Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory
Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Justin Murray
Information Research Specialist
May 10, 2011February 1, 2012
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R41814
CRS Report for Congress
Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Summary
Almost all borrowing by the federal government is conducted by the Treasury Department, within
the restrictions established by a single, statutory limit (ceiling) on the total amount of debt that
may be outstanding at any time. By law, the Treasury cannot exceed federal debt limits, so the
Treasury periodically has had to ask Congress to enact new debt limits so it can fulfill its financial
commitments. Since 1978, the statutory federal debt limit has been changed 5152 times by Congress
through the enactment of legislation adjusting the federal debt limit, either as stand-alone
legislation or as part of legislation dealing with other matters.
This report provides roll call vote data identified by the Congressional Research Service for
measures to adjust the statutory debt limit. This report will be updated as events warrant.
Congressional Research Service
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Contents
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1
Debt Limit Votes: 1978 to Present ................................................................................................... 1
Selected CRS Reports and Resources ............................................................................................ 12
Tables
Table 1. Roll Call Votes on Enacted Measures to Adjust the Federal Debt Limit ........................... 2
Table 2. Stand-Alone Debt Limit Measures ..................................................................................... 6
Table 3. Other Than Stand-Alone Debt Limit Measures ................................................................. 8
Contacts
Author Contact Information ........................................................................................................... 1213
Congressional Research Service
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Introduction
Almost all borrowing by the federal government is conducted by the Treasury Department, within
the restrictions established by a single, statutory limit (ceiling) on the total amount of debt that
may be outstanding at any time. By law, the Treasury cannot exceed federal debt limits, so the
Treasury periodically has had to ask Congress to enact new debt limits so it can fulfill its financial
commitments. Since 1978, the statutory federal debt limit has been changed 5152 times by Congress
through the enactment of legislation adjusting the federal debt limit, either as stand-alone
legislation or as part of legislation dealing with other matters. Most recently Congress enacted a
deficit reduction plan, the Budget Control Act of 2011, P.L. 112-25. This legislation included
provisions increasing the federal debt limit.1
This report contains information on
votes identified by the Congressional Research Service, from
the Legislative Information System
(LIS, http://www.congress.gov), as final passage actions for
those measures containing changes to
the statutory debt limit from 1978 to the present.
This This
report provides tallies of votes on final passage for each enacted measure that adjusted the
statutory debt limit from 1978 to present. The process for congressional consideration of bills can
be complex. Attempting to interpret the intent of votes prior to the final vote on passage of a
measure may yield various, and sometimes conflicting, interpretations. For the sake of clarity, the
report provides vote information on the final passage of each measure.12
Debt Limit Votes: 1978 to Present
As noted above, this report identifies information on debt limit legislation and votes on final
enactment in the House and Senate. Other data elements identified in the tables below include bill
number; whether final passage involved a roll call vote, voice vote, or passage by unanimous
consent; dates of final passage and vote tally information; dates of enactment and public law
number for the enacted law; and brief background information on whether the measure was
considered a stand-alone measure (i.e., dealing entirely with just a change to the federal debt limit
and not including provisions on other matters).
Table 1 provides information on all enacted measures to increase or otherwise change the federal
debt limit from 1978 to 20102011, including data on the changes to the federal debt limit set at the
time of enactment. The bill number and public law columns of the table provide links to LIS bill
summary and status information for each measure. Roll call votes on final enactment can be
extracted through the major actions display for each measure within LIS back to 1993.2 Also,
Table 1 contains cross-references to the notes columns in Table 2 and Table 3. The notes
columns in those tables provide additional details on how each measure was considered.
1
3 Also,
1
P.L. 112-25, the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA), enacted on August 2, 2011, allows for debt limit increases of
between $2.1 trillion and $2.4 trillion. The BCA stipulated that necessary increases would occur in three stages. The
later two stages were subject to votes on a “joint resolution of disapproval.” Roll call votes on measures of disapproval
included (1) Senate vote on September 8, 2011 (S.J.Res. 25); (2) House vote on September 14, 2011 (H.J.Res. 77); (3)
House vote on January 18, 2012 (H.J.Res. 98); and (4) Senate vote on motion to proceed on H.J.Res. 98 on January 26,
2012. More information on stipulations for debt limit increases included within P.L. 112-25 appear in CRS Report
RL31967, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, by D. Andrew Austin and Mindy R. Levit.
2
More detailed information on methods employed by Congress to adjust the statutory debt limit appear in CRS Report
RS21519, Legislative Procedures for Adjusting the Public Debt Limit: A Brief Overview, by Bill Heniff Jr.
23
Complete House and Senate roll call vote information is available in LIS back to 1993. Bill number and public law
links in Table 1 connect to bill summary and status information for all measures back to 1978. For the measures listed
from 1993 to the present, member roll call votes can be extracted from the LIS bill summary and status display by
clicking on major actions and online links provided to the House and Senate roll call information.(continued...)
Congressional Research Service
1
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Table 1 contains cross-references to the notes columns in Table 2 and Table 3. The notes
columns in those tables provide additional details on how each measure was considered.
Table 2 identifies stand-alone measures from the period. Table 3 identifies bills considered as
other than stand-alone measures3measures4 and provides brief background information on the nature of
each measure and by what means it was considered.
Table 1. Roll Call Votes on Enacted Measures to Adjust the Federal Debt Limit
(1978 to 20102011)
Final House & Senate
Vote Tally & Date of
Votes
Year
1978
1979
1980
Bill Number
House
Senate
Public Law
Number &
Date of
Enactment
Debt Limit
Amount
($ in billions)
Temporary
Provisions
Expiration
Date
House
Senate
H.R. 11518
233-172
3/21/1978
Voice Vote
3/22/1978
P.L. 95-252
3/27/1978
$752.0
8/01/1978
H.R. 13385
205-202
7/19/1978
62-31
8/02/1978
P.L. 95-333
8/03/1978
$798
3/31/1979
H.R. 2534
209-165
(H.Res. 183,
4/2/1979)
(See notes
column in
Table 3)
62-33
3/27/1979
P.L. 96-5
4/02/1979
$830
9/30/1979
H.R. 5369
219-198
9/26/1979
49-29
9/28/1979
P.L. 96-78
9/29/1979
$879
5/31/1980
H.R. 7471
Voice Vote
5/30/1980
47-10
5/30/1980
P.L. 96-256
5/30/1980
same
6/5/1980
H.R. 7428
335-34
6/05/1980
68-10
6/06/1980
P.L. 96-264
6/06/1980
same
6/30/1980
H.J.Res. 569
6/13/1980
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
54-39
6/28/1980
P.L. 96-286
6/28/1980
$925
2/28/1981
H.J.Res. 570
6/13/1980
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
Voice Vote
12/12/1981
P.L. 96-556
12/19/1980
$935.1
None
3
Table 3 below (...continued)
clicking on major actions and online links provided to the House and Senate roll call information.
4
Table 3 provides brief background information on whether measures were considered as other than stand-alone
bills,
either containing a change to the debt limit as part of a measure dealing with other matters (including omnibus or
consolidated measures or part of continuing resolutions) or pursuant to House rules or budget resolution and budget
reconciliation activities.
Congressional Research Service
2
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Final House & Senate
Vote Tally & Date of
Votes
Year
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
Bill Number
House
Senate
Public Law
Number &
Date of
Enactment
Debt Limit
Amount
($ in billions)
Temporary
Provisions
Expiration
Date
House
Senate
H.R. 1553
305-104
2/05/1981
73-18
2/06/1981
P.L. 97-2
2/07/1981
$985
9/30/1981
H.J.Res. 266
5/21/1981
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
Voice Vote
9/29/1981
P.L. 97-48
9/30/1981
$999.8
9/30/1981
H.J.Res. 265
5/21/1981
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
64-34
09/29/1981
P.L. 97-49
9/30/1981
$1,079.8
9/28/1981
H.J.Res. 519
6/23/1982
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
49-41
6/23/1982
P.L. 97-204
6/28/1982
$1,143.1
9/30/1982
H.J.Res. 520
6/23/1982
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
50-41
9/23/1982
P.L. 97-270
9/30/1982
$1,290.2
9/30/1983
H.R. 2990
Voice Vote
5/18/1983
51-41
5/25/1983
P.L. 98-34
5/26/1983
$1,389
None
H.J.Res. 308
214-186
11/18/1983
Voice Vote
11/17/1983
P.L. 98-161
11/21/1983
$1,490
None
H.R. 5692
211-198
5/24/1984
Voice Vote
5/24/1984
P.L. 98-302
5/25/1984
$1,520
None
H.R. 5953
208-202
6/29/1984
Voice Vote
6/29/1984
P.L. 98-342
7/06/1984
$1,573
None
H.J.Res. 654
Unanimous
Consent
10/01/1984
37-30
10/12/1984
P.L. 98-475
10/13/1984
$1,823.8
None
H.R. 3721
300-121
11/13/1985
Voice Vote
11/13/1985
P.L. 99-155
11/14/1985
$1,903.8
12/06/1985
H.J.Res. 372
271-154
12/11/1985
61-31
12/11/1985
P.L. 99-177
12/12/1985
$2,078.7
None
H.R. 5395
216-199
8/14/1986
36-35
8/15/1986
P.L. 99-384
8/21/1986
$2,111
None
H.R. 5300
305-70
10/17/1986
61-25
10/17/1986
P.L. 99-509
10/21/1986
$2,300
5/15/1987
Congressional Research Service
3
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Final House & Senate
Vote Tally & Date of
Votes
Year
1987
1989
1990
1993
1996
Bill Number
House
Senate
Public Law
Number &
Date of
Enactment
Debt Limit
Amount
($ in billions)
Temporary
Provisions
Expiration
Date
H.R. 2360
296-124
5/13/1987
58-36
5/14/1987
P.L. 100-40
5/15/1987
$2,320
7/17/1987
H.R. 3022
263-155
7/29/1987
Voice Vote
7/29/1987
P.L. 100-80
7/30/1987
same
8/06/1987
H.R. 3190
Voice Vote
8/07/1987
51-39
8/07/1987
P.L. 100-84
8/10/1987
$2,352
9/23/1987
Congressional Research Service
3
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Final House & Senate
Vote Tally & Date of
Votes
House
Senate
Public Law
Number &
Date of
Enactment
H.J.Res. 324
230-176
9/22/1987
64-34
9/23/1987
P.L. 100-119
9/29/1987
$2,800
None
H.R. 3024
231-185
8/01/1989
Voice Vote
8/04/1989
P.L. 101-72
8/07/1989
$2,870
10/31/1989
H.J.Res. 280
11/07/1989
269-99
Voice Vote
11/07/1989
P.L. 101-140
11/08/1989
$3,122.7
None
H.R. 5350
247-172
8/03/1990
Voice Vote
8/03/1990
P.L. 101-350
8/09/1990
$3,195
10/02/1990
H.R. 5755
Voice Vote
9/30/1990
Unanimous
Consent
09/30/1990
P.L. 101-405
10/02/1990
same
10/06/1990
H.J.Res. 666
362-3
10/09/1990
Voice Vote
10/08/1990
P.L. 101-412
10/09/1990
same
10/09/1990
H.J.Res. 677
379-37
10/18/1990
Voice Vote
10/19/1990
P.L. 101-444
10/19/1990
same
10/24/1990
H.J.Res. 681
380-45
10/24/1990
Unanimous
Consent
10/24/1990
P.L. 101-461
10/25/1990
same
10/27/1990
H,J. .J.Res. 687
283-49
10/27/1990
Voice Vote
10/27/1990
P.L. 101-467
10/28/1990
$3,230
11/05/1990
H.R. 5835
228-200
10/26/1990
54-45
10/27/1990
P.L. 101-508
11/05/1990
$4,145
None
H.R. 1430
237-177
4/02/1993
Unanimous
Consent
4/05/1993
P.L. 103-12
4/06/1993
$4,370
09/30/1993
H.R. 2264
218-216
8/05/1993
51-50
8/06/1993
P.L. 103-66
8/10/1993
$4,900
None
H.R. 2924
396-0
2/01/1996
Unanimous
Consent
2/01/1996
P.L. 104-103
02/08/1996
(See notes
column in
Table 3)
03/15/1990
H.R. 3021
362-51
3/07/1996
Voice Vote
3/07/1996
P.L. 104-115
3/12/1996
(See notes
column in
Table 3)
3/30/1990
H.R. 3136
328-91
3/28/1996
Unanimous
Consent
3/28/1996
P.L. 104-121
3/29/1996
$5,500
None
Congressional Research Service
4
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Final House & Senate
Vote Tally & Date of
Votes
Year
Bill Number
House
Senate
Public Law
Number &
Date of
Enactment
Debt Limit
Amount
($ in billions)
Temporary
Provisions
Expiration
Date
1997
H.R. 2015
346-85
07/30/1997
85-15
7/31/1997
P.L. 105-33
8/05/1997
$5,950
None
2002
S. 2578
215-214-1
6/27/2002
68-29
6/11/2002
P.L. 107-199
6/28/2002
$6,400
None
Year
1989
1990
1993
1996
Bill Number
Congressional Research Service
Debt Limit
Amount
($ in billions)
Temporary
Provisions
Expiration
Date
4
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Final House & Senate
Vote Tally & Date of
Votes
Year
Bill Number
House
Senate
Public Law
Number &
Date of
Enactment
Debt Limit
Amount
($ in billions)
Temporary
Provisions
Expiration
Date
2003
H.J.Res. 51
216-211
H.Con.Res.
95
04/11/2003
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
53-44
5/23/2003
P.L. 108-24
5/27/2003
$7,384
None
2004
S. 2986
208-204
11/18/2004
52-44
11/17/2004
P.L. 108-415
11/19/2004
$8,184
None
2005
H.J.Res. 47
4/28/2005
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
52-48
3/16/2005
P.L. 109-182
3/20/2006
$8,965
None
2007
H.J.Res. 43
5/17/2007
(See notes
column in
Table 2)
53-42
9/27/2007
P.L. 110-91
9/29/2007
$9,815
None
2008
H.R. 3221
272-152
7/23/2008
72-13
7/26/2008
P.L. 110-289
7/30/2008
$10,615
None
H.R. 1424
263-171
10/03/2008
74-25
10/1/2008
P.L. 110-343
10/3/2008
$11,315
None
H.R. 1
246-183-1
2/13/2009
60-38
2/13/2009
P.L. 111-5
2/17/2009
$12,104
None
H.R. 4314
218-214
12/16/2009
60-39
12/24/2009
P.L. 111-123
12/28/2009
$12,394
None
2010
H.J.Res. 45
233-187
2/04/2010
60-39
1/28/2010
P.L. 111-139
2/12/2010
$14,294
None
2009
20102011
S. 365
269-161
8/01/2011
74-26
8/02/2011
P.L. 112-25a
8/02/2011
$16,394
None
2009
Sources: The LIS available at http://www.congress.gov, Annual Congressional Quarterly Almanac volumes, CRS
Report RL31967, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, by D. Andrew Austin and Mindy R. Levit, and outof-print CRS Report 97-297, Debt Limit Increases, 1978 to 1996: Fact Sheet and Uses of the Debt Limit for Other
Legislation. Enacted levels of Statutory Debt Limit were obtained from the FY2012 Budget Historical Tables
volume, Table 7.3.
Notes: For more information on temporary and permanent increases, see Table 7.3 of the FY2012 Budget
Historical Tables. Measures in Table 1 are organized by year of initial consideration of each measure.
Congressional Research Service
5
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
a.
P.L. 112-25, the Budget Control Act (BCA) included provisions allowing the debt limit to rise in three
stages—up to $2.4 trillion—following certification by the President that the debt balance was within $100
billion of the current limit. The debt limit as of January 27, 2012, is $16.4 trillion. This $16.4 trillion figure
includes incremental increases of $400 billion (August 2, 2011), $500 billion (September 22, 2011), and $1.2
trillion (January 27, 2012). More information on stipulations for debt limit increases included within P.L.
Congressional Research Service
5
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
112-25 appear in CRS Report RL31967, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, by D. Andrew Austin
and Mindy R. Levit.
Table 2. Stand-Alone Debt Limit Measures
(1978-2010)
Year of
Enactment
1978
1980
1981
1982
Bill Number
Public Law Number &
Date of Enactment
Descriptive Notes on
the Measure
H.R. 11518
P.L. 95-252
3/27/1978
None
H.R. 13385
P.L. 95-333
8/03/1978
None
H.R. 7471
P.L. 96-256
6/06/1980
None
H.J.Res. 569
P.L. 96-286
6/28/1980
On June 13, 1980, the day after Congress
completed action on the FY1981 Budget
Resolution, H.Con.Res. 307, it’sits projected
debt increase was incorporated into H.J.Res.
569, which was then deemed to have been
passed by the House. The measure was
enacted as P.L. 96-286 and included a
temporary extension of the debt limit from
June 30, 1980, to February 28, 1981.
H.J. Res. 570
P.L. 96-556
12/19/1980
A debt limit increase was incorporated in H.
H.Con. Res. 307, the FY1981 Budget Resolution
Resolution passed by the House on June 12, 1980
1980, by a
vote of 205-195. H.J. Res. 570 was
enacted as
P.L. 96-556. The enacted measure
included a
temporary extension of the debt
limit from
February 28, 1981, to September
30, 19821981.
H.R. 1553
P.L. 97-2
2/07/1981
None
H.J. Res. 266
P.L. 97-48
9/30/1981
H.J. Res. 266 was engrossed and deemed
passed by the House on May 21, 1981. After
passing the Senate, H.J. Res. 266 was enacted
as P.L. 97-48 on September 30, 1981. The
measure raised the temporary debt limit
without altering its September 30, 1981,
expiration date.
H.J. Res. 265
P.L. 97-49
9/30/1981
A debt limit figure from H. Con. Res. 307, the
FY1981 Budget Resolution, was incorporated
into H.J. Res. 265 without a vote. P.L. 97-49
as as
enacted extended the temporary limit
from from
September 30, 1981, to September 30,
1982.
H.J. Res. 519
P.L. 97-204
6/28/1982
S. Con. Res. 92, the FY1983 Budget
Resolution, automatically incorporated
respective debt limit increases in H.J. Res.
519 Res. 519
and H.J. Res. 520. Both measures were
engrossed by the House on June 23, 1982.
H.J. Res. 520 also extended the temporary
debt limit from September 30, 1982, to
September 30, 1983.
H.J. Res. 520
P.L. 97-270
9/30/1982
See notes above on H.J. Res. 519.
Congressional Research Service
6
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Year of
Enactment
Bill Number
Public Law Number &
Date of Enactment
Descriptive Notes on
the Measure
H.J.Res. 520
P.L. 97-270
9/30/1982
See notes above on H.J.Res. 519.
1983
H.J.
1983
H.J. Res. 308
P.L. 98-161
11/21/1983
None
1984
H.R. 5953
P.L. 98-342
7/6/1984
None
H.J. Res. 654
P.L. 98-475
10/13/1984
None
1986
H.R. 5395
P.L. 99-384
8/21/1986
None
1987
H.R. 2360
P.L. 100-40
5/15/1987
None
H.R. 3022
P.L. 100-80
7/30/1987
None
H.R. 3190
P.L. 100-84
8/10/1987
None
H.R. 5350
P.L. 101-350
8/09/1990
None
H.R. 5755
P.L. 101-405
10/02/1990
None
1993
H.R. 1430
P.L. 103-12
4/06/1993
None
2002
S. 2578
P.L. 107-199
6/28/2002
The House roll call votes on P.L. 107-199
included one member voting “present.”
2003
H.J. Res. 51
P.L. 108-24
5/27/2003
On April 11, 2003, pursuant to Rule XXVII,
H.J. Res. 51 was deemed to have passed the
House as a result of the adoption by the
House and the Senate of the conference
report for H. Con. Res. 95, the FY2004
Budget Budget
Resolution.
2004
S. 2986
P.L. 108-415
11/19/2004
None
2006
H.J. Res. 47
P.L. 109-182
3/20/2006
H.J. Res. 47 (P.L. 109-182) was passed
pursuant to Rule XXVII and H.Con.Res. 95,
the FY2006 Budget Resolution.
2007
H.J. Res. 43
P.L. 110-91
9/29/2007
H.J. Res. 43 (P.L.. 110-91) was passed by the
House pursuant to provisions in S. Con. Res.
21, the FY2008 Budget Resolution.
2009
H.R. 4314
P.L. 111-123
12/28/2009
None
1990
Source: The LIS, available at http://www.congress.gov, Annual Congressional Quarterly Almanac volumes, CRS
Report RL31967, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, by D. Andrew Austin and Mindy R. Levit, and outof-print CRS Report 97-297, Debt Limit Increases, 1978 to 1996: Fact Sheet and Uses of the Debt Limit for Other
Legislation.
Notes: Vote tally, enacted debt limit amounts, and other data are available in Table 1. Measures in Table 2 are
organized by year of enactment.
Congressional Research Service
7
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Table 3. Other Than Stand-Alone Debt Limit Measures
(1978-20102011)
Year of
Enactment
1979
Bill Number
Public Law
Number & Date
of Enactment
Type of Measure
Notes on the Measure
H.R. 2534
P.L. 96-5
4/02/1979
Change to Debt Limit
included as provision
within measure on
other matters
P.L. 96-5 included an increase
in savings bonds yields and
required the Congress and the
President to present budgets
that would be in balance for
FY1981 and FY1982. See also
H. Res. 183, a resolution
concurring in amendments to
H.R. 2534 as passed by the
Senate. H. Res. 183 was passed
by the House on April 2, 1979,
by a vote of 209-165. House
Roll Vote #133.
H.R. 5369
P.L. 96-78
9/29/1979
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
P.L. 96-78 included an increase
in the amount of long-term
bonds that could be
outstanding and established
House Rule 49 making the
increase in the debt limit part
of the budget process (in the
House).
1980
H.R. 7428
P.L. 96-264
6/06/1980
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
P.L. 96-264 included a repeal
of the Presidentially imposed
oil import fee under sectionSection
232(b) of the Trade Expansion
Act of 1962, 19 U.S.C.
18629(b). This legislation was
passed over a Presidential
veto.
1983
H.R. 2990
P.L. 98-34
5/26/1983
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
P.L. 98-34 included making the
whole debt limit permanent
and increasing the amount of
long-term bonds that could be
issued.
1984
H.R. 5692
P.L. 98-302
5/25/1984
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
P.L. 98-302 included an
increase in the amount of longterm bonds that could be
issued and provided some
miscellaneous administrative
authority to the Secretary of
the Treasury.
Congressional Research Service
8
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Year of
Enactment
1985
Bill Number
Public Law
Number & Date
of Enactment
Type of Measure
Notes on the Measure
H.R. 3721
P.L. 99-155
11/14/1985
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
P.L. 99-155 included a
requirement to restore Social
Security Trust Funds and to
extend for a month a number
of expiring acts, including a
cigarette tax.
H.J. Res. 372
P.L. 99-177
12/12/1985
Change in Debt Limit
included as part of
Balanced Budget and
Deficit Reduction
measure
H.J. Res. 372, enacted as P.L.
99-177, was also a vehicle for
the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Reduction Act
of 1985. The legislation also
required the Senate Finance
Committee and the House
Ways and Means Committee
to report by July 1, 1986,
legislation for alternative
minimum corporate tax.
1986
H.R. 5300
P.L. 99-509
10/21/1986
Change to Debt Limit
included in Budget
Reconciliation measure
P.L. 99-509, the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of
1986, included a debt limit
increase to sectionSection 8201 of
Title VII of the act. Section
8201 also required the
restoration of lost interest to
certain trust funds.
1987
H.J. Res. 324
P.L. 100-119
9/29/1987
Change in Debt Limit
included as part of a
Balanced Budget and
Deficit Reduction
measure
H.J. Res. 324 was also used as
the legislative vehicle for the
Balanced Budget and Emergency
Deficit Control and Reaffirmation
Act of 1987.
1989
H.R. 3024
P.L. 101-72
8/07/1989
Change to Debt Limit
within measure on
other matters
P.L. 101-72 included a change
in the method of accounting
for federal debt instruments.
H.J. Res. 280
P.L. 101-140
11/08/1989
Change in Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
Pursuant to the provisions of
H. Con. Res. 106, the FY1990
Budget Resolution, H.J. Res.
289280, was considered passed by
the House on May 17, 1989.
The House vote on the
Conference Report for H.
H.Con. Res. 106 was 241-185.
P.L. 101-140 included a repeal
of sectionSection 89
nondiscrimination, rules that
dealt with employee benefit
plans.
Congressional Research Service
9
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Year of
Enactment
1990
1993
Bill Number
Public Law
Number & Date
of Enactment
Type of Measure
Notes on the Measure
H.J. Res. 666
P.L. 101-412
10/09/1990
Change in Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
H. J. J.Res. 666 was a continuing
appropriations measure that
included a debt limit extension.
The House initially passed the
measure by a vote of 305-105
on October 7, 1990. The
Senate took up the measure
and then passed it by
unanimous consent. The
House then passed the Senate
amended measure on October
9, 1990, by a vote of 36203362-3.
The measure passed the
Senate by unanimous consent
on October 8, 1990, and was
enacted as P.L. 101-412 on
October 9, 1990
H.J. Res. 677
P.L. 101-444
10/19/1990
Change in Debt Limit
included in a continuing
resolution
None
H.J. Res. 681
P.L. 101-461
10/25/1990
Change in Debt Limit
included in a continuing
resolution
None
H.J. Res. 687
P.L. 101-467
10/28/1990
Change in Debt Limit
included in a continuing
resolution
None
H.R. 5835
P.L. 101-508
11/05/1990
Change to Debt Limit
included in Budget
Reconciliation measure
A debt limit increase was
included in sectionSection 11901 of
Title XI of the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of
1990, P.L. 101-508.
H.R. 2264
P.L. 103-66
8/10/1993
Change to Debt Limit
included in Budget
Reconciliation measure
A debt limit increase was
included in sectionSection 13411 of
Title XIII of the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of
1993, P.L. 103-66.
Congressional Research Service
10
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Year of
Enactment
1996
Bill Number
Public Law
Number & Date
of Enactment
Type of Measure
Notes on the Measure
H.R. 2924
P.L. 104-103
2/08/1996
Addressed parameters
and temporary
exemptions of certain
Social Security related
funds from the debt
limit
P.L. 104-103 temporarily
exempted from limit
obligations in an amount equal
to the monthly insurance
benefits payable under Title II
of the Social Security Act in
March 1996, The exemption
was set to expire in the event
of an increase in the debt limit
or by March 15, 1996. P.L.
104-115 temporarily exempted
from limit obligations in an
amount equal to the monthly
insurance benefits payable
under Title II of the Social
Security Act in March 1996 and
certain obligations issued to
trust funds and other Federal
Government accounts, The
exemption was set to expire
on the earlier of an increase in
the limit or by March 30, 1996.
H.R. 3021
P.L. 104-115
3/12/1996
Addressed parameters
and temporary
exemptions of certain
Social Security related
funds from the debt
limit
P.L. 104-115 temporarily
exempted from limit
obligations in an amount equal
to the monthly insurance
benefits payable under Title II
of the Social Security Act in
March 1996 and certain
obligations issued to trust
funds and other Federal
Government accounts. The
exemption was set to expire
on the earlier of an increase in
the limit or by March 30, 1996.
H.R. 3136
P.L. 104-121
3/29/1996
Change to Debt Limit
within measure on
other matters
P.L. 104-121, the Contract with
America Advancement Act,
included an increase in the
debt limit in Title III.
1997
H.R. 2015
P.L. 105-33
8/05/1997
Change to the Debt
Limit included in
Balanced Budget
measure
P.L. 107-199, the Balanced
Budget Act of 1997 included a
debt limit increase in Title V,
Subtitle G.
2008
H.R. 3221
P.L. 110-289
7/30/2008
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
H.R. 3221 (P.L.. 109 110-289), the
Housing and Economic Recovery
Act, included an increase to the
debt limit.
2008
H.R. 1424
P.L. 110-343
10/03/2008
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
H.J. ResR. 1424 (P.L.. 110-343),
the the
Emergency Economic
Stabilization Act of 2008,
included an increase to the
debt limit.
Congressional Research Service
11
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Year of
Enactment
Bill Number
Public Law
Number & Date
of Enactment
Type of Measure
Notes on the Measure
2009
H.R. 1
P.L. 111-5
2/17/2009
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
H.R. 1 (P.L. 111-5), the
American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009,
included an increase to the
debt limit.
2010
H.J. Res. 45
P.L. 111-139
2/12/2010
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
on other matters
During final consideration of
H.J. Res. 45, the House took
up up
a portion of the bill passed
by by
the Senate with an
amendment amendment
that included an
increase to
the debt limit and
passed this
portion of the
measure on
February 4, 2010.
The bill also included
included provisions related to
“Statutory PAYGO,” and
elimination of “duplicative and
wasteful spending.”
2011
S. 365
P.L. 112-25
8/02/2011
Change to Debt Limit
included within measure
addressing deficit
reduction
Final legislation was in the
form of a House amendment
in the nature of a substitute to
a previously unrelated Senate
bill. The Budget Control Act of
2011 as enacted includes
provisions aimed at deficit
reduction and an increase of
up to $2.4 trillion that would
occur in several stages.
Source: The LIS available at http://www.congress.gov, Annual Congressional Quarterly Almanac volumes, CRS
Report RL31967, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, by D. Andrew Austin and Mindy R. Levit, and outof-print CRS Report 97-297, Debt Limit Increases, 1978 to 1996: Fact Sheet and Uses of the Debt Limit for Other
Legislation.
Notes: Vote tally, enacted debt limit amounts, and other data are available in Table 1. Measures in Table 3 are
organized by year of enactment.
Selected CRS Reports and Resources
CRS Report R41965, The Budget Control Act of 2011, by Bill Heniff Jr., Elizabeth Rybicki, and
Shannon M. Mahan.
CRS Report RL31967, The Debt Limit: History and Recent Increases, by D. Andrew Austin and
Mindy R. Levit.
CRS Report RS21519, Legislative Procedures for Adjusting the Public Debt Limit: A Brief
Overview, by Bill Heniff Jr.
Additional CRS products on the federal debt are available from the collections of products under
the Fiscal Challenges Current Legislative Issues at http://www.crs.gov/pages/SubIssue.aspx?
CLIID=2073&parentID=73 on the CRS website. A CRS Key Sources product providing concise
informational and authoritative resources on the federal debt and deficit is available at
http://crs.gov/analysis/keysources/DebtandDeficit/Pages/WKS0001_Overview.aspx.
Congressional Research Service
12
Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present
Author Contact Information
Justin Murray
Information Research Specialist
jmurray@crs.loc.gov, 7-4092
Congressional Research Service
1213