Skip to main content
S 1613 111th Congress Senate Economics and Public Finance Adoption and foster care Afghanistan Asia Budget deficits and national debt Budget process Congressional oversight Defense spending Disability assistance Foreign loans and debt Income tax credits International monetary system and foreign exchange Iraq Legislative rules and procedure Middle East Military operations and strategy Poverty and welfare assistance Roads and highways

Deficit Reduction Act of 2009

Introduced: August 6, 2009 Introduced by: Bennet, Michael F. Democratic · Colorado See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 111th Congress ended
It never became law before the 111th Congress (2009–2010) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Aug 6, 2009
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
Aug 6, 2009
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9012-9015)
Aug 6, 2009
Introduced in Senate
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Deficit Reduction Act of 2009 - Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act) to redefine, for FY2011-FY2019, discretionary spending limits (spending caps) for new budget authority and outlays to mean the baseline, minus any emergency spending, for the preceding fiscal year as adjusted for inflation and (as under current law) as adjusted in strict conformance with such Act.

Revises sequestration requirements for enforcement of discretionary spending limits. Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to conduct such a sequestration to eliminate a budget year breach.

Eliminates specific formula requirements for adjustments to discretionary spending limits for: (1) highways; (2) continuing disability reviews for the Social Security Administration (SSA); (3) allowances for the International Monetary Fund (IMF); (4) specified allowances for international arrearages; (5) the earned income tax credit (EITC) compliance initiative; (6) Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) adoption incentive payments; and (7) conservation.

Prescribes an adjustment to discretionary spending limits for overseas contingency operations related to the global war on terrorism, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Redefines low-growth, for purposes of OMB's required low-growth notification to Congress, from less than zero to less than 1%.

Extends Pay-As-You-Go requirements and enforcement mechanisms through FY2019.

Establishes sequestration enforcement mechanisms to eliminate deficit limits for FY2012-FY2019.

Specifies additional Social Security, veterans, Tier I Railroad Retirement benefits and other programs and activities exempt from a sequestration order as well as certain economic recovery programs.

Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (CBA) to make it out of order in both chambers to consider any legislation causing the discretionary limits in the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act to be exceeded.

What's happening now August 6, 2009

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 1613: Deficit Reduction Act of 2009. 111th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1613/
MLA
"S. 1613: Deficit Reduction Act of 2009." 111th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1613/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 1613, 111th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1613/.
Markdown link
[S. 1613: Deficit Reduction Act of 2009](https://openamerica.io/bill/111-S-1613/)
Report a problem