Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 109 Part 2.djvu/57

 CONCURRENT RESOLUTIONS^JUNE 29, 1995 109 STAT. 1029 ness and accuracy of the methodology and calculations that determine the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and those recommendations should be submitted to the Bureau of Labor Statistics at the earliest possible date. SEC. 310. HOUSE STATEMENT ON AGMCULTURE SAVINGS. The House of Representatives shall re-examine budget reductions for agricultural programs in the United States Department of Agriculture for fiscal years 1999 and 2000 unless the following conditions are met: (1) Land values on agricultural land on January 1, 1998, are at least 95 percent of the same values on the date of adoption of this resolution. (2) There is enacted into law regulatory relief for the agricultural sector in the areas of wetlands regulation, the Endangered Species Act, private property rights and cost-benefit analyses of proposed regulations. (3) There is tax relief for producers in the form of capital gains tax reduction, increased estate tax exemptions and mechanisms to average tax loads over strong and weak income years. (4) There is no government interference in the international market in the form of agricultural trade embargoes in effect and there is successful implementation and enforcement of trade agreements, including the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to lower export subsidies and reduce import barriers to trade imposed by foreign governments. SEC. 311. SENSE OF THE HOUSE ON BASELINES. (a) FINDINGS. —The House of Representatives finds that— (1) baselines are projections of future spending if existing policies remain unchanged; (2) under baseline assumptions, spending automatically rises with inflation even if such increases are not provided under current law; (3) baseline budgeting is inherently biased against policies that would reduce the projected growth in spending because such policies are scored as a reduction from a rising baseline; and (4) the baseline concept has encouraged Congress to abdicate its constitutional responsibility to control the public purse for programs which are automatically funded under existing law. (b) SENSE OF THE HOUSE.— I t is the sense of the House of Representatives that baseline budgeting should be replaced with a form of budgeting that requires full justification and analysis of budget proposals and maximizes congressional accountability for public spending. SEC. 312. SENSE OF THE HOUSE REGARDING A COMMISSION ON THE SOLVENCY OF THE FEDERAL MILITARY AND CIVIL SERV- ICE RETIREMENT FUNDS. (a) FINDINGS. —The House of Representatives finds that the Federal retirement system, for both military and civil service retirees, currently has liabilities of $1,100,000,000,000, while holding assets worth $340,000,000,000 and anticipating employee contribu-

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