H.J.Res. 11: Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to balance the Federal budget.

112th Congress · introduced 2011-01-07 · Economics and Public Finance · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-01-07 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Broun, Paul C. [R-GA-10] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to balance the Federal budget.

Plain summary

Constitutional Amendment - Prohibits all outlays for a fiscal year (including those for debt service and other debt functions) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts. Requires a two-thirds roll call vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit. Prohibits outlays for the total budget from exceeding the previous fiscal years' outlays plus population growth and inflation, unless such increase is approved by two-thirds of each chamber by a roll call vote. Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually. Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by two-thirds of each chamber by a roll call vote. Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect only by a vote of a majority of both chambers. Requires all: (1) outlays above revenues from the previous fiscal year to be accounted for in the outlays and budgets of the following fiscal year, and (2) surplus revenues at the end of a fiscal year to be allocated to a fund to be returned to the taxpayers, determined by legislation before the end of the subsequent fiscal year.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to balance the Federal budget.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

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Arguments against (opponents)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Broun, Paul C. [R-GA-10] · 24 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Tom McClintock (R-CA), Sam Graves (R-MO)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Constitutional amendment: A change to a constitution. In Texas the Legislature proposes an amendment with a joint resolution passed by two-thirds of the members of each chamber. It takes effect only if a majority of the people voting on it approve it. In Florida, an amendment needs at least 60% of the votes cast on it to pass.
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Roll-call vote: A vote where each member's position is recorded by name, so the public can see how every member voted. "Yea" means yes, "Nay" means no, "Present" means the member was there but did not take a side.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112hjres11.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/hjres>

Record fed-us-cong112-hjres11 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112