§907d Special reconciliation process

Summary

When the Office of Management and Budget files the required section 904 update that predicts a sequestration under sections 902 or 903, each Senate standing committee may, by October 10, send the Senate Budget Committee budget-alternative information like that described in section 632(d) about changes affecting laws it oversees. The Budget Committee may, by October 15, send a resolution to the Senate that can accept all or part of the projected cuts. If it does not accept some parts, the resolution must say which parts are not accepted and give committees instructions (the kind described in section 641(a)) that aim to reach at least the same total deficit reduction as the parts not accepted. Committees that get those instructions must send their replies to the Budget Committee within 10 days after the Senate agrees to the resolution. If only one committee is instructed, that committee must by the same date report to the Senate a reconciliation bill or resolution with its recommendations. A committee meets the instruction if its recommendations would reduce the deficit by at least the required amount. The Budget Committee must then report to the Senate a reconciliation bill or resolution that carries out all committee recommendations without changing them. If an instructed committee fails to respond, the Budget Committee must include language under that committee’s jurisdiction to achieve the required deficit reduction. An amendment that adds an instruction to the resolution is allowed during consideration even if it would otherwise be ruled non-germane. The Senate’s usual budget rules in sections 636 and 641 apply, except debate on a resolution reported under this process is limited to 10 hours. For these rules, “day” means any calendar day the Senate is in session, and “resolution” means a simple, joint, or concurrent resolution.