88S30067 KSM-D     By: Raymond H.C.R. No. 20       CONCURRENT RESOLUTION          WHEREAS, Year after year, the federal government has failed   to make fiscally responsible choices, and Washington must now take   aggressive steps to address our serious national deficit; and          WHEREAS, The United States Congress routinely passes budgets   leading the government to spend more than it receives in revenue; in   order to finance the resulting budget deficit, the U.S. Treasury   must sell bonds and the government must pay interest on those bonds;   this cycle of deficit spending leaves less money for new programs or   tax cuts, and it could prove detrimental to the future stability of   our nation; and          WHEREAS, In the past, such statutory restraints as the failed   Gramm-Rudman-Hollings legislation and "PAYGO" rules have proven   ineffective and unenforceable, since simple majorities in Congress   can alter, weaken, or dismantle fiscal reforms; an amendment to the   U.S. Constitution, which requires the assent of two-thirds of   Congress and three-quarters of the states, is the only means of   guaranteeing permanent enforcement of spending restraints; and          WHEREAS, A federal balanced budget amendment will ensure that   Congress uses taxpayer dollars wisely, and it is vital that we take   this step to avert fiscal calamity and to eliminate future   deficits; now, therefore, be it          RESOLVED, That the 88th Legislature of the State of Texas,   3rd Called Session, hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the   United States to propose and submit to the states for ratification   an amendment to the United States Constitution providing for a   balanced federal budget; and, be it further          RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official   copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to   the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of   Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the   members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that   this resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record   as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.