BBA 2015 (Contents)

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015

Section 101

Title I—Budget Enforcement

SEC. 101. AMENDMENTS TO THE BALANCED BUDGET AND EMER­GENCY DEFICIT CONTROL ACT OF 1985.

(a) Revised Discretionary Spending Limits.—Section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(c)) is amended by striking paragraphs (3) and (4) and inserting the following:

“(3) for fiscal year 2016—

“(A) for the revised security category, $548,091,000,000 in new budget authority; and

“(B) for the revised nonsecurity category $518,491,000,000 in new budget authority;

“(4) for fiscal year 2017—

“(A) for the revised security category, $551,068,000,000 in new budget authority; and

“(B) for the revised nonsecurity category, $518,531,000,000 in new budget authority;”.

(b) Direct Spending Adjustments for Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017.—Section 251A of the Balanced Budget and Emer­gency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901a), is amended—

(1) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking “paragraph (10)” and in­serting “paragraphs (10) and (11)”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

“(11) Implementing Direct Spending Reductions For Fis­cal Years 2016 and  2017.—(A) OMB shall make the calcula­tions necessary to implement the di­rect spending reduc­tions calculated pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (4) with­out regard to the amendment made to sec­tion 251(c) revis­ing the discretionary spending limits for fis­cal years 2016 and 2017 by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015.

“(B) Paragraph (5)(B) shall not be implemented for fiscal years 2016 and 2017.”.

(c) Extension of Direct Spending Reductions for Fis­cal Year 2025.—Section 251A(6) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901a(6)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (B), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking “and for fiscal year 2024” and by inserting “for fiscal year 2024, and for fiscal year 2025”;

(2) by striking subparagraph (C) and redesignating subpar­agraph (D) as subparagraph (C); and

(3) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated), by striking “fiscal year 2024” and inserting “fiscal year 2025”.

(d) Overseas Contingency Operations Amounts.—In fis­cal years 2016 and 2017, the adjustments under section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Con­trol Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)) for Overseas Contin­gency Operations/Global War on Terrorism appropriations will be as follows:

(1) For budget function 150—

(A) for fiscal year 2016, $14,895,000,000; and

(B) for fiscal year 2017, $14,895,000,000.

(2) For budget function 050—

(A) for fiscal year 2016, $58,798,000,000; and

(B) for fiscal year 2017, $58,798,000,000.

This subsection shall not affect the applicability of section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

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Counsel Notes

Committee Print STATEMENT (BBA 2015)

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 114-74) did not have any committee report, nor a House Budget Committee print like the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 (Pub. L. 113-69). The Counsel for the House Budget Committee did prepare a report, which included this description:

TITLE I – BUDGET ENFORCEMENT

Sec. 101. Amendments to the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.

The limits on discretionary spending are established in section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (BBEDCA). The limits are subdivided in each fiscal year through 2021 into two categories: revised security category and revised nonsecurity category. The revised security category is defined to be the National Defense budget function (Function 050) which includes funding for the Department of Defense, the nuclear weapons- related work of the Department of Energy, intelligence-related activities, and the national security elements of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, and several independent agencies. The Department of Defense (including the intelligence programs) usually receives over 95 percent of the budget authority in this function. The revised nonsecurity category comprises discretionary spending not contained in the revised security category.

Subsection 101(a) amends section 251(c) of BBEDCA to increase the limits on discretionary spending for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. The revised levels for each category are shown in the table.

In addition to the limits on discretionary spending, section 251A of BBEDCA also includes a sequester of direct spending, the size of which interacts with the discretionary spending levels. Subsection 101(b) provides for the implementation of the sequester of direct spending as if the amendments in subsection 101(a) had not been made. The President is required by law to implement the sequester of direct spending ordered on February 2, 2015 and the one in the Sequestration Preview Report for Fiscal Year 2017 as if the amendments in subsection 101(a) had not been made. Subsection 101(c) reduces spending by $14 billion in fiscal year 2025 by requiring the President to sequester the same percentage of direct spending in 2025 as will be sequestered in 2021. It also replaces the arbitrary dips and increases in the Medicare sequester percentages in 2023 and 2024 with a flat two-percent rate as applies under current law in fiscal years 2016 through 2022. Subsection 101(d) establishes minimum adjustments to the defense and non-defense caps for overseas contingency operations (OCO) in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 providing certainty for two years on approximate OCO levels.

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015: Counsel Report to Accompany H.J. Res. 59, House Committee on the Budget (113th Congress, 2d Session) February 2015.

References

Pub. L. 114–74, title I, §101(a), title VIII, §815, 129 Stat. 585; Nov. 2, 2015  (Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015).

Counsel Report for the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 (Budget Counsel Reference)  March 2018

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Legislative History Notes

Public Laws

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015; Pub. L. 114–74; 129 Stat. 584; November 2, 2015; H.R. 1314 (114th Congress)

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