Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States requiring a balanced budget for the Federal Government.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 139 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. J. RES. 139

    Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States 
        requiring a balanced budget for the Federal Government.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2026

 Mr. Biggs of Arizona submitted 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 
        requiring a balanced budget for the Federal Government.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled   (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), 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:

                              ``Article --

    ``Section 1. Total expenditures for a year shall not exceed the 
average annual receipts collected in the three prior years, adjusted in 
proportion to the changes in the population of citizens of the United 
States and inflation. Total expenditures shall include all expenditures 
of the United States except those for payment of debt, and receipts 
shall include all receipts of the United States except those derived 
from borrowing.
    ``Section 2. Congress may by a roll call vote of two-thirds of each 
House provide by law for specific expenditures in excess of the limit 
in section 1.
    ``Section 3. Congress may by a roll call vote provide by law for 
specific expenditures in excess of the limit in section 1 for any year 
in which a declaration of war is in effect.
    ``Section 4. Any bill to levy a new tax or to increase the rate of 
any tax shall not become law unless approved by two-thirds of the whole 
number of each House of Congress by a roll call vote.
    ``Section 5. Congress shall enforce and implement this article by 
appropriate legislation.
    ``Section 6. This article shall take effect with the fifth year 
beginning after ratification.''.
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