Congressional Budget Act Amendments of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Congressional Budget Act Amendments of 1979 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to prohibit the Congress from considering any legislation which contains new spending authority effective for any fiscal year beyond amounts provided in appropriation acts. Defines "new spending authority" to include any authority not provided by law on the effective date of this Act, or any increase in existing authority, whether temporary or permanent, to: (1) enter contracts; (2) incur indebtedness except under the Second Liberty Bond Act; (3) make any payments including loans and grants; (4) insure or guarantee any indebtedness; and (5) obligate the United States to make outlays by any other means. Prohibits the Congress from considering any legislation which provides new budget authority for an indefinite period of time or an unspecified number of fiscal years without requiring recurring action by the Congress. States that it shall not be in order in either House of Congress to consider any legislation which authorizes outlays beyond a single fiscal year. Establishes the seventh day after Labor Day as the deadline for completion of all action on legislation providing new budget authority for the upcoming fiscal year. Declares that effective with fiscal year 1982: (1) all spending authority provided by law other than the Social Security Act shall be effective only to the extent authorized by appropriation acts; (2) all permanent budget authority shall cease in effect except for payments to trust funds established by the Social Security Act, interest payments on the public debt, and internal revenue refunds; and (3) all new budget authority shall be available for outlays only for a single fiscal year. Conforms the Rules of the House of Representatives and the Senate to the provisions of this Act. Declares that the provisions of this Act governing the consideration of legislation are an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House and Senate.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on June 27, 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 June 27, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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?
JOSEPH BIDEN (D-DE) introduced it on June 27, 1979. No cosponsors are recorded.
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 June 27, 1979, 17242 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17242 days ago, on June 27, 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers