#aaeth ,,congress  #ast ,session  ,s4   
,j4 ,,res4 #ci  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of
 ,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #cj1   
#bjag,mr4 ,donnelly 7for himself1 ,ms4  
,heitkamp1 ,mr4 ,tester1 and ,mr4       
,manchin7 introduced the following joint
 resolution2 which was read twice and   
referred to the ,committee on the       
,judiciary  ,,joint ,,resolution        
,proposing a balanced budget amendment  
to the ,constitution of the ,united     
,states4  ,that the following article is
 proposed as an amendment to the        
,constitution of the ,united ,states1   
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 by the ,congress3   --  #a4 
,total outlays for any fiscal year shall
 not exceed total receipts for that     
fiscal year1 unless three-fifths of the 
whole number of each ,house of ,congress
 shall provide by law for a specific    

excess of outlays over receipts by a    
roll call vote4  #b4 ,prior to each     
fiscal year1 the ,president shall       
transmit to the ,congress a proposed    
budget for the ,united ,states          
,government for that fiscal year in     
which total outlays do not exceed total 
receipts4  #c4 ,sections #a and #b of   
this ,article shall not apply during any
 fiscal year in which a declaration of  
war is in effect or 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 resolution1  
adopted by a majority of the whole      
number of each ,house1 which becomes    
law4  #d4 ,section #a of this ,article  
shall not apply during a fiscal year if1
 during that fiscal year or the         
preceding fiscal year1 the economy of   
the ,united ,states grew by less than an
 annualized rate of #j4j percent in real
 gross domestic product during #b or    
more consecutive quarters or the        

unemployment rate was more than #g      
percent during #b or more consecutive   
months4  ,section #b of this ,article   
shall not apply to a fiscal year if1    
during the #a-year period ending on the 
date on which the ,president transmits  
to ,congress a proposed budget for the  
,united ,states ,government for that    
fiscal year1 the economy of the ,united 
,states grew by less than an annualized 
rate of #j4j percent in real gross      
domestic product during #b or more      
consecutive quarters or the unemployment
 rate was more than #g percent during #b
 or more consecutive months4  #e4       
,congress shall enforce and implement   
this article by appropriate legislation1
 which may rely on estimates of outlays 
and receipts4  #f4 ,except as provided  
in the second and third clauses1 total  
receipts shall include all receipts of  
the ,united ,states ,government other   
than those derived from borrowing1 and  
total outlays shall include all outlays 
of the ,united ,states ,government other

 than those for repayment of debt       
principal4  ,for each fiscal year1 the  
receipts 7including attributable        
interest7 and outlays of the ,federal   
,old-,age and ,survivors ,insurance     
,trust ,fund1 the ,federal ,medicare    
,hospital ,insurance ,trust ,fund1 the  
,federal ,disability ,insurance ,trust  
,fund1 or any fund that is a successor  
to any such fund1 shall not be          
considered to be receipts or outlays for
 purposes of this article4  ,for any    
fiscal year1 outlays relating to a      
natural disaster shall not be considered
 to be outlays for purposes of this     
article if the law making the amounts   
available explicitly exempts the outlays
 from this article and is agreed to by a
 majority of the whole number of each   
,house4  #g4 ,no court of the ,united   
,states or of any ,state shall enforce  
this article by ordering any reduction  
in ,social ,security or ,medicare       
payments authorized by law1 including   
any amounts paid from the ,federal      

,old-,age and ,survivors ,insurance     
,trust ,fund1 the ,federal ,medicare    
,hospital ,insurance ,trust ,fund1 the  
,federal ,disability ,insurance ,trust  
,fund1 or any fund that is a successor  
to any such fund1 unless the receipts   
7including attributable interest7 and   
other amounts available for that fund   
for the applicable fiscal year are not  
sufficient to cover the outlays that    
would otherwise occur during that fiscal
 year if the fund were fully solvent4   
#h4 ,this article shall take effect     
beginning with the fifth fiscal year    
beginning after its ratification4  4