I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4262 

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require a two-thirds 

recorded vote in the House of Representatives and in the Senate to 

increase the statutory limit on the public debt, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 10, 2009 

Mr. SCALISE (for himself, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. POSEY, Mr. THOMPSON of 

Pennsylvania, Mr. AKIN, Mr. WAMP, Mr. BROUN of Georgia, Mr. 

HUNTER, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. LEE of New York, Mr. GINGREY of Georgia, 

Mr. PITTS, Mr. MARCHANT, Mr. SHADEGG, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. 

FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. CONAWAY, Mr. COLE, Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. 

GOHMERT, Mr. HALL of Texas, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. BARTLETT, 

Mr. BISHOP of Utah, Mr. CHAFFETZ, Mr. FLEMING, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. 

PAULSEN, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Mr. CARTER, Mr. GRAVES, Mr. ROONEY, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BARTON of Texas, Mr. 

BRADY of Texas, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. PAUL, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. WILSON

of South Carolina, Mr. KINGSTON, Mr. JONES, Mr. LUETKEMEYER, Mrs. 

CAPITO, Mr. INGLIS, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, Mr. JORDAN

of Ohio, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. CULBERSON, and Mr. HELLER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Rules, 

and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require 

a two-thirds recorded vote in the House of Representatives and in the Senate to increase the statutory limit 

on the public debt, and for other purposes. 


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•HR 4262 IH

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Control America’s 

5 Purse-strings to Deliver a Better Tomorrow Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘CAP the DEBT Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. TWO-THIRDS RECORDED VOTE REQUIRED TO IN8 CREASE STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUBLIC 

9 DEBT. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Congressional 

11 Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the 

12 following new section: 

13 ‘‘TWO-THIRDS RECORDED VOTE REQUIRED TO INCREASE

14 STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUBLIC DEBT

15 ‘‘SEC. 316. (a) IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA16 TIVES.—(1) It shall not be in order in the House of Rep17 resentatives to consider any bill or joint resolution, or 

18 amendment thereto or conference report thereon, that in19 creases the statutory limit on the public debt if there is 

20 any other matter in such measure. 

21 ‘‘(2) A bill or joint resolution, or amendment thereto 

22 or conference report thereon, that increases the statutory 

23 limit on the public debt may not be considered as passed 

24 or agreed to in the House of Representatives unless so 

25 determined by a recorded vote of not less than two-thirds 

26 of the Members voting, a quorum being present. 


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1 ‘‘(b) IN THE SENATE.—(1) It shall not be in order 

2 in the Senate to consider any bill or joint resolution, or 

3 amendment thereto or conference report thereon, that in4 creases the statutory limit on the public debt if there is 

5 any other matter in such measure. 

6 ‘‘(2) A bill or joint resolution, or amendment thereto 

7 or conference report thereon, that increases the statutory 

8 limit on the public debt may not be considered as passed 

9 or agreed to in the Senate unless so determined by a roll 

10 call vote of not less than two-thirds of the Members voting, 

11 a quorum being present. 

12 ‘‘(3) An affirmative roll call vote of two-thirds of the 

13 Members, duly chosen and sworn, shall be required in the 

14 Senate to sustain an appeal of the ruling of the Chair on 

15 a point of order raised under this subsection.’’. 

16 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con17 tents set forth in section 1(b) of the Congressional Budget 

18 and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 is amended by in19 serting after the item relating to section 315 the following 

20 new item: 

‘‘Sec. 316. Two-thirds recorded vote required to increase statutory limit on the 

public debt.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. REPEAL OF THE GEPHARDT RULE. 

2 Rule XXVIII of the Rules of the House of Represent3 atives (relating to the statutory limit on the public debt) 

4 is repealed and rule XXIX is redesignated as rule XXVIII. 

Æ 


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