Proposed change would require the state to balance its budget every year.
H.J.Res. 2 — Proposing a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States. · Filed by Andy Biggs (R-AZ) · Introduced Jan 3, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
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What it does
This joint resolution proposes a change to the Constitution. It would require the state to spend no more than it collects in taxes each year. It would freeze the debt ceiling at current levels. It would require a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress to raise taxes. If three-fourths of states approve it, it becomes part of the Constitution.
Who it affects
The change would affect the state's ability to spend money during hard times. It would make it harder to raise taxes or fund public help. States that get large amounts of state money for Medicare and Medicaid could face pressure to cut help.
One thing to notice
A balanced budget rule would stop the state from borrowing extra money during hard times. It could not borrow during crises like pandemics or wars.
From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.
Where it stands
- Jan 3, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 3, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Words to know
- joint resolution — A formal proposal from Congress that can change the Constitution if enough states approve it.
- change to the Constitution — An official change that becomes law if three-fourths of the states vote to approve it.
- balanced budget — A budget where the state spends no more money than it collects in taxes.
- debt ceiling — The total amount of money the state is allowed to borrow.
- two-thirds vote — A vote where at least two out of every three members must agree to pass a bill.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,151 characters) on Sep 18, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 14,342 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-09-18.
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