Budget Control Act of 2011

Joint Select Committee Bill
Budget Control Act of 2011

Summary

 The “Joint Committee Bill” referred to in section 401 of the Budget Control Act of 2011 means the legislation text the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, established by that Act, was to report, and which would be subsequently introduced in the Senate by its Majority Leader, and in the House by the Speaker. No bill was ever so introduced  since a majority of the Committee could not agree in favor of any legislative text to report. 

The joint committee bill is important insofar as its deficit reduction was to be included in the calculation for the sequestration established by the BCA under section 251A(1)(B) (BBEDCA). Since no joint committee bill was ever enacted, that part of the calculation reflects a zero, and the full sequestration was ordered. This sequestration, and the corresponding reduction in the discretionary spending limits, remains in force, except when it has been turned off. This deactivation has occurred regularly for the spending limits, in particular by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, and the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

Statutory Text

Title IV—Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

SEC. 401. ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT SELECT COMMITTEE.

(a) Definitions.—In this title:

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(2) Joint committee bill.—The term “joint committee bill” means a bill consisting of the proposed legislative language of the joint committee recommended under subsection (b)(3)(B) and introduced under section 402(a).

(b) Establishment of Joint Select Committee.—

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(3) Duties.—

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(B) Report, recommendations, and legislative language.—

(i) In general.—Not later than November 23, 2011, the joint committee shall vote on—

(I) a report that contains a detailed statement of the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the joint committee and the estimate of the Congressional Budget Office required by paragraph (5)(D)(ii); and

(II) proposed legislative language to carry out such recommendations as described in subclause (I), which shall include a statement of the deficit reduction achieved by the legislation over the period of fiscal years 2012 to 2021.

Any change to the Rules of the House of Representatives or the Standing Rules of the Senate included in the report or legislative language shall be considered to be merely advisory.

(ii) Approval of report and legislative language.—The report of the joint committee and the proposed legislative language described in clause (i) shall require the approval of a majority of the members of the joint committee.

(iii) Additional views.—A member of the joint committee who gives notice of an intention to file supplemental, minority, or additional views at the time of final joint committee vote on the approval of the report and legislative language under clause (ii) shall be entitled to 3 calendar days in which to file such views in writing with the staff director of the joint committee. Such views shall then be included in the joint committee report and printed in the same volume, or part thereof, and their inclusion shall be noted on the cover of the report. In the absence of timely notice, the joint committee report may be printed and transmitted immediately without such views.

(iv) Transmission of report and legislative language.—If the report and legislative language are approved by the joint committee pursuant to clause (ii), then not later than December 2, 2011, the joint committee shall submit the joint committee report and legislative language described in clause (i) to the President, the Vice President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the majority and minority Leaders of each House of Congress.

(v) Report and legislative language to be made public.—Upon the approval or disapproval of the joint committee report and legislative language pursuant to clause (ii), the joint committee shall promptly make the full report and legislative language, and a record of the vote, available to the public.

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SEC. 402. EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION OF JOINT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS.

(a) Introduction.—If approved by the majority required by section 401(b)(3)(B)(ii), the proposed legislative language submitted pursuant to section 401(b)(3)(B)(iv) shall be introduced in the Senate (by request) on the next day on which the Senate is in session by the majority leader of the Senate or by a Member of the Senate designated by the majority leader of the Senate and shall be introduced in the House of Representatives (by request) on the next legislative day by the majority leader of the House or by a Member of the House designated by the majority leader of the House.^[1]

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[Back to Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction]

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COUNSEL NOTES

[1] No legislative language was ever introduced pursuant to this subsection since a majority of Members of the Joint Select Committee did not vote in favor of any proposed text.