H.J.Res. 126 — Introduced in House

IA 113th CONGRESS 2d Session H. J. RES. 126 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 18, 2014 Mr. Crawford (for himself, Mr. Griffin of Arkansas, Mr. Meadows, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Scalise, Mrs. Noem, Mr. Graves of Georgia, Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois, Mr. Harris, Mr. Collins of New York, Mr. Mulvaney, Mr. Ross, Mr. Schock, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. McHenry, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Culberson, Mr. Aderholt, and Mr. Yoder) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary JOINT RESOLUTION Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to control entitlement spending. 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:  — 1. No bill that increases the amount spent under an entitlement program or creates a new entitlement program shall become law unless the bill is approved by a two-thirds majority of each House or provides that such increase or program shall terminate after not more than seven years. 2. No bill that increases the amount spent under an entitlement program or creates a new entitlement program shall become law unless the bill is spending neutral or creates a net savings to the Government. After enactment, if the bill is not spending neutral or does not create a net savings to the Government when averaged over the previous two fiscal years, the President shall implement spending reductions within the program, which Congress should prescribe, sufficient to offset the actual increase in spending by the end of the fiscal year so that it is either spending neutral or creates a net savings to the Government. 3. For purposes of this article, the term entitlement program means a program under which the United States is obligated to make such payments to any person or government who meets the requirements established by that law regardless of whether the funding for such program is provided for in advance by an appropriation Act. 4. Congress shall have the power to enforce and implement this article by appropriate legislation. .