Introduced in Senate
A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring a balanced budget and establishing the requisite procedures.
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That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States: — 1. (a) Congress shall adopt a biannual appropriations process. (b) For the first fiscal year beginning after this article takes effect, and each fiscal year thereafter, Congress shall pass appropriation bills which include an itemization of specific appropriations that exceeded $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, which amount shall be adjusted for inflation for fiscal year 2031, and every fourth fiscal year thereafter. (c) Not later than 72 hours before consideration of any appropriation bill by a House of Congress, the full text of the appropriation bill shall be furnished to each Member of the applicable House of Congress and made available to the public. (d) Congress shall enact a budget that ensures outlays do not exceed receipts taken in by the Government of the United States based on the average of the previous 3 years of revenue. (e) (1) Congress shall create a commission, to be known as the Taxation, Spending, and Budget Reform Commission, which shall meet every 10 years, until the debt of the Government of United States is not more than 60 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States. (2) If the debt of the Government of the United States exceeds 60 percent of the gross domestic product of the United States at the time of a meeting of the Commission— (A) not later than 1 year after the date of the meeting, the Commission shall provide recommendations addressing revenue, spending, and budget process reforms; and (B) the recommendations of the Commission shall be considered on the floor of each House of Congress. 2. (a) Not later than the start of the first fiscal year beginning after this article takes effect, Congress shall establish a budget stabilization fund. For each fiscal year, there shall be deposited in the budget stabilization fund not less than the amount equal to 1 percent of the net revenue collections for the prior fiscal year. (b) The amount in the budget stabilization fund— (1) by the start of the fifth fiscal year beginning after this article takes effect, shall be not less than 5 percent of the net revenue collections for the prior fiscal year; and (2) by the start of the tenth fiscal year beginning after this article takes effect, shall be not less than 10 percent of the net revenue collections for the prior fiscal year. (c) Congress shall provide criteria for withdrawing funds from the budget stabilization fund— (1) in separate legislation that addresses only that purpose; and (2) which shall only include covering revenue shortfalls or providing funding for an emergency, as defined by an Act of Congress. (d) Congress shall provide for the replenishment of any funds withdrawn from the budget stabilization fund by not later than 5 years after the date of the withdrawal. 3. (a) The President shall be the Chief Administrative Officer of the Government of the United States and be responsible for the planning and budgeting for the Government of the United States. (b) The President shall submit a 2-year budget to Congress that provides for a balanced budget along with recommendations to raise revenue or decrease spending to ensure outlays do not exceed receipts. (c) The President shall have the authority to veto specific provisions of any appropriation bill passed by Congress, in the event that the projected outlays exceed projected revenues. (d) Congress may override a line-item veto of a specific provision of an appropriation bill by the President upon an affirmative vote of not less than three-fourths of the Members of each House of Congress. 4. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. 5. This article shall take effect 2 years after the date of ratification..