# Plain Language Summary: Fiscal Commission Act

This bill creates a special commission made up of 16 members—mostly members of Congress plus a few outside experts—tasked with figuring out how to fix America's budget problems. The commission has one main job: come up with specific recommendations and actual legislative language (the actual words for a bill) that would reduce the federal deficit and debt. The goal is to get the national debt down to no more than 100 percent of the country's gross domestic product by 2039, and to make sure major federal programs like Social Security and Medicare can stay solvent for at least 75 more years.

The commission will be split evenly between Republicans and Democrats, with each party's Senate and House leadership appointing members. To prevent any one party from steamrolling the other, any recommendations the commission approves must have support from at least two Republicans and two Democrats. The commission has until November 2026 to finish its work, though they can ask for an extension until April 2027 if they need more time. Once they finish, they have to submit their report and proposed legislation to the President and congressional leaders, and then launch a national public awareness campaign to educate Americans about the country's fiscal situation.

What makes this bill different from typical congressional committees is that the commission's recommendations would come packaged as actual legislative language ready to vote on, not just suggestions. However, Congress isn't automatically required to pass whatever the commission proposes—it's up to lawmakers to decide whether to introduce and vote on the commission's bill. The commission is essentially meant to be a bipartisan effort to tackle the deficit and debt in a serious, coordinated way, with the added pressure of having to explain their proposals to the American public.