2 U.S.C. § 641 — Reconciliation

(a) Inclusion of reconciliation directives in concurrent resolutions on the budget. A concurrent resolution on the budget for a fiscal year must, as needed to carry out its provisions and requirements: (1) state the total amount by which the following are to change, and direct the relevant committee to decide and recommend changes that achieve that total: (A) new budget authority for that fiscal year; (B) budget authority first provided for earlier fiscal years; (C) new entitlement authority that will take effect during that fiscal year; and (D) credit authority for that fiscal year, in laws, bills, and resolutions within the committee's jurisdiction; (2) state the total amount by which revenues are to change and direct the committees with jurisdiction to decide and recommend changes in revenue laws, bills, and resolutions that achieve that total; (3) state the amount by which the statutory public-debt limit is to change and direct the committee with jurisdiction to recommend that change; or (4) state and direct any combination of paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), including a direction to reduce the deficit.

(b) Legislative procedure. If the two Houses agree to a concurrent resolution containing these directions, then: (1) if it directs only one House committee to decide and recommend changes, that committee must promptly do so and report reconciliation legislation to its House containing its recommendations; or (2) if it directs more than one committee of either House, each directed committee must promptly decide and recommend changes and submit them to that House's Committee on the Budget. After receiving all recommendations, that Budget Committee must report reconciliation legislation carrying out all of them without substantive revision. For this subsection, a reconciliation resolution is a concurrent resolution directing the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate to make specified changes in bills and resolutions that have not been enrolled.

(c) Compliance with reconciliation directions. (1) A House or Senate committee directed by a budget resolution to decide and recommend changes of the kinds described in subsection (a)(1) and (2) is considered to have followed the directions if: (A) (i) its recommended change to the items in paragraph (1) is no more than 20 percent above or below the directed amount, measured in the Senate against the total of the directed amounts under paragraphs (1) and (2), and in the House against the sum of the absolute values of the directed changes under paragraphs (1) and (2); (ii) its recommended change to the items in paragraph (2) is also no more than 20 percent above or below the directed amount, using the same Senate or House measurement; and (B) the total of its recommended changes is at least the total amount it was directed to make under paragraphs (1) and (2). (2)(A) When the Senate Budget Committee receives a recommendation considered compliant only because of this subsection, its chairman may file appropriately revised allocations under section 633(a) and revised functional levels and aggregates. (B) When the Senate receives a conference report recommending a reconciliation bill or resolution in which a committee is considered compliant only because of this subsection, the Senate Budget Committee chairman may file those revised allocations, functional levels, and aggregates. (C) Revisions under this paragraph are treated as allocations, functional levels, and aggregates contained in the concurrent budget resolution under section 632. (D) After revised allocations are filed under this paragraph, the reporting committee must report revised allocations under section 633(b) to carry out this subsection.

(d) Limitation on amendments to reconciliation bills and resolutions. (1) In the House, it is not in order to consider an amendment to a reconciliation bill or resolution if, for the fiscal years covered by the latest agreed budget instructions, it would increase any specific budget outlays above the bill or resolution's level, or reduce any specific Federal revenues below that level, unless it makes at least an equal reduction in other specific outlays, an equal increase in other specific Federal revenues, or an equal combination for those years. A motion to strike a provision providing new budget or entitlement authority may nevertheless be in order. (2) In the Senate, it is not in order to consider an amendment if, for the covered fiscal years, it would reduce specific budget-outlay reductions below the reductions in the applicable reconciliation instructions, or reduce specific Federal-revenue increases below those instructions, unless it makes other specific outlay reductions, revenue increases, or a combination at least equal to the amendment's increase in outlays or decrease in revenues. A motion to strike a provision is always in order. (3) Paragraphs (1) and (2) do not apply while a congressional declaration of war is in effect. (4) For this section, the House or Senate Budget Committee, as applicable, determines fiscal-year outlay and revenue levels from its estimates. (5) The House Rules Committee may make amendments in order to achieve reconciliation-directed changes if a House committee or committees fail to submit recommended changes to the House Budget Committee as directed.

(e) Procedure in Senate. (1) Except as paragraph (2) provides, the Senate procedures in section 636 for considering concurrent budget resolutions and conference reports also apply to Senate consideration of reconciliation bills reported under subsection (b) and conference reports on them. (2) Senate debate on a reconciliation bill reported under subsection (b), its amendments, and debatable motions and appeals connected with it may last no more than 20 hours.

(f) Completion of reconciliation process. In July, the House may not consider a resolution providing for an adjournment period longer than three calendar days until it completes action on reconciliation legislation for the fiscal year beginning October 1 of the calendar year covered by the adjournment resolution, if the budget resolution for that fiscal year requires reconciliation legislation to be reported.

(g) Limitation on changes to Social Security Act. Despite any other law, the House or Senate may not consider a reconciliation bill or resolution reported under a concurrent budget resolution agreed to under section 632 or 635, or a joint resolution under section 907d, or any amendment or conference report on one, if it contains recommendations concerning the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program established under title II of the Social Security Act. This section does not define that program.