    [Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 106th Congress]
    [106th Congress]
    [House Document 105-358]
    [Rules of the House of Representatives]
    [Pages 845-848]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

                  Rule XXIII.--STATUTORY LIMIT ON PUBLIC DEBT

    [[Page 846]]

    amount that is different from the amount of the statutory limit on the
    public debt that otherwise would be in effect for that period, the Clerk
    shall prepare an engrossment of a joint resolution increasing or
    decreasing, as the case may be, the statutory limit on the public debt
    in the form prescribed in clause 2. Upon engrossment of the joint
    resolution, the vote by which the concurrent resolution on the budget
    was finally agreed to in the House shall also be considered as a vote on
    passage of the joint resolution in the House, and the joint resolution
    shall be considered as passed by the House and duly certified and
    examined. The engrossed copy shall be signed by the Clerk and
    transmitted to the Senate for further legislative action.

    Sec. 1094. Public debt limit.

      1.  Upon adoption by Congress
    of a concurrent resolution on the budget under section 301 or 304 of the
    Congressional Budget Act of 1974 that sets forth, as the appropriate
    level of the public debt for the period to which the concurrent
    resolution relates, an

    [[Page 847]]

    to in the preceding sentence shall be filled with the limitation that is
    to apply for each period.
      2. The matter after the resolving clause in a joint resolution
    described in clause 1 shall be as follows: ``That subsection (b) of
    section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out
    the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu
    thereof `$____'.'', with the blank being filled with a dollar limitation
    equal to the appropriate level of the public debt set forth pursuant to
    section 301(a)(5) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 in the
    relevant concurrent resolution described in clause 1. If an adopted
    concurrent resolution under clause 1 sets forth different appropriate
    levels of the public debt for separate periods, only one engrossed joint
    resolution shall be prepared under clause 1; and the blank referred

      3. (a) The report of the Committee on the Budget on a concurrent
    resolution described in clause 1 and the joint explanatory statement of
    the managers on a conference report to accompany such a concurrent
    resolution each shall contain a clear statement of the effect the
    eventual enactment of a joint resolution engrossed under this rule would
    have on the statutory limit on the public debt.

      (b) It shall not be in order for the House to consider a concurrent
    resolution described in clause 1, or a conference report thereon, unless
    the report of the Committee on the Budget or the joint explanatory
    statement of the managers complies with paragraph (a).

      4. Nothing in this rule shall be construed as limiting or otherwise
    affecting--

          (a) the power of the House or the Senate to consider and pass
    bills or joint resolutions, without regard to the procedures under
    clause 1, that would change the statutory limit on the public debt; or

          (b) the rights of Members, Delegates, the Resident Commissioner,
    or committees with respect to the introduction, consideration, and
    reporting of such bills or joint resolutions.

    [[Page 848]]

    United States (except such guaranteed obligations as may be held by the
    Secretary of the Treasury), as determined under section 3101(b) of such
    title after the application of section 3101(a) of such title, that may
    be outstanding at any one time.

      5. In this rule the term ``statutory limit on the public debt'' means
    the maximum face amount of obligations issued under authority of chapter
    31 of title 31, United States Code, and obligations guaranteed as to
    principal and interest by the

      This rule (former rule XLIX) was added in the 96th Congress by Public
    Law 96-78 (93 Stat. 589) and was originally applicable to concurrent
    resolutions on the budget for fiscal years beginning on or after October
    1, 1980 (fiscal 1981). However, in the 96th Congress (H. Res. 642, Apr.
    23, 1980, p. 8800), the provisions of that public law amending the Rules
    of the House were made applicable to the third concurrent resolution on
    the budget for fiscal year 1980 as well as the first concurrent
    resolution on the budget for fiscal 1981 (H. Con. Res. 307, June 12,
    1980, pp. 14505-19; see H.J. Res. 569 and H.J. Res. 570, June 13, 1980,
    p. 14609). Conforming changes were made in clauses 2 and 5 of this rule
    with the codification of title 31, United States Code, by Public Law 97-
    258 (96 Stat. 1066). The rule was amended in the 98th Congress (H. Res.
    241, June 23, 1983, p. 17162) to reflect the enactment into law (P.L.
    98-34) of a new permanent, rather than temporary, debt limit. Clause 2
    of the rule was rewritten, and clause 1 modified, to change the form of
    the joint resolution engrossed pursuant to the rule in order to delete
    references to a temporary debt limit and to reflect instead changes in a
    permanent debt limit. The rules change also provided that where a budget
    resolution contains more than one public debt limit figure (for the
    current and the next fiscal year), only one joint resolution be
    engrossed, containing the debt limit figure for the current fiscal year
    with a time limitation, and the debt limit figure for the following
    fiscal year as the permanent limit. The date of final House action in
    adopting the conference report on the concurrent resolution on the
    budget, rather than the date of final Senate action, when later, is the
    appropriate date under this rule for deeming the House to have passed
    the joint resolution (July 14, 1986, p. 16316; Speaker Wright, June 25,
    1987, p. 17424). Another conforming change in clause 1 was made in the
    Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (P.L. 99-177,
    Dec. 12, 1985, p. 36209) to delete reference to a second concurrent
    resolution on the budget (no longer required under section 310 of the
    Budget Act). This rule was rendered inapplicable to a conference report
    on a concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2000 (H. Res.
    131, Mar. 25, 1999, p. ----). Before the House recodified its rules in
    the 106th Congress, this provision was found in former rule XLIX (H.
    Res. 5, Jan. 6, 1999, p. ----).