Bill Text: FL S7064 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Federal Budget Line Item Veto
Spectrum: Committee Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-03-04 - Laid on Table, refer to HCR 7057 [S7064 Detail]
Download: Florida-2024-S7064-Introduced.html
Florida Senate - 2024 SCR 7064 By the Committee on Fiscal Policy 594-03399-24 20247064__ 1 Senate Concurrent Resolution 2 A concurrent resolution applying to the Congress of 3 the United States to call a constitutional convention 4 for the sole purpose of proposing an amendment to the 5 Constitution of the United States which would 6 authorize the President of the United States to 7 eliminate one or more items of appropriation while 8 approving other portions of a bill. 9 10 WHEREAS, despite various efforts to control the explosive 11 growth of federal spending, the President of the United States 12 has had insufficient authority with respect to the budgetary 13 process, and 14 WHEREAS, the federal budget has not been balanced for 15 decades and, as of 2024, the national debt has increased to more 16 than $34 trillion, and 17 WHEREAS, presidents of both political parties have cited 18 the need for greater presidential involvement in administering 19 the budgetary affairs of the nation, including having the 20 ability to veto line items from the federal budget, and 21 WHEREAS, in 44 states, the governor has the constitutional 22 power to veto items of appropriation while approving other 23 portions of a bill, and 24 WHEREAS, this power has been described by political 25 scholars as a highly desirable one, and one which has had a 26 positive effect on the operation of government, and 27 WHEREAS, the Congress of the United States passed the Line 28 Item Veto Act of 1996 to enable the president to control “pork 29 barrel spending” in the federal budget, and 30 WHEREAS, while the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 was in 31 effect, the president used this authority 82 times to veto line 32 items from the federal budget, and 33 WHEREAS, in 1998, the Line Item Veto Act of 1996 was found 34 to be unconstitutional by the United States Supreme Court, thus 35 requiring enactment of an amendment to the Constitution of the 36 United States in order for line item veto authorization to be 37 implemented, and 38 WHEREAS, under Article V of the Constitution of the United 39 States, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of 40 the several states, Congress shall call a constitutional 41 convention for the purpose of proposing amendments to the 42 Constitution, NOW, THEREFORE, 43 44 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida, the House 45 of Representatives Concurring: 46 47 (1) That the Legislature of the State of Florida applies to 48 Congress, under Article V of the Constitution of the United 49 States, to call a constitutional convention limited to proposing 50 an amendment to the Constitution which would authorize the 51 President of the United States to eliminate one or more items of 52 appropriation while approving other portions of a bill. 53 (2) That this application constitutes a continuing 54 application in accordance with Article V of the Constitution of 55 the United States until the legislatures of at least two-thirds 56 of the several states have made applications on the same 57 subject. 58 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of 59 Florida also proposes that the legislatures of the several 60 states comprising the United States apply to Congress to call a 61 constitutional convention for proposing such an amendment to the 62 Constitution of the United States. 63 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this concurrent resolution is 64 revoked and withdrawn, nullified, and superseded to the same 65 effect as if it had never been passed, and retroactive to the 66 date of passage, if it is used for the purpose of calling a 67 constitutional convention or used in support of conducting a 68 constitutional convention to amend the Constitution of the 69 United States with any agenda other than to propose an amendment 70 to the Constitution which would authorize the President of the 71 United States to eliminate one or more items of appropriation 72 while approving other portions of a bill. 73 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this application be 74 dispatched to the President of the United States, to the 75 President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the 76 United States House of Representatives, to each member of the 77 Florida delegation to the United States Congress, and to the 78 presiding officer of each house of the legislature of each 79 state.