back June 22, 2006 House Passes Ryan’s Line-Item Veto Bill to Target, Remove Wasteful Spending Legislation Fosters Accountability, Transparency, Fiscal Discipline WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives today voted by a bipartisan 247-172 to approve the Legislative Line-Item Veto Act of 2006 (H.R. 4890), introduced by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan to give the President and Congress an effective tool to target and remove wasteful and unnecessary spending items in completed bills. This legislation will shine the light of day on the spending process in Congress, improve accountability, and deter Members of Congress from requesting funding for wasteful earmarks.  With the legislative line-item veto, the President would have the authority to single out individual pork-barrel spending items in bills that arrive on his desk for signature and send these specific line items back to Congress for an up-or-down vote within 14 legislative days on whether to rescind funding for these spending provisions. Similarly, the President would be able to request the rescission of targeted special-interest tax breaks.  By separating questionable individual items from larger bills and subjecting these items to a vote on their own merits, the legislative line-item veto will make lawmakers more accountable for their spending requests and give the President and Congress an opportunity to get rid of wasteful provisions that may have been added to bills during final negotiations.  “Our version of the line-item veto will help the President and Congress work together to get rid of unnecessary and unjustifiable spending and deter such spending requests in the first place. It is part of our larger drive to eliminate wasteful spending and bring greater accountability and transparency to Washington,” Ryan said. “While earmark reforms will help us identify and target abuse at the front of the process, the line-item veto will be an effective backstop to prevent wasteful spending from getting through at the end of the process.”  “I would like to thank the House leadership for bringing this bill to a floor vote and advancing this key reform, as well as everyone whose hard work led to its successful passage,” Ryan said.  The legislative line-item veto passes constitutional muster, preserves Congress’ power of the purse, and maintains the balance of power between Congress and the President by requiring the House and Senate to vote to approve the President’s proposed rescissions, before they can become law. This approach is fundamentally different than the earlier line-item veto that the Supreme Court struck down in 1998, which did not require explicit congressional approval of the President’s rescissions in order for them to take effect.  This legislation also fixes the major flaw that has prevented the President’s current rescission authority from serving as a useful mechanism for controlling spending. Today, the President can request that Congress rescind certain spending items, but there is no guarantee that Congress will vote on these proposed rescissions. In contrast, the version of the line-item veto that passed today requires consideration of the President’s rescission requests on an expedited timeframe. Among its provisions, the Legislative Line-Item Veto Act of 2006 : Gives the President the authority to propose the elimination of wasteful spending items or targeted special-interest tax breaks in legislation that he signs into law and send these specific items back to Congress for a timely vote on his rescission requests. The President would be required to submit his rescission request to Congress within 45 calendar days of signing a bill into law.  Puts the President’s rescission requests on a fast track guaranteeing an up-or-down vote, with no amendments, by the full House and Senate within 14 total legislative days after receipt of the President’s request.  Respects and preserves Congress’ constitutional responsibilities, as it requires both the House and Senate to vote to approve the President’s rescission requests before they can become law. If either the House or Senate votes against a rescission by a simple majority, it is not enacted.  Permits the President to decline to spend the relevant funds for up to 90 days (an initial 45-day period, with an extension period of 45 days,) to ensure adequate time for Congress to act on rescission proposals, particularly in the event that Congress enters a recess. Prohibits the President from re-proposing the same or a substantially similar rescission if Congress has already rejected it once.  Limits the number of rescission requests per bill to five, (or ten in the case of an omnibus or reconciliation bill.) Note that one presidential rescission request may include a package of line-items that are recommended for removal, rather than just one single line-item provision.  Ensures that the President can use this rescission authority to propose the removal of wasteful spending items, not as a tool to strike down policy provisions.  Sunsets on October 1, 2012, after two presidential administrations have had the opportunity to use it as a tool to control spending. This six-year sunset provision would give Congress the ability to review this legislation and decide whether to renew it.  The Legislative Line-Item Veto Act of 2006 faces a vote in the U.S. Senate and a conference to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions, before this reform becomes law.   Print Contact: Kate Matus (202) 226-7326