Congress · Laws

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

Public Law 101-72 · H.R. 3024 · 101st Congress · began in the House

Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Aug 7, 1989 · Economics and Public Finance

Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Rostenkowski (D-IL-8)

Cosponsors (1): Rep. Bill Archer

Passage votesYeaNay

HouseRecorded vote: 231 yea, 185 nay231–185
SenateVoice vote

Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Increases the public debt limit temporarily by $70,000,000,000.

Provides, in accounting for the public debt limit, for determining the face amount of any Government obligation issued on a discount basis that is not redeemable before maturity at the option of the holder.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 101st Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 232 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

232 yea186 nay13 present or did not vote

Dimension 2

Economic left–right

More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(182)

Rep. George CrockettD-MI-13
Rep. Gus SavageD-IL-2
Rep. Mervyn DymallyD-CA-31
Rep. Charles HayesD-IL-1
Rep. Ronald DellumsD-CA-8
Rep. Mickey LelandD-TX-18
Rep. Ed TownsD-NY-11
Rep. Edward RoybalD-CA-25
Rep. Major OwensD-NY-12
Rep. Don EdwardsD-CA-10
Rep. Robert KastenmeierD-WI-2
Rep. Henry GonzálezD-TX-20
Rep. Louis StokesD-OH-21
Rep. Theodore WeissD-NY-17
Rep. Pete StarkD-CA-9
Rep. Charlie RangelD-NY-16
Rep. John LewisD-GA-5
Rep. William LehmanD-FL-17
Rep. William CoyneD-PA-14
Rep. Donald PayneD-NJ-10
Rep. James OberstarD-MN-8
Rep. William FordD-MI-15
Rep. Carl PerkinsD-KY-7
Rep. Martin SaboD-MN-5
Rep. Floyd FlakeD-NY-6
Rep. Harold FordD-TN-9
Rep. Jim McDermottD-WA-7
Rep. Sidney YatesD-IL-9
Rep. Gary AckermanD-NY-7
Rep. Robert GarciaD-NY-18
Rep. Dick GephardtD-MO-3
Rep. Barbara BoxerD-CA-6
Rep. Norman MinetaD-CA-13
Rep. Ed MarkeyD-MA-7
Rep. James ScheuerD-NY-8
Rep. Dale KildeeD-MI-7
Rep. David BoniorD-MI-12
Rep. John DingellD-MI-16
Rep. Lane EvansD-IL-17
Rep. Gerry StuddsD-MA-10
Rep. Bruce VentoD-MN-4
Rep. Esteban TorresD-CA-34
Rep. Howard BermanD-CA-26
Rep. Thomas DowneyD-NY-2
Rep. Mary OakarD-OH-20
Rep. Dave ObeyD-WI-7
Rep. Gus HawkinsD-CA-29
Rep. Henry WaxmanD-CA-24
Rep. Victor FazioD-CA-4
Rep. William GrayD-PA-2
Rep. Steny HoyerD-MD-5
Rep. Thomas FogliettaD-PA-1
Rep. Joseph KennedyD-MA-8
Rep. Alan WheatD-MO-5
Rep. Bill AlexanderD-AR-1
Rep. Neal SmithD-IA-4
Rep. Jack BrooksD-TX-9
Rep. Julian DixonD-CA-28
Rep. Meldon LevineD-CA-27
Rep. Kweisi MfumeD-MD-7
Rep. Morris UdallD-AZ-2
Rep. Robert MatsuiD-CA-3
Rep. Eliot EngelD-NY-19
Rep. George BrownD-CA-36
Rep. John MoakleyD-MA-9
Rep. Richard DurbinD-IL-20
Rep. Harley StaggersD-WV-2
Rep. Chester AtkinsD-MA-5
Rep. Allan SwiftD-WA-2
Rep. Barney FrankD-MA-4
Rep. Daniel AkakaD-HI-2
Rep. Peter KostmayerD-PA-8
Rep. Robert MrazekD-NY-3
Rep. Stephen SolarzD-NY-13
Rep. Ronald ColemanD-TX-16
Rep. Sander LevinD-MI-17
Rep. Michael SynarD-OK-2
Rep. Chuck SchumerD-NY-10
Rep. Richard LehmanD-CA-18
Rep. Anthony BeilensonD-CA-23
Rep. Lawrence SmithD-FL-16
Rep. Lindy BoggsD-LA-2
Rep. Robert WiseD-WV-3
Rep. Walter JonesD-NC-1
Rep. Benjamin CardinD-MD-3
Rep. Jerry KleczkaD-WI-4
Rep. Martin FrostD-TX-24
Rep. Matthew MartínezD-CA-30
Rep. Albert EspyD-MS-2
Rep. Thomas MantonD-NY-9
Rep. Jerome TraxlerD-MI-8
Rep. Thomas SawyerD-OH-14
Rep. Francis McCloskeyD-IN-8
Rep. Matthew McHughD-NY-28
Rep. Les AuCoinD-OR-1
Rep. Edward FeighanD-OH-19
Rep. Albert BustamanteD-TX-23
Rep. Dante FascellD-FL-19
Rep. Rick BoucherD-VA-9
Rep. Alan MollohanD-WV-1
Rep. Howard WolpeD-MI-3
Rep. Jim MoodyD-WI-5
Rep. Leon PanettaD-CA-16
Rep. Charles RoseD-NC-7
Rep. Nicholas MavroulesD-MA-6
Rep. Bernard DwyerD-NJ-6
Rep. Barbara KennellyD-CT-1
Rep. David NagleD-IA-3
Rep. George HochbruecknerD-NY-1
Rep. Richard NealD-MA-2
Rep. Terry BruceD-IL-19
Rep. John WilliamsD-MT-1
Rep. Robert BorskiD-PA-3
Rep. Peter ViscloskyD-IN-1
Rep. Joseph BrennanD-ME-1
Rep. Bruce MorrisonD-CT-3
Rep. Henry NowakD-NY-33
Rep. Ron WydenD-OR-3
Rep. John MurthaD-PA-12
Rep. Beryl AnthonyD-AR-4
Rep. Kika de la GarzaD-TX-15
Rep. William NatcherD-KY-2
Rep. David SkaggsD-CO-2
Rep. Tom LantosD-CA-11
Rep. Donald PeaseD-OH-13
Rep. Solomon OrtizD-TX-27
Rep. Thomas LukenD-OH-1
Rep. Bart GordonD-TN-6
Rep. Robert RoeD-NJ-8
Rep. Daniel RostenkowskiD-IL-8
Rep. Jamie WhittenD-MS-1
Rep. Douglas WalgrenD-PA-18
Rep. Douglas OwensD-UT-2
Rep. Douglas BoscoD-CA-1
Rep. Brian DonnellyD-MA-11
Rep. Romano MazzoliD-KY-3
Rep. Michael McNultyD-NY-23
Rep. Jim ChapmanD-TX-1
Rep. Tony HallD-OH-3
Rep. David PriceD-NC-4
Rep. Frank AnnunzioD-IL-11
Rep. Sam GibbonsD-FL-7
Rep. Charles McMillenD-MD-4
Rep. Gerald SikorskiD-MN-6
Rep. Jake PickleD-TX-10
Rep. Nick RahallD-WV-4
Rep. Robert ClementD-TN-5
Rep. Frank GuariniD-NJ-14
Rep. Joseph GaydosD-PA-20
Rep. Charles HatcherD-GA-2
Rep. Thomas CarperD-DE
Rep. James BilbrayD-NV-1
Rep. James OlinD-VA-6
Rep. John TannerD-TN-8
Rep. Tom BevillD-AL-4
Rep. Tim JohnsonD-SD-1
Rep. John SprattD-SC-5
Rep. Michael AndrewsD-TX-25
Rep. Butler DerrickD-SC-3
Rep. Bill NelsonD-FL-11
Rep. James ClarkeD-NC-11
Rep. Harold VolkmerD-MO-9
Rep. Charles WilsonD-TX-2
Rep. James RowlandD-GA-8
Rep. Ronnie FlippoD-AL-5
Rep. Lee HamiltonD-IN-9
Rep. John BrowderD-AL-3
Rep. Norman SisiskyD-VA-4
Rep. Claude HarrisD-AL-7
Rep. Jim CooperD-TN-4
Rep. James HayesD-LA-7
Rep. David McCurdyD-OK-4
Rep. Lewis PayneD-VA-5
Rep. Ed JenkinsD-GA-9
Rep. Marilyn LloydD-TN-3
Rep. Charles BennettD-FL-3
Rep. Elizabeth PattersonD-SC-4
Rep. Timothy PennyD-MN-1
Rep. Sonny MontgomeryD-MS-3
Rep. Beverly ByronD-MD-6
Rep. Thomas HuckabyD-LA-5
Rep. Charlie StenholmD-TX-17

Republicans who voted yea(50)

Rep. Constance MorellaR-MD-8
Rep. Silvio ConteR-MA-1
Rep. Frank HortonR-NY-29
Rep. Bill GreenR-NY-15
Rep. Patricia SaikiR-HI-1
Rep. Sherry BoehlertR-NY-25
Rep. Peter SmithR-VT
Rep. Robert DavisR-MI-11
Rep. Olympia SnoweR-ME-2
Rep. Nancy JohnsonR-CT-6
Rep. Joseph McDadeR-PA-10
Rep. Sidney MorrisonR-WA-4
Rep. Jim WalshR-NY-27
Rep. Dean GalloR-NJ-11
Rep. John MillerR-WA-1
Rep. Raymond McGrathR-NY-5
Rep. Amo HoughtonR-NY-34
Rep. Marge RoukemaR-NJ-5
Rep. Norman LentR-NY-4
Rep. John PorterR-IL-10
Rep. Paul GillmorR-OH-5
Rep. Robert CoughlinR-PA-13
Rep. Willis GradisonR-OH-2
Rep. Rodney ChandlerR-WA-8
Rep. Herbert BatemanR-VA-1
Rep. David MartinR-NY-26
Rep. Chalmers WylieR-OH-15
Rep. Tommy RobinsonD-AR-2
Rep. Earl ColemanR-MO-6
Rep. Guy Vander JagtR-MI-9
Rep. Frank WolfR-VA-10
Rep. Jim McCreryR-LA-4
Rep. William LoweryR-CA-41
Rep. Lynn MartinR-IL-16
Rep. Edward MadiganR-IL-15
Rep. John WeberR-MN-2
Rep. Robert MichelR-IL-18
Rep. Arlan StangelandR-MN-7
Rep. Tom BlileyR-VA-3
Rep. Jim KolbeR-AZ-5
Rep. Newton GingrichR-GA-6
Rep. John HammerschmidtR-AR-3
Rep. Bill ThomasR-CA-20
Rep. Fred UptonR-MI-4
Rep. William DickinsonR-AL-2
Rep. John RhodesR-AZ-1
Rep. Donald SundquistR-TN-7
Rep. William FrenzelR-MN-3
Rep. Bill ArcherR-TX-7
Rep. Larry CombestR-TX-19

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 190 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Ways and Means Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported original measure

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.

Aug 7, 1989Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 101-72.
Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
Aug 4, 1989FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
Aug 1, 1989FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
FloorFloor · On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 231 - 185 (Roll no. 200).House roll call 200
FloorFloor · Rule H. Res. 217 passed House.
Jul 27, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Reported original measure by House Ways and Means Committee
CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Ways and Means Committee
CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Ways and Means Committee
IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House

Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.