Congressional Budget Act Amendments of 1985

Congressional Budget Act Amendments of 1985 - Title I: Congressional Budget Process - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise the timetable with respect to the congressional budget process. Eliminates the second concurrent resolution on the budget.

Requires the Congress to complete action on an annual concurrent resolution on the budget on or before April 15 of each year. Requires such budget resolution to set forth appropriate budgetary levels for the fiscal year beginning on October 1 of such year and planning levels for each of the two ensuing fiscal years. Provides that such resolution may also set forth: (1) reconciliation directives; and (2) the calendar year in which the Congress believes the unemployment goals of the Employment Act of 1946 should be achieved.

Requires that any budget resolution reported by the Committee on the Budget of the House which changes any rule of the House of Representatives be referred to the Committee on Rules. Authorizes the Committee on Rules to report the resolution with an amendment to strike or change the provision affecting the rule.

Requires the standing committees of the House and Senate to report their views and estimates to the respective Budget Committee by February 25 of each year.

Requires the reports of the Budget Committees accompanying a budget resolution to contain certain information, including: (1) a comparison of Federal priorities by budget functional category; and (2) an explanation of the differences between the resolution and the views and estimates reported by the standing committees.

Requires the joint explanatory statement accompanying a conference report on a budget resolution to set forth the common economic assumptions upon which such statement is based.

Requires the Committee on the Budget of each House to consult with the standing committees of its House during the preparation, consideration, and enforcement of the budget resolution with respect to all matters which relate to the jurisdiction or functions of such committees.

Requires the report accompanying a budget resolution and the joint explanatory statement accompanying a conference report on a budget resolution for a fiscal year to include an allocation for discretionary action for such fiscal year (or one or two ensuing fiscal years) of new budget authority, new spending authority, revenues, tax expenditures, new direct loan obligations, and new primary loan guarantee commitments to each House and Senate committee with jurisdiction over affected programs. Requires each committee to subdivide its allocation among its subcommittees. Prohibits either House from considering any legislation providing budget authority, spending authority, or credit authority within the jurisdiction of a committee until such committee reports the subdivisions of its allocated discretionary action.

Requires reports and conference reports on budget resolutions to include a division of total new budget authority, total outlays, total entitlement authority, total new direct loan obligations, and total new primary loan guarantee commitments among House and Senate committees with jurisdiction over such authorities. Requires each committee to subdivide its share of the estimated division of budget outlays among its subcommittees and programs.

Requires the budget resolution to be adopted before legislation providing new budget authority, new spending authority, new credit authority, or changes in revenues or the public debt limit is considered by the Congress.

Allows floor consideration of a budget resolution to begin in the House of Representatives five days after the Budget Committee's report on such resolution has been made available to Members.

Sets forth the procedure by which the House of Representatives may reject any amendment contained in a conference report on a budget resolution that has the effect of changing any House rule and that was not included in the resolution as passed by the House.

Requires the House Committee on Appropriations to report all regular appropriations bills for the upcoming fiscal year by June 10.

Requires each House and Senate committee to prepare budget scorekeeping statements to accompany any legislation, amendment thereto, or conference report amendment reported by the committee providing new budget authority, new spending authority, new credit authority, or changes in the levels of revenues or tax expenditures for a fiscal year.

Requires the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO) budget status report to be issued to congressional committees on a monthly basis and to include information on legislation providing new spending authority or new credit authority or changing tax expenditures for a fiscal year. Requires the Budget Committees to provide Members with summary budget scorekeeping reports on at least a monthly basis. Requires CBO's five-year projection report to include information on entitlement authority and credit authority for each fiscal year.

Prohibits the House of Representatives from considering any resolution providing for an adjournment period of more than three days in July until it has approved all regular appropriations bills for the upcoming fiscal year. Requires the Senate to approve all regular appropriation bills for the upcoming fiscal year by August 15.

Revises the reconciliation process to require that any reconciliation directives by which budget authority, spending authority, credit authority, revenues, or tax expenditures need to be changed to effectuate the provisions of a budget resolution be included in such budget resolution. Prohibits the House of Representatives from considering any resolution providing for an adjournment period of more than three days in July until it has completed action on reconciliation legislation for the upcoming fiscal year. Requires the Senate to complete action on reconciliation legislation for the upcoming fiscal year by August 15.

Establishes a new point or order against the consideration of legislation which would cause a committee to breach its allocation for discretionary action.

Title II: Amendments to Title IV of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to revise controls on provisions of legislation providing new spending authority and to set forth controls on provisions providing new credit authority. Amends the definition of "spending authority" to include monetary credits and residual spending authority. Repeals the deadline by which authorizing legislation must be reported.

Requires CBO's cost analyses of reported bills to include descriptions of any methods for establishing Federal financial commitments contained in such bills.

Requires the General Accounting Office to: (1) study provisions of law providing spending authority and permanent appropriations; and (2) report to the Congress recommendations for the appropriate form of financing for activities or programs financed by such provisions.

Requires the budgetary activities of the following entities to be included in the budget transmitted by the President to the Congress and in the concurrent resolution on the budget: (1) the Federal Financing Bank; (2) the Rural Electrification Administration and Rural Telephone Bank; (3) the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Account; (4) the United States Synthetic Fuels Corporation; (5) the United States Railway Association; (6) the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund; (7) the Federal Disability Insurance Trust Fund; and (8) the Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund.

Directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives to appoint a Member User Group to review and advise the Speaker on the effect of budgetary scorekeeping rules and practices.

Title III: Additional Provisions to Improve Budget Procedures - Defines the terms "allocation for discretionary action" and "entitlement authority" for purposes of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974.

Requires CBO to: (1) provide necessary budgetary information to all congressional committees; (2) submit its annual fiscal policy reports to the Budget Committees by February 15; (3) report to the Congress in January of each year a listing of all programs and activities lacking authorizations of appropriations in the current and upcoming fiscal years; (4) conduct continuing studies to enhance comparisons of budget outlays, credit authority, and tax expenditures; and (5) submit to the Congress an annual inventory of all provisions of law providing tax expenditures. Sets forth requirements for baseline projections by CBO.

Requires the President to submit the current services budget to the Congress by the first Monday after January 3 of each year.

Requires that congressional committees receive prompt notification of all changes in budget functional categories.

Amends the rules of the House of Representatives to: (1) make it the function of the Rules Committee to conduct a continuing study of, and report to the House on, the congressional budget process; (2) require the election of House committees within seven calendar days after a new Congress convenes; and (3) permit consideration of rescissions of appropriations and transfers of unexpended balances within the agency for which they were originally appropriated when such rescissions or transfers are included in a general appropriation bill.

Title IV: Amendments to Subtitle II of Title 31, United States Code - Requires submission of the President's budget to Congress by the first Monday after January 3 of each year. Requires the Office of Management and Budget to submit the text of legislation necessary to implement budget proposals affecting revenues and spending authority within two weeks thereafter.

Repeals a requirement that the President submit supplemental budget estimates and changes by April 11 of each year.

Title V: Technical and Conforming Amendments - Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 and the rules of the House of Representatives.

Title VI: Effective Date - Sets forth the effective dates for provisions of this Act.