§643 Determinations and points of order

Summary

Budget numbers for new spending, outlays, direct spending, new entitlement authority, and revenues for each fiscal year must use estimates from the House or Senate Budget Committee, whichever is relevant. The Senate may not take up any bill, resolution, amendment, motion, or conference report that would push discretionary spending past the limits in section 251(c) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(c)). That ban does not apply if Congress has declared war or has passed the joint resolution under section 258 of that Act (2 U.S.C. 907a). The Senate also may not consider a concurrent budget resolution, its amendments, or a conference report if they would make total outlays for the first fiscal year go over the allowed level, or if an amendment would cause that to happen. No objection under this law may be made while an amendment or motion that would fix the problem is still pending. Any rule that allows an objection to an amendment also allows the same objection when an amendment is sent between the House and Senate; if the Senate upholds that objection, it is treated as the Senate disagreeing to the amendment. If the Senate upholds an objection to a bill or resolution, the presiding officer must send it back to the proper committee for more work.