Amending the Rules of the House of Representatives to reinstate the "Gephardt rule".

Bill: 115-hres-512
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Welch, Peter [D-VT-At Large]
Introduced: 2017-09-08
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt

Congressional operations and organization

House of Representatives

Legislative rules and procedure

Senate
Latest action: action_date: 2017-09-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Rules.

Summaries:
action_date: 2017-09-08
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>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after Rule XXVIII (Reserved) new Rule XXIX (Statutory Limit on Public Debt) to reinstate the &quot;Gephardt rule,&quot; repealed by H.Res. 5 (adopting the Rules of the House for the 112th Congress).</p> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: IV 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 512 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 .

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. .