[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1075 Introduced in House (IH)]
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 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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 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 section 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 Management and Budget shall transmit a report to the President 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 section 7 of Article I for Acts disapproved by
the President, reconsider any item so disapproved.
TITLE II--CHANGING BUDGETING AND APPROPRIATING 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 report to the House of
Representatives in January 1994 a resolution amending the Rules of the
House of Representatives with respect to the budget and appropriations
process, which includes the following changes:
(1) Elimination of the Committee on Appropriations.
(2) Modification of the membership and jurisdiction of the
Committee on the Budget to--
(A) make that committee an exclusive committee;
(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, entitlement authority,
and credit authority by major functional category and
revenues to other standing committees, consistent with
the requirements of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
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 Members 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
chairman. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the committee
shall be filled in the manner in which the original 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 select 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 construed 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 section 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 authority granted in
this subtitle shall expire 30 days after reporting to the House.
SEC. 205. RECORDS.
The records, files, and materials of the select committee 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 appropriations process, which includes the following
changes:
(1) Elimination of the Committee on Appropriations.
(2) Modification of the membership and jurisdiction of the
Committee on the Budget to--
(A) make that committee an exclusive committee;
(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, entitlement authority,
and credit authority by major functional category and
revenues to other standing committees, consistent with
the requirements of the Balanced Budget and Emergency
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. 212. MEMBERSHIP.
The select committee is to be composed of 6 Members of the Senate
to be appointed by the President of the Senate; 3 from the majority
party and 3 from the minority party, one of whom he shall designate as
chairman. Any vacancy occurring in the membership of the committee
shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was
made.
SEC. 213. AUTHORITY.
To carry out this subtitle, the select committee is authorized to
hold hearings and to sit and act, whether the Senate is in session, has
recessed, or has adjourned.
SEC. 214. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.
(a) Expenses.--Subject to the adoption of an authorization
resolution as required by paragraph 9 of rule XXVI of the Standing
Rules of the Senate, 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 section 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 authority granted in
this subtitle shall expire 30 days after reporting to the Senate.
SEC. 215. RECORDS.
The records, files, and materials of the select committee shall be
transferred to the Secretary of the Senate.
<all>