P.L. 93–344, Approved July 12, 1974 (88 Stat. 297)

Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

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Sec. 3. [2 U.S.C. 622]  For purposes of this Act—

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(2)  Budget authority and new budget authority.—

(A)  In general.—The term “budget authority” means the authority provided by Federal law to incur financial obligations, as follows:

(i)  provisions of law that make funds available for obligation and expenditure (other than borrowing authority), including the authority to obligate and expend the proceeds of offsetting receipts and collections;

(ii)  borrowing authority, which means authority granted to a Federal entity to borrow and obligate and expend the borrowed funds, including through the issuance of promissory notes or other monetary credits;

(iii)  contract authority, which means the making of funds available for obligation but not for expenditure; and

(iv)  offsetting receipts and collections as negative budget authority, and the reduction thereof as positive budget authority.

(B)  Limitations on budget authority.—With respect to the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, the Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund, the Unemployment Trust Fund, and the railroad retirement account, any amount that is precluded from obligation in a fiscal year by a provision of law (such as a limitation or a benefit formula) shall not be budget authority in that year.

(C)  New budget authority.—The term “new budget authority” means, with respect to a fiscal year—

(i)  budget authority that first becomes available for obligation in that year, including budget authority that becomes available in that year s[321] a result of a reappropriation; or

(ii)  a change in any account in the availability of unobligated balances of budget authority carried over from a prior year, resulting from a provision of law first effective in that year;

and includes a change in the estimated level of new budget authority provided in indefinite amounts by existing law.

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Sec. 301. [2 U.S.C. 632] (a)  Content of Concurrent Resolution on the Budget.—On or before April 15 of each year, the Congress shall complete action on a concurrent resolution on the budget for the fiscal year beginning on October 1 of such year. The concurrent resolution shall set forth appropriate levels for the fiscal year beginning on October 1 of such year, and planning levels for each of the two ensuing fiscal years, for the following—

(1)  totals of new budget authority, budget outlays, direct loan obligations, and primary loan guarantee commitments;

(2)  total Federal revenues and the amount, if any, by which the aggregate level of Federal revenues should be increased or decreased by bills and resolutions to be reported by the appropriate committees;

(3)  the surplus or deficit in the budget;

(4)  new budget authority, budget outlays, direct loan obligations, and primary loan guarantee commitments for each major functional category, based on allocations of the total levels set forth pursuant to paragraph (1);

(5)  the public debt;

(6)  For[322] purposes of Senate enforcement under this title, outlays of the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program established under title II of the Social Security Act for the fiscal year of the resolution and for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years; and

(7)  For[323] purposes of Senate enforcement under this title, revenues of the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program established under title II of the Social Security Act (and the related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) for the fiscal year of the resolution and for each of the 4 succeeding fiscal years.

The concurrent resolution shall not include the outlays and revenue totals of the old age[324], survivors, and disability insurance program established under title II of the Social Security Act or the related provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 in the surplus or deficit totals required by this subsection or in any other surplus or deficit totals required by this title.

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(i)  It shall not be in order in the Senate to consider any concurrent resolution on the budget as reported to the Senate that would decrease the excess of social security revenues over social security outlays in any of the fiscal years covered by the concurrent resolution. No change in chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall be treated as affecting the amount of social security revenues unless such provision changes the income tax treatment of social security benefits.

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Sec. 310. [2 U.S.C. 641] (a)  Inclusion of Reconciliation Directives in Concurrent Resolutions on the Budget.—*  *  *

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(g)  Limitation on Changes to the Social Security Act.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, it shall not be in order in the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider any reconciliation bill or reconciliation resolution reported pursuant to a concurrent resolution on the budget agreed to under section 301 or 304, or a joint resolution pursuant section 258C of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, or any amendment thereto or conference report thereon, that contains recommendations with respect to the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program established under title II of the Social Security Act.

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Sec. 311. [2 U.S.C. 642] (a)(1)  Legislation Subject to Point of Order.—

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(2)(A)  After the Congress has completed action on a concurrent resolution on the budget, it shall not be in order in the Senate to consider any bill, resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that would cause the appropriate level of total new budget authority or total budget outlays or social security outlays set forth for the first fiscal year in the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget covering such fiscal year to be exceeded, or would cause revenues to be less than the appropriate level of total revenues (or social security revenues to be less than the appropriate level of social security revenues) set forth for the first fiscal year covered by the resolution and for the period including the first fiscal year plus the following 4 fiscal years in such concurrent resolution.

(B)  In applying this paragraph—

(i)(I)  estimated social security outlays shall be deemed to be reduced by the excess of estimated social security revenues (including those provided for in the bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report with respect to which this subsection is applied) over the appropriate level of Social Security[325] revenues specified in the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget;

(II)  estimated social security revenues shall be deemed to be increased to the extent that estimated social security outlays are less (taking into account the effect of the bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report to which this subsection is being applied) than the appropriate level of social security outlays in the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget; and

(ii)(I)  estimated Social Security[326] outlays shall be deemed to be increased by the shortfall of estimated social security revenues (including Social Security[327] revenues provided for in the bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report with respect to which this subsection is applied) below the appropriate level of social security revenues specified in the most recently adopted concurrent resolution on the budget; and

(II)  estimated social security revenues shall be deemed to be reduced by the excess of estimated social security outlays (including social security outlays provided for in the bill, resolution, amendment, or conference report with respect to which this subsection is applied) above the appropriate level of social security outlays specified in the most recently adopted concurrent resolution on the budget; and

(iii)  no provision of any bill or resolution, or any amendment thereto or conference report thereon, involving a change in chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 shall be treated as affecting the amount of social security revenues unless such provision changes the income tax treatment of social security benefits.

The chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the Senate may file with the Senate appropriately revised allocations under section 302(a) and revised functional levels and aggregates to reflect the application of the preceding sentence. Such revised allocations, functional levels, and aggregates shall be considered as allocations, functional levels, and aggregates contained in the most recently agreed to concurrent resolution on the budget, and the appropriate committees shall report revised allocations pursuant to section 302(b).

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SEC. 314. 

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(g)[328] Adjustment for Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessements.—

(1) In general.—

(A)  Adjustments.—If the Committee on Appropriations of either House reports an appropriation measure for any of fiscal years 2022 through 2027 that provides budget authority for grants under section 306 of the Social Security Act, or if a conference committee submits a conference report thereon, the chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the House of Representatives or the Senate shall make the adjustments referred to in subparagraph (B) to reflect the additional new budget authority provided for such grants in that measure or conference report and the outlays resulting therefrom, consistent with subparagraph (D).

(B)  Types of adjustments.—The adjustments referred to in this subparagraph consist of adjustments to—

(i)  the discretionary spending limits for that fiscal year as set forth in the most recently adopted concurrent resolution on the budget;

(ii)  the allocations to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives for that fiscal year under section 302(a); and

(iii)  the appropriate budget aggregates for that fiscal year in the most recently adopted concurrent resolution on the budget.

(C)  Enforcement.—The adjusted discretionary spending limits, allocations, and aggregates under this paragraph shall be considered the appropriate limits, allocations, and aggregates for purposes of congressional enforcement of this Act and concurrent budget resolutions under this Act.

(D)  Limitation.—No adjustment may be made under this subsection in excess of—

(i)  for fiscal year 2022, $133,000,000;

(ii)  for fiscal year 2023, $258,000,000;

(iii)  for fiscal year 2024, $433,000,000;

(iv)  for fiscal year 2025, $533,000,000;

(v)  for fiscal year 2026, $608,000,000; and

(vi)  for fiscal year 2027, $633,000,000.

(E)  Definition.—As used in this subsection, the term “additional new budget authority” means the amount provided for a fiscal year, in excess of $117,000,000, in an appropriation measure or conference report (as the case may be) and specified to pay for grants to States under section 306 of the Social Security Act.

(2)  Report on 302(B) level.—Following any adjustment made under paragraph (1), the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives may report appropriately revised suballocations pursuant to section 302(b) to carry out this subsection.

[Internal Reference.—SSAct §306 and §710(a) have footnotes referring to P.L. 93-344.]



[321]  As in original; probably should be “as”.

[322]  As in original; possibly should be “for”.

[323]  As in original; possibly should be “for”.

[324]  As in original; possibly should be “old-age”.

[325]  As in original; possibly should be “social security”.

[326]  As in original; possibly should be “social security”.

[327]  As in original; possibly should be “social security”.

[328]  This subsection added by P.L. 115–123, §30206(d). Effective February 9, 2018.