A bill to provide for a temporary increase in the public debt limit, and to amend the Rules of the House of Representatives to make possible the establishment of the public debt limit in the future as a part of the congressional budget process.
PL 96-78 (H.R.5369), enacted 09/29/1979

PUBLIC LAW 96-78—SEPT. 29, 1979 
93 STAT. 589 
Public Law 96-78 
96th Congress 
An Act 
To provide for a temporary increase in the public debt limit, and to amend the Rules 
of the House of Representatives to make possible the establishment of the public 
debt limit in the future as a part of the congressional budget process. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, 
TITLE I—TEMPORARY INCREASE IN PUBLIC DEBT LIMIT; 
EXCEPTION TO INTEREST RATE CEILING ON BONDS 
SEC. lOL (a) During the period beginning on the date of the 
enactment of this Act and ending on May 31, 1980, the pubHc debt 
Umit set forth in the first sentence of section 21 of the Second Liberty 
Bond Act (31 U.S.C. 757b) shall be temporarily increased by 
$479,000,000,000. 
(b) Effective on the date of the enactment of this Act, the first 
section of the Act of April 2, 1979, entitled "An Act to provide for a 
temporary increase in the public debt limit, and for other purposes" 
(Public Law 96-5), is hereby repealed. 
SEC. 102. The last sentence of the second paragraph of the first 
section of the Second Liberty Bond Act (31 U.S.C. 752) is amended by 
striking out "$40,000,000,000" and inserting in lieu 
thereof 
"$50,000,000,000". 
TITLE II—ESTABLISHMENT OF PUBLIC DEBT LIMIT AS PART 
OF CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET PROCESS 
SEC. 201. (a) The Rules of the House of Representatives are 
amended by adding at the end thereof the following new rule: 
"RULE X L I X 
Sept. 29, 1979 
[H.R. 5369] 
Public debt limit, 
temporary 
increase; 
establishment 
as part of 
congressional 
budget process. 
31 u s e 757b 
note. 
Repeal. 
Ante, p. 8. 
ESTABLISHMENT OF STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUBLIC DEBT 
"1. Upon the adoption by the Congress (under section 301, 304, or 
310 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974) of any concurrent 
resolution on the budget setting forth as the appropriate level of the 
public debt for the period to which such concurrent resolution relates 
an amount which is different from the amount of the statutory limit 
on the public debt that would otherwise be in effect for such period, 
the enrolling clerk of the House of Representatives shall prepare an 
engrossment of a joint resolution, in the form prescribed in clause 2, 
increasing or decreasing the statutory limit on the public debt by an 
amount equal to the difference between such limit and such appropri-
ate level. The vote by which the conference report on the concurrent 
resolution on the budget was agreed to in the House (or by which the 
concurrent resolution itself was adopted in the House, if there is no 
conference report) shall be deemed to have been a vote in favor of 
such joint resolution upon final passage in the House of Representa-
tives. Upon the engrossment of such joint resolution it shall be 
31 use 
1322, 
1325, 1331. 
93 STAT. 590 
PUBLIC LAW 96-78—SEPT. 29, 1979 
deemed to have passed the House of Representatives and been duly 
certified and examined; the engrossed copy shall be signed by the 
Clerk and transmitted to the Senate for further legislative action; 
and (upon final passage by both Houses) the joint resolution shall be 
signed by the presiding officers of both Houses and presented to the 
President for his signature (and otherwise treated for all purposes) in 
the manner provided for bills and joint resolutions generally. 
"2. The matter after the resolving clause in any joint resolution 
described in clause 1 shall be as follows: 'During the period beginning 
and ending 
, the public debt limit set forth 
in the first sentence of section 21 of the Second Liberty Bond Act (31 
U.S.C. 757b) shall be temporarily increased [or decreased] by 
$ 
(and any other provision of law providing for a tempo-
rary increase [or decrease] in such limit shall not apply).'; with the 
first two blanks being filled with the beginning and ending dates of 
the fiscal year or other period to which the concurrent resolution on 
the budget just agreed to relates, and with the third blank being filled 
with a dollar figure equal to the difference between the statutory 
limit on the public debt as set forth in section 21 of the Second Liberty 
31 use 757b. 
Bond Act and the appropriate level of the public debt as set forth in 
such concurrent resolution. 
"3. The report of the Committee on the Budget of the House of 
Representatives accompanying any concurrent resolution on the 
31 use 1322. 
budget under section 301(d) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, 
as well as the joint explanatory statement accompanying the confer-
ence report on any concurrent resolution on the budget, shall contain 
a clear statement of the effect under this rule that the adoption by 
both the House and the Senate of such concurrent resolution in the 
form in which it is being reported (and the adoption of the joint 
resolution thereupon prepared and enrolled under clause 1) would 
have upon the statutory limit on the public debt. It shall not be in 
order in the House of Representatives at any time to consider or 
adopt any concurrent resolution on the budget (or agree to any 
conference report thereon) if at that time the report accompanying 
such concurrent resolution (or the joint statement accompanying 
such conference report) does not comply with the requirements of this 
clause. 
"4. Nothing in this rule shall be construed as limiting or otherwise 
affecting the power of the House of Representatives or the Senate to 
consider and pass a bill which (without regard to the procedures 
under clause 1) changes the statutory limit on the public debt most 
recently established under this rule or otherwise; and the rights of 
Members and committees of the House with respect to the introduc-
tion, consideration, and reporting of any such bill shall be determined 
as though this rule had not been adopted. 
"Statutory limit 
"5. As used in this rule, the term 'statutory limit on the public debt' 
on the public 
means the maximum face amount of obligations issued under author-
31 use 774 
^^y ®
^ ^^® Second Liberty Bond Act 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), 
31 use 757b. 
determined under section 21 of such Act after the application of the 
second sentence thereof, which may be outstanding at any one time.". 
(b)(1) Clause l(v)(5) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Repre-
sentatives is amended by inserting "(subject to the last sentence of 
clause 4(g) of this rule)" after "United States". 
(2) Clause 4(g) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives 
is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sentence: 
"The views and estimates submitted by the Committee on Ways and 
Means under the preceding sentence shall include a specific recom-
PUBLIC LAW 96-78—SEPT. 29, 1979 
93 STAT. 591 
mendation, made after holding public hearings, as to the appropriate 
level of the public debt which should be set forth in the concurrent 
resolution on the budget referred to in such sentence and serve as the 
basis for an increase or decrease in the statutory limit on such debt 
under the procedures provided by rule XLIX,". 
(c) Clause 8 of rule XXIII of the Rules of the House of Representa-
tives is amended— 
(1) by inserting "(except to the extent that the amendment 
involved is limited by the third sentence of this clause)" after 
"mathematically consistent"; and 
(2) by adding at the end thereof the following new sentence: "It 
shall not be in order in the House or in a Committee of the Whole 
to consider an amendment to a concurrent resolution on the 
budget, or any amendment to an amendment thereto, which 
changes the amount of the appropriate level of the public debt set 
forth in the concurrent resolution as reported; except that the 
amendments to achieve mathematical consistency which are 
permitted under section 305(a)(6) of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974 may include an amendment, offered by or at the 31 USC 1326. 
direction of the Committee on the Budget, to adjust the amount 
of such level to reflect any changes made in the other figures 
contained in the resolution.". 
SEC. 202. The first sentence of section 21 of the Second Liberty Bond 
Act (31 U.S.C. 757b) is amended by inserting before the period at the 
end thereof the following: ", subject to any increases or decreases in 
such limit which may from time to time be provided by law (through 
the congressional budget process as described in rule XLIX of the 
Rules of the House of Representatives or otherwise)". 
SEC. 203. The amendments made by this title shall apply with 31 USC 757b 
respect to concurrent resolutions on the budget for fiscal years ^°^-
beginning on or after October 1,1980. 
Approved September 29, 1979. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 96-472, pt. 1 (Comm. on Ways and Means). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 125 (1979): 
Sept. 26, considered and passed House. 
Sept. 28, considered and passed Senate.