-11-13
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 306.
action_date: 2019-11-13
text: Committee on the Budget. Reported by Senator Enzi with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2019-11-13
text: Committee on the Budget. Reported by Senator Enzi with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2019-11-06
text: Committee on the Budget. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2019-10-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
action_date: 2019-10-31
text: Introduced in Senate