Note to visitors: The Steady State Economy Act (SSEA) is a CASSE policy project. Under development since 2020 (initially called the “Full and Sustainable Employment Act”), the SSEA is constructed one “feeder bill” at a time. Feeder bills correspond with sections of the SSEA. Each feeder bill, when sufficiently drafted and polished, is published by CASSE and introduced with an article in the Steady State Herald. The table of contents below is a means of envisioning the full SSEA and tracking its development. Links are to articles and/or feeder bills.
A BILL
To establish a sustainable, steady state economy in the United States, to lead in international diplomacy toward a sustainable global economy, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(A) SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Steady State Economy Act.”
(B) TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Section. 1. Short Title; Table of Contents.
Section. 2. Findings and Declarations.
Section. 3. Definitions.
Section. 4. Executive Adoption of Steady-State Goals.
Section. 5. Fiscal Policy.
Section. 6. Monetary Policy.
Section. 7. Sustainable Immigration.
Section. 8. Trade and Capital Mobility.
Section. 9. Labor and Income.
Section. 10. Housing and Transportation.
Section. 11. Caps And Tradeable Permits.
Section. 12. Economic Incentives.
Section 13. Prohibitions.
Section 14. Penalties and Enforcement.
SECTION 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS.
(A) Findings.
(B) Declarations.
SECTION 3. DEFINITIONS.
(A) Biocapacity.
(B) Ecological Footprint.
(C) Economic Degrowth.
(D) Economic Development.
(E) Economic Growth.
(F) Ecosystem Services.
(G) Natural Capital.
(H) Steady State Economy.
(I) Sustainable Development.
SECTION 4. EXECUTIVE ADOPTION OF STEADY-STATE GOALS.
(A) Commission on Economic Sustainability.
(B) Steady-State Agency Missions.
SECTION 5. FISCAL POLICY.
(1) Purposes and Constraints Of Budgetary Content.
(2) No Net Gain in Demand for Government Outlays.
(3) Caps on Mandatory Spending.
(4) Sustaining Departments, Agencies, and Programs.
(5) Caps on Discretionary Spending.
(6) Sunsetted Departments, Agencies, and Programs.
(1) Graduated Income Tax.
(2) Graduated Corporate Income Tax.
(3) Payroll Tax Elimination.
(4) Estate Tax.
(5) Family Size Tax Code.
(6) Energy Depletion Tax.
(3) Timber Depletion Tax.
(3) Mineral Tax.
(3) Groundwater Tax.
(3) Tax On Financial Transactions.
(3) Sustainability Trust Fund Credit/Rebate.
(3) Operation.
SECTION 6. MONETARY POLICY.
(A) Department of Treasury.
(1) Issuance of Money.
(2) Public Seigniorage.
(3) Adherence to Ecological Limits.
(B) Federal Reserve System.
(1) Reorganization and Relationship with Treasury.
(2) Purpose and Goals.
(3) Composition.
(4) Authority and Responsibilities.
(C) Private Banks.
(1) Fractional Reserve Requirements.
(2) Fee-Service Compensation.
SECTION 7. SUSTAINABLE IMMIGRATION.
(A) Population Stabilization.
(B) Balancing Immigration Requests with Population Stabilization Needs.
(C) Maintaining Secure Borders.
(D) Aid-In-Place Fund.
SECTION 8. TRADE AND CAPITAL MOBILITY.
(A) National Economic Security.
(B) Sustainable Levels of Trade.
(C) Capital Mobility.
SECTION 9. LABOR AND INCOME.
(A) Shorter Workweek.
(B) Basic Income.
(C) Work Sharing.
(D) Sectoral Salary Caps.
SECTION 10. HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION.
(A) Infrastructure Maintenance.
(B) Limiting Sprawl.
(C) Mileage Fees.
SECTION 11. CAPS AND TRADEABLE PERMITS.
(A) Resource Cap-and-Trade Policies and Mechanisms.
(1) Sustainable Agricultural Land Base.
(2) Fossil Fuel Cap-and-Trade.
(3) Sustainable-Yield Forestry.
(4) Sustainable Fisheries Management.
(B) Pollution Cap-and-Trade Policies and Mechanisms.
(1) Greenhouse-Gas Emissions Cap-and-Trade.
(2) Sulfur dioxide Cap-and-Trade.
(3) Cap and Phase-Out of Forever Chemicals.
(C) Advertising Expenditures.
SECTION 12. ECONOMIC INCENTIVES.
(A) Land Conservation.
(B) Renewable Energy.
(C) Resource-Conserving Products and Practices.
(D) Non-Profit Enterprise.
SECTION 13. PROHIBITIONS.
(A) Wanton Waste.
(B) Planned Obsolescence.
(C) Profligate Luxury.
(1) Limit on Secondary Homes.
(2) Limit on Recreational Vehicles.
(D) Excessive and Wasteful Travel.
(1) Professional Athletic Travel Limits.
(2) Short-Flight Ban.
(3) Flights to Nowhere.
SECTION 14. PENALTIES AND ENFORCEMENT.
(A) Jurisdiction and Prosecution.
(B) Criminal Penalties.
(C) Enforcement Agencies and Mechanisms