I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5178 
To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide for procedures 
to meet a target ratio of public debt to gross domestic product, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 19, 2019 
Mr. BURCHETT (for himself, Mr. CASE, and Mr. WOMACK) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined 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 provide 
for procedures to meet a target ratio of public debt 
to gross domestic product, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reforming America’s 
Fiscal Toolkit Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘RAFT Act of 2019’’. 
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SEC. 2. RATIO OF PUBLIC DEBT TO GDP INCLUDED IN CON-
CURRENT RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 301(a) of the Congres-
sional Budget Act of 1974 is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end of paragraph (6), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’ at the end of paragraph (7), and by add-
ing after paragraph (7) the following: 
‘‘(8) the recommended ratio of the public debt 
to the estimated gross domestic product.’’. 
(b) DEFINITION OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT.— 
Section 3 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment 
Control Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the 
following new paragraph: 
‘‘(12) The term ‘gross domestic product’ means 
the gross domestic product of the United States, as 
determined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of 
the Department of Commerce.’’. 
SEC. 3. INSTRUCTIONS TO COMMITTEES ON MEETING TAR-
GET RATIO OF PUBLIC DEBT TO GDP IN-
CLUDED IN CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON 
THE BUDGET. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title III of the Congressional 
Budget Act of 1974 is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘INSTRUCTIONS FOR RATIO OF THE PUBLIC DEBT TO 
THE ESTIMATED GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT 
‘‘SEC. 316. (a) IN GENERAL.—A concurrent resolu-
tion on the budget for an even-numbered fiscal year shall 
either— 
‘‘(1) include instructions to one or more committees 
to determine and recommend changes in existing law nec-
essary to achieve the ratio of the public debt to the esti-
mated gross domestic product as set forth in that resolu-
tion; or 
‘‘(2) request that the Speaker and the minority leader 
of the House of Representatives and majority and minor-
ity leaders of the Senate publish a statement in the Con-
gressional Record establishing the Joint Select Committee 
on Fiscal Responsibility under section 317. 
‘‘(b) COMPLIANCE.—The committee or committees 
(as the case may be) receiving instructions as described 
in subsection (a) shall be deemed to have complied with 
the required net reduction in the public debt set forth in 
such instructions, as required by subsection (a), if— 
‘‘(1) the amount of changes are not less than 
80 percent of the total amount of changes assigned 
to the committee or committees (as the case may be) 
in such instructions necessary to achieve the reduc-
tion in the debt; and 
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‘‘(2) the chair of the Committees on the Budget 
of the House of Representatives or the Senate, as 
applicable, submits a statement to the Congressional 
Record certifying that paragraph (1) has been com-
plied with. 
‘‘(c) FAILURE TO COMPLY.—The Committee on the 
Budget of the House of Representatives or the Senate 
shall recommend changes in existing law necessary to 
achieve changes specified by directives described in sub-
section (a) contained in a concurrent resolution on the 
budget if a minority of the committees so instructed fail 
to submit recommended changes to its Committee on the 
Budget pursuant to its instruction. 
‘‘(d) CBO ESTIMATES.—The Congressional Budget 
Office shall provide estimates of the legislative text consid-
ered under this section in accordance with sections 308(a) 
and 201(f). 
‘‘(e) LEGISLATIVE PROCEDURE.—If a concurrent 
resolution containing directives to one or more committees 
to determine and recommend changes in laws, bills, or res-
olutions is agreed to in accordance with subsection (a), 
and— 
‘‘(1) only one committee of the House or the 
Senate is directed to determine and recommend 
changes, that committee shall promptly make such 
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determination and recommendations and report to 
its House legislation containing such recommenda-
tions; or 
‘‘(2) more than one committee of the House or 
the Senate is directed to determine and recommend 
changes, each such committee so directed shall 
promptly 
make 
such 
determination 
and 
rec-
ommendations and submit such recommendations to 
the Committee on the Budget of its House, which 
upon receiving all such recommendations, shall re-
port to its House legislation carrying out all such 
recommendations. 
‘‘(f) EXPEDITED CONSIDERATION IN THE SENATE.— 
‘‘(1) MOTION TO PROCEED.—Notwithstanding 
Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate, it 
is in order, not later than 3 days of session after the 
date on which a bill is reported pursuant to sub-
section (e) from all committees to which it was re-
ferred, for the majority leader of the Senate or the 
majority leader’s designee to move to proceed to the 
consideration of the bill. It shall also be in order for 
any Member of the Senate to move to proceed to the 
consideration of the bill at any time after the conclu-
sion of such 2-day period. A motion to proceed is in 
order even though a previous motion to the same ef-
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fect has been disagreed to. All points of order 
against the motion to proceed to the bill are waived. 
The motion to proceed is not debatable. The motion 
is not subject to a motion to postpone. A motion to 
reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to 
or disagreed to shall not be in order. If a motion to 
proceed to the consideration of the bill is agreed to, 
the bill shall remain the unfinished business until 
disposed of. 
‘‘(2) CONSIDERATION.—All points of order 
against the bill and against consideration of the bill 
are waived. Consideration of the bill and of all de-
batable motions and appeals in connection therewith 
shall not exceed a total of 20 hours which shall be 
divided equally between the majority and minority 
leaders or their designees. A motion further to limit 
debate on the bill is in order, shall require an af-
firmative vote of three-fifths of the Members duly 
chosen and sworn, and is not debatable. Any debat-
able motion or appeal is debatable for not to exceed 
1 hour, to be divided equally between those favoring 
and those opposing the motion or appeal. All time 
used for consideration of the bill, including time 
used for quorum calls and voting, shall be counted 
against the total 20 hours of consideration. 
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‘‘(C) Four members from among Members 
of the House of Representatives, of which one 
shall be a member of the Committee on Ways 
and Means and one shall be a member of the 
Committee on the Budget, appointed by the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives. 
‘‘(D) Four members from among Members 
of the House of Representatives, of which one 
shall be a member of the Committee on Ways 
and Means and one shall be a member of the 
Committee on the Budget, appointed by the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives after 
consultation with the minority leader of the 
House of Representatives. 
‘‘(3) DEADLINE.—Members of the joint com-
mittee shall be appointed not later than 15 calendar 
days after the date of the establishment of the joint 
committee under this section. Any vacancy occurring 
in the membership of the joint committee shall be 
filled in the same manner in which the original ap-
pointment was made. 
‘‘(4) CO-CHAIRS.—Two of the appointed mem-
bers of the joint committee will serve as co-chairs, 
one of which shall be a member of the House of 
Representatives and one of which shall be a member 
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