HJRES 81 · 112th Congress 2011–2013, ended

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

Introduced Oct 14, 2011 Originated House Sponsor Justin Amash I-MI

Latest action · Oct 24, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.

Progress

Where this resolution reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

IntroducedOct 14, 2011
Passed HouseNot reached
Passed SenateNot reached
To the PresidentNot reached
Became lawNot reached

Summary

Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits total outlays (except those for payment of debt) for a year from exceeding the average annual revenue (except that derived from borrowing) collected in the three prior years, adjusted in proportion to changes in population and inflation.

Requires a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber to declare an emergency and provide by law for specific outlays in excess of such limit.

Requires the declaration to specify reasons for the emergency designation and to limit the period in which outlays may exceed such limit to no longer than one year.

Requires all revenue in excess of outlays: (1) to reduce the federal debt; and (2) upon the retirement of such debt, to be held by the Treasury to be used for the specific outlays in excess of such limit.

Prescribes a formula for reducing outlays over ten years.

Cosponsors 59

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Oct 14, 2011 to Dec 4, 2012; 30 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

Seat	Cosponsor		Signed on
R-CO	Cory Gardner	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-IN	Dan Burton	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-IL	Daniel Lipinski	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-IA	David Loebsack	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-NC	Heath Shuler	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-VA	James P. Moran	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-CO	Jared Polis	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-SC	Jeff Duncan	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-IL	Joe Walsh	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-TX	John Abney Culberson	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-CA	John Campbell	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-KS	Kevin Yoder	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-OR	Kurt Schrader	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-IN	Larry Bucshon	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-IN	Marlin A. Stutzman	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-ME	Michael H. Michaud	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-SC	Mick Mulvaney	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-KS	Mike Pompeo	Original	Oct 14, 2011
D-IL	Mike Quigley	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-AZ	Paul A. Gosar	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-ID	Raul R. Labrador	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-WI	Reid J. Ribble	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-FL	Richard B. Nugent	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-GA	Rob Woodall	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-FL	Steve Southerland II	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-KS	Tim Huelskamp	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-MI	Tim Walberg	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-IN	Todd Rokita	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-GA	Tom Graves	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-SC	Trey Gowdy	Original	Oct 14, 2011
R-AZ	Benjamin Quayle		Oct 25, 2011
R-NY	Christopher P. Gibson		Oct 25, 2011
R-MI	Dan Benishek		Oct 25, 2011
R-CO	Doug Lamborn		Oct 25, 2011
R-GA	Jack Kingston		Oct 25, 2011
R-AZ	Jeff Flake		Oct 25, 2011
R-KS	Lynn Jenkins		Oct 25, 2011
R-GA	Phil Gingrey		Oct 25, 2011
R-CA	Wally Herger		Oct 25, 2011
D-PA	Jason Altmire		Oct 26, 2011
R-PA	Joseph R. Pitts		Oct 26, 2011
R-IN	Mike Pence		Oct 26, 2011
R-TX	Pete Sessions		Oct 26, 2011
R-UT	Rob Bishop		Oct 26, 2011
R-MD	Roscoe G. Bartlett		Oct 26, 2011
R-TN	Scott DesJarlais		Oct 26, 2011
R-CO	Scott R. Tipton		Oct 26, 2011
R-AZ	Trent Franks		Oct 26, 2011
R-MS	Alan Nunnelee		Nov 2, 2011
D-TX	Henry Cuellar		Nov 2, 2011
R-IL	Randy Hultgren		Nov 2, 2011
R-MS	Steven M. Palazzo		Nov 2, 2011
R-IN	Todd Young		Nov 2, 2011
D-KY	John A. Yarmuth		Nov 3, 2011
D-RI	James R. Langevin		Feb 6, 2012
D-IA	Bruce L. Braley		May 16, 2012
R-WY	Cynthia M. Lummis		Jun 19, 2012
R-GA	Austin Scott		Jul 18, 2012
D-OK	Dan Boren		Dec 4, 2012

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

Chamber	Committee	What it did
House	Judiciary Committee	Referred Oct 14, 2011
	Constitution and Limited Government Subcommittee	Referred Oct 24, 2011

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

Oct 24, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Oct 14, 2011Introduced in House
Oct 14, 2011Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

In the Congressional Record 1

Days the Record’s own index lists this resolution, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

Where	In the Record	Members	Date
House	Lists H6978H.J. Res. 81-82	—	Oct 14, 2011

Research

What has been written about this resolution: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article V, which provides that ``The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution . . . which shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States . . .''

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H6978.

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Bill	Title	Relationship	Latest action
HJRES 73	Proposing a spending limit amendment to the Constitution of the United States.	Related bill	Aug 25, 2011
HJRES 102	Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.	Related bill	Feb 16, 2012

Titles 1

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced: Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Economics and Public Finance.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

Oct 14, 2011Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this resolution on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.