Increasing the statutory limit on the public debt.
Public Law 108-24 · H.J.Res. 51 · 108th Congress · began in the House
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on May 27, 2003 · Economics and Public Finance
Cosponsors: None
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateRecorded vote: 53 yea, 44 nay53–44
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends Federal law to increase the statutory limit on the public debt from $6.4 trillion to $7.384 trillion.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 108th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 53 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
53 yea44 nay3 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(3)
- Sen. Jim JeffordsD-VT
- Sen. John BreauxD-LA
- Sen. Zell MillerD-GA
Republicans who voted yea(50)
- Sen. Lincoln ChafeeR-RI
Sen. Olympia SnoweR-ME
Sen. Susan CollinsR-ME
Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA- Sen. Mike DeWineR-OH
Sen. Gordon SmithR-OR
Sen. Lisa MurkowskiR-AK
Sen. Norm ColemanR-MN- Sen. Ben CampbellR-CO
Sen. John McCainR-AZ
Sen. George VoinovichR-OH
Sen. John WarnerR-VA
Sen. Kay HutchisonR-TX
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK
Sen. Richard LugarR-IN
Sen. Kit BondR-MO- Sen. Jim TalentR-MO
Sen. Chuck HagelR-NE- Sen. Peter FitzgeraldR-IL
Sen. Chuck GrassleyR-IA
Sen. Pat RobertsR-KS
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM- Sen. Bill FristR-TN
Sen. Lamar AlexanderR-TN
Sen. Robert BennettR-UT
Sen. Elizabeth DoleR-NC
Sen. Thad CochranR-MS
Sen. Sam BrownbackR-KS
Sen. Lindsey GrahamR-SC- Sen. George AllenR-VA
Sen. Judd GreggR-NH
Sen. Richard ShelbyR-AL
Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT
Sen. Saxby ChamblissR-GA
Sen. Mitch McConnellR-KY- Sen. Conrad BurnsR-MT
Sen. Trent LottR-MS- Sen. Rick SantorumR-PA
Sen. John CornynR-TX
Sen. John SununuR-NH
Sen. Jim BunningR-KY
Sen. Mike CrapoR-ID
Sen. Jim InhofeR-OK
Sen. Larry CraigR-ID
Sen. Jeff SessionsR-AL
Sen. Wayne AllardR-CO
Sen. Michael EnziR-WY- Sen. Craig ThomasR-WY
Sen. Jon KylR-AZ- Sen. Don NicklesR-OK
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 202 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.
Committees
The record shows no committee referral for this bill.
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.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.Con.Res. 95Procedurally-relatedRelated bill
Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2004 and setting forth appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2003 and 2005 through 2013.
S. 2986 · became Public Law 108-415Related bill
A bill to amend title 31 of the United States Code to increase the public debt limit.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- May 27, 2003Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-24.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 23, 2003FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 53 - 44. Record Vote Number: 202.Senate roll call 202
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- May 1, 2003CalendarCalendar · Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 80.
- Apr 30, 2003CalendarCalendar · Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
- Apr 11, 2003FloorFloor · The Chair announced that pursuant to Rule XXVII, as a result of the adoption by the House and the Senate of the conference report on H. Con. Res. 95, H. J. Res. 51, increasing the statutory limit on the public debt, has been engrossed and is deemed to have passed the House on Ap…
- FloorFloor · On passage Deemed passed.
- CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
8 amendments offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Rejected
S.Amdt. 839SenateSen. Richard DurbinD-IL· offered May 23, 2003Rejected
To require a CBO report on any new debt created by a budget resolution upon the reporting of that budget resolution.
May 23, 2003: Amendment SA 839 not agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Rejected
S.Amdt. 838SenateSen. Tom HarkinD-IA· offered May 23, 2003Rejected
Requiring estimates of certain decreases in Federal revenues for periods after the decrease is sunset.
May 23, 2003: Amendment SA 838 not agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Rejected
S.Amdt. 837SenateSen. Byron DorganD-ND· offered May 23, 2003Rejected
To impose limits on United States foreign debt.
May 23, 2003: Amendment SA 837 not agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
- Rejected
S.Amdt. 836SenateSen. Fritz HollingsD-SC· offered May 23, 2003Rejected
To limit the applicability of public debt limit to social security trust funds.
May 23, 2003: Motion to table amendment SA 836 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 52 - 46. Record Vote Number: 201.
- Ruled out of order
S.Amdt. 835SenateSen. Russell FeingoldD-WI· offered May 23, 2003Ruled out of order
To extend the current-law pay-as-you-go requirement.
May 23, 2003: Amendment SA 835 ruled out of order by the chair.
- Rejected
S.Amdt. 834SenateSen. Tom DaschleD-SD· offered May 23, 2003Rejected
To express the sense of the Senate that Social Security cost-of-living adjustments should not be reduced.
May 23, 2003: Motion to table amendment SA 834 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 52 - 47. Record Vote Number: 198.
- Rejected
S.Amdt. 833SenateSen. Max BaucusD-MT· offered May 23, 2003Rejected
To reduce the amount by which the statutory limit on the public debt is increased.
May 23, 2003: Amendment SA 833 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 47 - 52. Record Vote Number: 197.
- Rejected
S.Amdt. 832SenateSen. Ted KennedyD-MA· offered May 23, 2003Rejected
To extend the Temporary Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002, to provide additional weeks of temporary extended unemployment compensation, and to make extended unemployment benefits under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act temporaril…
May 23, 2003: Motion to table amendment SA 832 agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 50 - 49. Record Vote Number: 199.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.