87R571 CW-D
 
  By: Raymond H.C.R. No. 8
 
 
 
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 87th Legislature of the State of Texas
  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.