SEC. 803. PROCEDURES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
(a) INTRODUCTION AND REFERRAL OF PRESIDENT'S LEGISLATIVE
PROPOSAL-
(1) INTRODUCTION- In the case of a legislative proposal
submitted by the President pursuant to section 1105(h) of title 31, United
States Code, within the 15-day period specified in paragraph (1) of such section,
the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives (or his designee) and
the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives (or his designee) shall
introduce such proposal (by request), the title of which is as follows: `A
bill to respond to a medicare funding warning.' Such bill shall be introduced
within 3 legislative days after Congress receives such proposal.
(2) REFERRAL- Any legislation introduced pursuant to paragraph
(1) shall be referred to the appropriate committees of the House of Representatives.
(b) DIRECTION TO THE APPROPRIATE HOUSE COMMITTEES-
(1) IN GENERAL- In the House, in any year during which
the President is required to submit proposed legislation to Congress under
section 1105(h) of title 31, United States Code, the appropriate committees
shall report medicare funding legislation by not later than June 30 of such
year.
(2) MEDICARE FUNDING LEGISLATION- For purposes of this
section, the term `medicare funding legislation' means--
(A) legislation introduced pursuant to subsection (a)(1),
but only if the legislative proposal upon which the legislation is based
was submitted within the 15-day period referred to in such subsection; or
(B) any bill the title of which is as follows: `A bill
to respond to a medicare funding warning.'.
(3) CERTIFICATION- With respect to any medicare funding
legislation or any amendment to such legislation to respond to a medicare
funding warning, the chairman of the Committee on the Budget of the House
shall certify--
(A) whether or not such legislation eliminates excess
general revenue medicare funding (as defined in section 801(c)) for each
fiscal year in the 7-fiscal-year reporting period; and
(B) with respect to such an amendment, whether the
legislation, as amended, would eliminate excess general revenue medicare
funding (as defined in section 801(c)) for each fiscal year in such 7-fiscal-year
reporting period.
(c) FALLBACK PROCEDURE FOR FLOOR CONSIDERATION IF THE HOUSE
FAILS TO VOTE ON FINAL PASSAGE BY JULY 30-
(1) After July 30 of any year during which the President
is required to submit proposed legislation to Congress under section 1105(h)
of title 31, United States Code, unless the House of Representatives has voted
on final passage of any medicare funding legislation for which there is an
affirmative certification under subsection (b)(3)(A), then, after the expiration
of not less than 30 calendar days (and concurrently 5 legislative days), it
is in order to move to discharge any committee to which medicare funding legislation
which has such a certification and which has been referred to such committee
for 30 calendar days from further consideration of the legislation.
(2) A motion to discharge may be made only by an individual
favoring the legislation, may be made only if supported by one-fifth of the
total membership of the House (a quorum being present), and is highly privileged
in the House. Debate thereon shall be limited to not more than one hour, the
time to be divided in the House equally between those favoring and those opposing
the motion. An amendment to the motion is not in order, and it is not in order
to move to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed
to.
(3) Only one motion to discharge a particular committee
may be adopted under this subsection in any session of a Congress.
(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), it shall not be in
order to move to discharge a committee from further consideration of medicare
funding legislation pursuant to this subsection during a session of a Congress
if, during the previous session of the Congress, the House passed medicare
funding legislation for which there is an affirmative certification under
subsection (b)(3)(A).
(d) FLOOR CONSIDERATION IN THE HOUSE OF DISCHARGED LEGISLATION-
(1) In the House, not later than 3 legislative days after
any committee has been discharged from further consideration of legislation
under subsection (c), the Speaker shall resolve the House into the Committee
of the Whole for consideration of the legislation.
(2) The first reading of the legislation shall be dispensed
with. All points of order against consideration of the legislation are waived.
General debate shall be confined to the legislation and shall not exceed five
hours, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those opposing
the legislation. After general debate the legislation shall be considered
for amendment under the five-minute rule. During consideration of the legislation,
no amendments shall be in order in the House or in the Committee of the Whole
except those for which there has been an affirmative certification under subsection
(b)(3)(B). All points of order against consideration of any such amendment
in the Committee of the Whole are waived. The legislation, together with any
amendments which shall be in order, shall be considered as read. During the
consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of
the Whole may accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the Member
offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the Congressional
Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of Rule XVIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives. Debate on any amendment shall not exceed
one hour, which shall be divided equally between those favoring and those
opposing the amendment, and no pro forma amendments shall be offered during
the debate. The total time for debate on all amendments shall not exceed 10
hours. At the conclusion of consideration of the legislation for amendment,
the Committee shall rise and report the legislation to the House with such
amendments as may have been adopted. The previous question shall be considered
as ordered on the legislation and amendments thereto to final passage without
intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.
If the Committee of the Whole rises and reports that it has come to no resolution
on the bill, then on the next legislative day the House shall, immediately
after the third daily order of business under clause 1 of Rule XIV of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, resolve into the Committee of the Whole
for further consideration of the bill.
(3) All appeals from the decisions of the Chair relating
to the application of the Rules of the House of Representatives to the procedure
relating to any such legislation shall be decided without debate.
(4) Except to the extent specifically
provided in the preceding provisions of this subsection, consideration of
any such legislation and amendments thereto (or any conference report thereon)
shall be governed by the Rules of the House of Representatives applicable
to other bills and resolutions, amendments, and conference reports in similar
circumstances.
(e) LEGISLATIVE DAY DEFINED- As used in this section, the
term `legislative day' means a day on which the House of Representatives is
in session.
(f) RESTRICTION ON WAIVER- In the House, the provisions of
this section may be waived only by a rule or order proposing only to waive such
provisions.
(g) RULEMAKING POWER- The provisions of this section are
enacted by the Congress--
(1) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the House
of Representatives and, as such, shall be considered as part of the rules
of that House and shall supersede other rules only to the extent that they
are inconsistent therewith; and
(2) with full recognition of the constitutional right
of that House to change the rules (so far as they relate to the procedures
of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as
in the case of any other rule of that House.
