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Mark Amodei on Budget & Economy
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Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the US Constitution.
Amodei signed Balanced Budget Amendment
Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States:- Prohibits outlays for a fiscal year (except those for repayment of debt principal) from exceeding total receipts for that fiscal year (except those derived from borrowing) unless Congress, by a 3/5ths rollcall vote of each chamber, authorizes a specific excess of outlays over receipts.
- Requires a 3/5ths rollcall vote of each chamber to increase the public debt limit.
- Directs the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress annually.
- Prohibits any bill to increase revenue from becoming law unless approved by a majority of each chamber by rollcall vote.
- Authorizes waivers of these provisions when a declaration of war is in effect or under other specified circumstances involving military conflict.
RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (2/3rds of each House concurring therein), That the article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of 3/4ths of the several States within 7 years after the date of its submission for ratification.This article shall take effect beginning with the later of the second fiscal year beginning after its ratification or the first fiscal year beginning after December 31, 2016.
Source: H.J.Res.2 11-HJRES2 on Jan 5, 2011
Disapprove of increasing the debt limit.
Amodei co-sponsored Joint Resolution on Debt Limit
Congressional Summary:JOINT RESOLUTION: Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: That Congress disapproves of the President's exercise of authority to increase the debt limit, as submitted on Jan. 12, 2012.
Congressional Vote:Vote #4 in the House: 239 Yeas; 176 Nays; Senate declined to vote on the Resolution.
OnTheIssues Explanation: On Jan. 12, 2012, Pres. Obama notified Congress of his intent to raise the nation's debt ceiling by $1.2 trillion, two weeks after he had postponed the request to give lawmakers more time to consider the action. Congress then had 15 days to say no before the debt ceiling is automatically raised from $15.2 trillion to $16.4 trillion. Hence the debt ceiling was increased.
In Aug. 2011, the US government was nearly shut down by an impasse over raising the debt ceiling; under an agreement reached then, the President could raise the debt limit in three increments while also implementing $2.4 trillion in budget cuts. The agreement also gave Congress the option of voting to block each of the debt-ceiling increases by passing a "resolution of disapproval." The House disapproved; the Senate, by declining to vote in the 15-day window, killed the Resolution. Even if the resolution were passed, Pres. Obama could veto it; which could be overridden by a 2/3 majority in the House and Senate. The House vote only had 57% approval, not enough for the 67% override requirement, so the Senate vote became moot. The same set of actions occurred in Sept. 2011 for the first debt ceiling increase.
Source: HJRes.98/SJRes34 12-HJR98 on Jan 13, 2012
Audit the Federal Reserve & its actions on mortgage loans.
Amodei co-sponsored Federal Reserve Transparency Act
The Federal Reserve Transparency Act directs:
- the completion, within 12 months, the audit of the Federal Reserve System and of the Federal Reserve Banks; with a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions.
- Audit and report on the loan files of homeowners in foreclosure in 2009 or 2010, required as part of the enforcement actions taken by the Federal Reserve against supervised financial institutions.
- Prescribes audit contents, including:
- the guidance given by the Federal Reserve to independent consultants retained by the supervised financial institutions regarding procedures to be followed in conducting the file reviews,
- the factors considered by independent consultants when evaluating loan files and the results obtained pursuant to those reviews, and
- the determinations made by such consultants regarding the nature and extent of financial injury sustained by each homeowner as well as the level and type of remediation offered.
Source: H.R.24&S.209 13-HR0024 on Jan 3, 2013
Prioritize critical spending in case debt limit reached.
Amodei co-sponsored Prioritize Spending Act
The Prioritize Spending Act requires amounts necessary for incurred federal obligations, in the event that the public debt reaches the statutory limit, to be made available to certain obligations, in prioritized order, before all other obligations. Prioritizes such obligations in the following descending order:
- amounts necessary to carry out the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on public debt;
- amounts to provide pay to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, including their active reserve components;
- amounts certified as necessary to carry out vital national security priorities;
- amounts necessary to carry out Social Security monthly old-age, survivors', and disability insurance benefits; and
- amounts necessary to make payments under the Medicare program.
Source: H.R.149 13-HR0149 on Jan 3, 2013
Page last updated: Apr 12, 2013
