Makes it out of order in the Senate to consider a concurrent budget resolution (or amendment thereto or conference report thereon) that sets forth a deficit for any fiscal year. Makes such point of order inapplicable if the deficit for a fiscal year results solely from the enactment of social security reform legislation or provisions designated as emergency requirements.
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the congressional budget resolution for FY 2000 provides a sound framework for allocating resources to Medicare to modernize Medicare benefits, improve the solvency of the program, and improve coverage of prescription drugs.
[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1768 Referral Instructions Senate (RIS)]
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1768
To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to protect Social
Security surpluses through strengthened budgetary enforcement
mechanisms.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 21, 1999
Mr. Abraham introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred jointly pursuant to the order of August 4, 1977, to the
Committee on the Budget and Governmental Affairs, with instructions
that if one Committee reports, the other Committee have thirty days to
report or be discharged
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to protect Social
Security surpluses through strengthened budgetary enforcement
mechanisms.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Social Security Surplus
Preservation and Debt Reduction Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) The $69,246,000,000 unified budget surplus achieved in
fiscal year 1998 was entirely due to surpluses generated by the
social security trust funds and the cumulative unified budget
surpluses projected for subsequent fiscal years are primarily
due to surpluses generated by the social security trust funds;
(2) Congress and the President should balance the budget
excluding the surpluses generated by the social security trust
funds;
(3) according to the Congressional Budget Office, balancing
the budget excluding the surpluses generated by the social
security trust funds will reduce the debt held by the public by
a total of $1,859,500,000,000 by the end of fiscal year 2009;
(4) social security surpluses should be used for social
security reform or to reduce the debt held by the public and
should not be spent on other programs; and
(5) if Social Security surpluses are not raided to pay for
non-Social Security spending, they will, under current law, be
used to reduce the debt held by the public and thereby improve
the future viability of the Social Security system.
SEC. 3. PROTECTION OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY TRUST FUNDS.
(a) Protection by Congress.--
(1) Reaffirmation of support.--Congress reaffirms its
support for the provisions of section 13301 of the Budget
Enforcement Act of 1990 that provides that the receipts and
disbursements of the social security trust funds shall not be
counted for the purposes of the budget submitted by the
President, the congressional budget, or the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.
(2) Protection of social security benefits.--If there are
sufficient balances in the Federal Old-Age and Survivors
Insurance Trust Fund and the Federal Disability Insurance Trust
Fund, the Secretary of Treasury shall give priority to the
payment of social security benefits required to be paid by law.
(b) Points of Order.--Section 301 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(j) Social Security Point of Order.--It shall not be in order in
the Senate to consider a concurrent resolution on the budget, an
amendment thereto, or a conference report thereon that violates section
13301 of the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990.
``(k) Social Security Surplus Protection Point of Order.--
``(1) In general.--It shall not be in order in the Senate
to consider a concurrent resolution on the budget, an amendment
thereto, or a conference report thereon that sets forth a
deficit in any fiscal year.
``(2) Exception.--Paragraph (k) shall not apply if the
deficit for a fiscal year results solely from the enactment
of--
``(A) social security reform legislation, as
defined in section 253A(e)(2) of the Balanced Budget
and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985; or
``(B) provisions of legislation that are designated
as an emergency requirement pursuant to section
251(b)(2)(A) or 252(e) of the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.''.
(c) Supermajority Waiver and Appeal.--Subsections (c)(1) and (d)(2)
of section 904 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 are amended by
striking ``305(b)(2),'' and inserting ``301(k), 305(b)(2),''.
SEC 4. PRESIDENT'S BUDGET.
Section 1105(f) of title 31, United States Code, is amended by
striking ``in a manner consistent'' and inserting ``in compliance''.
SEC. 5. SENSE OF THE SENATE ON MEDICARE RESERVE FUND.
(a) Findings.--The Senate finds that--
(1) the Congressional budget plan has $505,000,000,000 over
ten years in unallocated budget surpluses that could be used
for long-term medicare reform, other priorities, or debt
reduction;
(2) the Congressional budget resolution for fiscal year
2000 already has set aside $90,000,000,000 over ten years
through a reserve fund for long-term medicare reform including
prescription drug coverage;
(3) the President estimates that his medicare proposal will
cost $46,000,000,000 over 10 years; and
(4) thus the Congressional budget resolution provides more
than adequate resources for medicare reform, including
prescription drugs.
(b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that the
Congressional budget resolution for fiscal year 2000 provides a sound
framework for allocating resources to medicare to modernize medicare
benefits, improve the solvency of the program, and improve coverage of
prescription drugs.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred jointly to the Committees on Budget; Governmental Affairs pursuant to the order of August 4, 1977, with instructions that if one Committee reports, the other Committee have thirty days to report or be discharged.
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