House to move bill next week giving budget resolution force of law

The House next week will advance legislation that would give the annual concurrent budget resolution the force of law and amend congressional timetables for considering the budget each year.

The House Rules Committee will approve a rule Monday evening for H.R. 3575, the Legally Binding Budget Act. That bill, introduced by Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) in December, is aimed at getting the House and Senate to agree each year on a budget, and then presenting that budget resolution to the president for signature into law.

Black has pointed out that today, the budget resolution is just between the House and the Senate, when it happens at all. The Senate has not approved a budget in nearly three years.

"Requiring a joint resolution would encourage agreement between the House, Senate and the president on the budget at the beginning of the budget process," Black wrote in a "Dear Colleague" letter.

After a rule is approved for the bill Monday, the bill is expected to be the subject of a hearing in the House Budget Committee on Wednesday.

— This story was updated at 12:49 p.m. to correct information on how the bill will move through the two committees next week.