A bill to amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and the Budget and Accounting Act, 1921, to provide that (after a 3-year phase-in period) Federal expenditures shall not exceed Federal revenues, except in time of war or economic necessity declared by the Congress.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to prohibit the enactment of legislation which would result in a level of Federal budget outlays in excess of revenues in any fiscal year. States that such prohibition shall not apply during a period of declared war or economic necessity. Permits budget deficits in the two fiscal years following enactment amounting to five percent of the Federal revenues for the first such year and two percent of the revenues for the second such year. Directs that the preparation, consideration, and adoption of the concurrent resolutions on the budget must conform with the requirements of this Act. Amends the Budget and Accounting Act, 1921, to require the President to transmit a budget to the Congress which complies with such requirements. Directs the President to take action (by placing funds in reserve, apportionment of funds, or otherwise) necessary to insure such compliance, notwithstanding obligational authority or appropriations made within the executive branch.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 19, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 19, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
DANIEL MICA (D-FL) introduced it on March 19, 1979, and 9 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 4 Democrats, 5 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 19, 1979, 17342 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17342 days ago, on March 19, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers