First bill by Mo. Rep. Smith seeks balanced budget

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - New southeast Missouri congressman Jason Smith has proposed a balanced budget amendment as his first piece of legislation in Washington.

Smith's proposed amendment to the U.S. Constitution would require a three-fifths vote of the House and Senate for federal spending to exceed revenues in any fiscal year. The requirement also could be waived by a simple majority in years in which the U.S. is engaged in a military conflict that poses a threat to national security.

Smith's resolution is similar to other balanced budget proposals already sponsored by well over 100 other House members, including most of Smith's fellow Republican representatives from Missouri.

Smith won a special election earlier this month to succeed Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, who resigned in January.