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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, The gravity of federal debt and federal obligations |
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was established early in American history, with deficits occurring |
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only in relation to extraordinary circumstances such as war; yet |
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for much of the 20th century and into the 21st, the United States |
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has operated on a budget deficit, and it is estimated that the |
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deficit for the 2009 budget year will total an unprecedented $1.2 |
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trillion; and |
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WHEREAS, The higher the deficit, the more the government must |
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spend on paying interest on the debt, leaving less money for new |
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programs or tax cuts; compounding the problem is the use of deficit |
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spending, which becomes a claim on current or future taxpayers; and |
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WHEREAS, Through the years, congress has attempted to set |
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budgetary restraints for itself in the form of a balanced budget |
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amendment; the proposal won wide support in 1995, failing by only |
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one vote in the senate; and |
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WHEREAS, The growing burden of public debt poses a threat to |
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the nation's economic health, and action must be taken to restore |
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fiscal responsibility; a balanced budget amendment would require |
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the government not to spend more than it receives in revenues and |
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compel lawmakers to carefully consider choices about spending and |
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taxes; by encouraging spending control and discouraging deficit |
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spending, a balanced budget amendment will help put the nation on |
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the path to lasting prosperity; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to |
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propose and submit to the states for ratification an amendment to |
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the United States Constitution to provide for a federal balanced |
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budget; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of the |
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Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this |
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resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |