[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4020 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4020
To require balanced budgets in concurrent resolutions on the budget, to
establish limits on the waiver of budget points of order, and to
prevent appropriations in excess of the amount authorized to be
appropriated.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 6, 2022
Mr. Braun (for himself, Mr. Scott of Florida, and Mr. Cruz) introduced
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee
on the Budget
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require balanced budgets in concurrent resolutions on the budget, to
establish limits on the waiver of budget points of order, and to
prevent appropriations in excess of the amount authorized to be
appropriated.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fight Inflation Through Balanced
Budgets Act''.
SEC. 2. POINT OF ORDER AGAINST BUDGET RESOLUTIONS THAT DO NOT INCLUDE A
BALANCED BUDGET.
(a) Point of Order.--It shall not be in order in the Senate to
consider a concurrent resolution on the budget that does not reduce the
deficit to zero on or before the end of the 9th fiscal year after the
budget year.
(b) Waiver and Appeal.--Subsection (a) may be waived or suspended
in the Senate only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members,
duly chosen and sworn. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Members
of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn, shall be required to sustain an
appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a point of order raised under
subsection (a).
SEC. 3. LIMITS ON WAIVER OF BUDGET POINTS OF ORDER.
(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``budget point of
order'' means a point of order under the Congressional Budget and
Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 621 et seq.), the Balanced
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et
seq.), the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (2 U.S.C. 931 et seq.),
a concurrent resolution on the budget, or this Act.
(b) Prohibition on Waiving Multiple Points of Order.--In the
Senate, it shall not be in order to move to waive more than 1 budget
point of order with respect to a bill, joint resolution, motion,
amendment, amendment between the Houses, or conference report as part
of a single motion, including a motion to waive all applicable budget
points of order.
(c) Prohibition on Preemptive Waivers.--In the Senate, it shall not
be in order to move to waive or suspend a budget point of order with
respect to a bill, joint resolution, motion, amendment, amendment
between the Houses, or conference report unless the budget point of
order has been specifically raised by a Senator.
(d) No Waiver.--It shall not be in order to move to waive or
suspend this section.
SEC. 4. POINT OF ORDER AGAINST APPROPRIATIONS IN EXCESS OF THE AMOUNT
AUTHORIZED TO BE APPROPRIATED.
(a) Point of Order.--
(1) In general.--In the Senate, it shall not be in order to
consider a provision in a bill, joint resolution, motion,
amendment, amendment between the Houses, or conference report
that would cause the total amount of funds appropriated for a
program, project, or activity to exceed the amount authorized
to be appropriated in statute for the program, project, or
activity for the fiscal year. For purposes of this paragraph,
if there is not an authorization of appropriations in statute
for a program, project, or activity for a fiscal year, the
amount authorized to be appropriated shall be $0.
(2) Point of order sustained.--If a point of order is made
by a Senator against a provision described in paragraph (1),
and the point of order is sustained by the Chair, that
provision shall be stricken from the measure and may not be
offered as an amendment from the floor.
(b) Form of the Point of Order.--A point of order under subsection
(a)(1) may be raised by a Senator as provided in section 313(e) of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 644(e)).
(c) Conference Reports.--When the Senate is considering a
conference report on, or an amendment between the Houses in relation
to, a bill or joint resolution, upon a point of order being made by any
Senator pursuant to subsection (a)(1), and such point of order being
sustained, such material contained in such conference report or House
amendment shall be stricken, and the Senate shall proceed to consider
the question of whether the Senate shall recede from its amendment and
concur with a further amendment, or concur in the House amendment with
a further amendment, as the case may be, which further amendment shall
consist of only that portion of the conference report or House
amendment, as the case may be, not so stricken. Any such motion in the
Senate shall be debatable. In any case in which such point of order is
sustained against a conference report (or Senate amendment derived from
such conference report by operation of this subsection), no further
amendment shall be in order.
(d) Supermajority Waiver and Appeal.--In the Senate, this section
may be waived or suspended only by an affirmative vote of three-fifths
of the Members, duly chose and sworn. An affirmative vote of three-
fifths of Members of the Senate, duly chosen and sworn shall be
required to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on a point of
order raised under this section.
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