Post by rickmclaughlin on Dec 9, 2005 14:13:36 GMT -5
Mr. McLaughlin, for himself and Mr. Harding in the Senate, introduce
A BILL
To provide the President with line-item veto authority.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:
LINE ITEM VETO AUTHORITY
SEC. 1018. (a) CONDITIONS OF AUTHORITY- Whenever the President signs any bill or resolution providing budget authority into law or whenever any such bill or resolution becomes law during a session of Congress because the President has failed to return such bill or resolution, the President shall have the authority to rescind all or part of the budget authority provided in such bill or resolution if, within three days of the date of enactment, Sundays excluded, the President transmits to both Houses of Congress a special line -item veto message as provided in subsection (b) unless Congress enacts a resolution of disapproval as provided in subsection (c).
`(b) LINE ITEM VETO MESSAGE- A special line -item veto message referred to in subsection (a) shall be limited to a single item of rescission of budget authority. If the bill or resolution enacted contains more than a single item of rescission, the President shall transmit as many separate messages as there are items of rescission. Each message shall specify--
`(1) the amount of budget authority rescinded;
`(2) any account, department, or establishment of the Government for which such budget authority was enacted, and the specific project or governmental functions involved;
`(3) the reasons why the public interest requires the rescission of such budget authority;
`(4) the fiscal, economic and budgetary effect of the rescission; and
`(5) the estimated effect of the rescission upon the objects, purposes, and programs for which Congress provided the budget authority.
`(c) PROCEDURE- Congress may, by law, revoke any rescission of budget authority which the President has made under subsection (a) by adopting a resolution of disapproval and presenting it to the President within forty-five calendar days of the message transmitted provided in subsection (b).
`Such resolution of disapproval shall be subject to the expedited procedure for an impoundment resolution provided in section 1017. The forty-five day period shall begin on the day that the special message described in subsection (b) is received by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Such period shall exclude any days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days to a date certain in the same Congress but shall terminate, nevertheless, upon the adjournment of the Congress sine die. If Congress has not adjourned sine die and the last day of such period falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be deemed to fall within such period.
`(d) FEDERAL REGISTER- If Congress by adjourning sine die prevents the President from transmitting to Congress a special message described in subsection (b), the President shall cause such message to be printed in the Federal Register as soon as practicable, in which case the rescission shall become effective upon publication.
`(e) BUDGET AUTHORITY NOT AVAILABLE FOR OBLIGATION- Any amount of budget authority rescinded by the President under subsection (a) shall not be available for obligation unless Congress enacts a resolution of disapproval as provided in subsection (c). However, nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the power of Congress to create new budget authority.'.
A BILL
To provide the President with line-item veto authority.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section:
LINE ITEM VETO AUTHORITY
SEC. 1018. (a) CONDITIONS OF AUTHORITY- Whenever the President signs any bill or resolution providing budget authority into law or whenever any such bill or resolution becomes law during a session of Congress because the President has failed to return such bill or resolution, the President shall have the authority to rescind all or part of the budget authority provided in such bill or resolution if, within three days of the date of enactment, Sundays excluded, the President transmits to both Houses of Congress a special line -item veto message as provided in subsection (b) unless Congress enacts a resolution of disapproval as provided in subsection (c).
`(b) LINE ITEM VETO MESSAGE- A special line -item veto message referred to in subsection (a) shall be limited to a single item of rescission of budget authority. If the bill or resolution enacted contains more than a single item of rescission, the President shall transmit as many separate messages as there are items of rescission. Each message shall specify--
`(1) the amount of budget authority rescinded;
`(2) any account, department, or establishment of the Government for which such budget authority was enacted, and the specific project or governmental functions involved;
`(3) the reasons why the public interest requires the rescission of such budget authority;
`(4) the fiscal, economic and budgetary effect of the rescission; and
`(5) the estimated effect of the rescission upon the objects, purposes, and programs for which Congress provided the budget authority.
`(c) PROCEDURE- Congress may, by law, revoke any rescission of budget authority which the President has made under subsection (a) by adopting a resolution of disapproval and presenting it to the President within forty-five calendar days of the message transmitted provided in subsection (b).
`Such resolution of disapproval shall be subject to the expedited procedure for an impoundment resolution provided in section 1017. The forty-five day period shall begin on the day that the special message described in subsection (b) is received by both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Such period shall exclude any days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days to a date certain in the same Congress but shall terminate, nevertheless, upon the adjournment of the Congress sine die. If Congress has not adjourned sine die and the last day of such period falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be deemed to fall within such period.
`(d) FEDERAL REGISTER- If Congress by adjourning sine die prevents the President from transmitting to Congress a special message described in subsection (b), the President shall cause such message to be printed in the Federal Register as soon as practicable, in which case the rescission shall become effective upon publication.
`(e) BUDGET AUTHORITY NOT AVAILABLE FOR OBLIGATION- Any amount of budget authority rescinded by the President under subsection (a) shall not be available for obligation unless Congress enacts a resolution of disapproval as provided in subsection (c). However, nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the power of Congress to create new budget authority.'.