Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

        [Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 74 Introduced in House (IH)]

109th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. J. RES. 74

Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United
States.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 14, 2005

Mr. Jenkins introduced the following joint resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

JOINT RESOLUTION

Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United
States.

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House
concurring therein), 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
within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

``Article--

``Section 1. Total expenditures for any fiscal year shall not
exceed total revenues for that fiscal year, unless three-fifths of the
whole number of each House of Congress shall provide by law for a
specific excess of expenditures over revenues by a rollcall vote.
``Section 2. The Congress may waive the provisions of this article
for any fiscal year in which a declaration of war is in effect. The
provisions of this article may be waived for any fiscal year in which
the United States is engaged in military conflict which causes an
imminent and serious military threat to national security and is so
declared by a joint resolution, adopted by a majority of the whole
number of each House, which becomes law.
``Section 3. The Congress shall enforce and implement this article
by appropriate legislation, which may rely on estimates of outlays and
receipts.
``Section 4. Total revenues shall include all receipts of the
United States Government except those derived from borrowing. Total
expenditures shall include all outlays of the United States Government
except for those for repayment of debt principal.''.
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