Title: Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to reinstate the "Gephardt rule".
Policy area: Congress

Summary:
Amends the Rules of the House of Representatives to: (1) redesignate Rule XXIX (General Provisions) as Rule XXX; and (2) insert after Rule XXVIII (Reserved) new Rule XXIX (Statutory Limit on Public Debt) to reinstate the "Gephardt rule," repealed by H.Res. 5 (adopting the Rules of the House for the 112th Congress).
The Gephardt rule: (1) provided for an automatic engrossment and transmittal to the Senate of a joint resolution changing the public debt limit, upon the adoption of a budget resolution; and (2) avoided a separate vote in the House on public debt-limit legislation.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 512 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 512

  Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to reinstate the 
                           ``Gephardt rule''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 8, 2017

Mr. Welch submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                           Committee on Rules

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to reinstate the 
                           ``Gephardt rule''.

    Resolved, That the Rules of the House of Representatives is amended 
by redesignating rule XXIX as rule XXX and by inserting after rule 
XXVIII the following new rule:

                              ``RULE XXIX

                    ``Statutory Limit on Public Debt

    ``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 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.
    ``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 to in the preceding sentence shall be filled with the 
limitation that is to apply for each period.
    ``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.
    ``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 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.''.
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