H.R. 522: Balanced Budget Accountability Act

113th Congress · introduced 2013-02-06 · Economics and Public Finance · Latest: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2013-02-06 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Daines, Steve [R-MT-At Large] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, and Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. 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

Balanced Budget Accountability Act

Plain summary

Balanced Budget Accountability Act - Requires each house of Congress to adopt a concurrent budget resolution for a fiscal year which provides that, for each fiscal year for which a budget is provided under the resolution (beginning by FY2023), total outlays do not exceed total receipts. Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), upon the adoption by a chamber of a concurrent budget resolution for a fiscal year, to transmit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President pro Tempore of the Senate (as the case may be) a certification as to whether or not that chamber has met the requirements of this Act with respect to the resolution. Requires the appropriate payroll administrator of each chamber to deposit in an escrow account all mandatory payments for compensation of Members of Congress serving in that chamber if CBO does not certify that it has adopted a concurrent budget resolution for FY2015 before April 16, 2014. Requires deposits to begin on such date and to be released to appropriate Members on the earlier of: the day on which CBO certifies that the house of Congress has met the requirements of this Act with respect to FY2015, or the last day of the 113th Congress.

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

Balanced Budget Accountability Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Daines, Steve [R-MT-At Large] · 19 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Tom Cotton (R-AR), Cynthia M. Lummis (R-WY), Kevin Cramer (R-ND)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Daines, Steve [R-MT-At Large] reported raising $4.8 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
CBO cost estimate: The Congressional Budget Office's estimate of how a federal bill would change government spending and revenue. CBO is nonpartisan.
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.
Resolution: A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.

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-113hr522.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/hr>

Record fed-us-cong113-hr522 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113