A bill to provide for a temporary increase in the public debt limit, and for other purposes.
Public Law 96-5 · H.R. 2534 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Apr 2, 1979 · Economics and Public Finance
Sponsor: Rep. Albert Ullman (D-OR-2)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateRecorded vote: 62 yea, 33 nay62–33
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.
(Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #28 (62-33))
Amends the Second Liberty Bond Act to increase the temporary public debt limit by $430,000,000,000 until September 30, 1979.
Increases the face amount of bonds with interest rates exceeding four and one-half percent which may be outstanding at any time to $40,000,000,000.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury, with the approval of the President, to increase the investment yield on any United States savings bonds above five and one-half percent provided such yield does not exceed seven percent per annum compounded semi-annually.
Requires the Congress to balance the Federal budget. Directs the Budget Committees to report balanced Fiscal Year Budgets for 1981 and for 1982 along with economic impact statements.
Requires the President, if he submits to the Congress a budget which would, if adopted, result in a deficit in fiscal year 1981 or in fiscal year 1982, to submit an alternative budget which is in balance. Stipulates that such alternative budget shall include a clear and understandable explanation of specific differences between the budget and alternate budget proposals.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 96th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 63 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
63 yea33 nay4 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(48)
- Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
- Sen. George McGovernD-SD
- Sen. Howard MetzenbaumD-OH
- Sen. Edmund MuskieD-ME
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Paul TsongasD-MA
- Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE- Sen. John CulverD-IA
Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
- Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
- Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
- Sen. Bill BradleyD-NJ
- Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
- Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
- Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
- Sen. Abraham RibicoffD-CT
- Sen. Birch BayhD-IN
- Sen. Dee HuddlestonD-KY
- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
Sen. Carl LevinD-MI- Sen. Warren MagnusonD-WA
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. Gary HartD-CO
- Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
Sen. Max BaucusD-MT- Sen. Daniel MoynihanD-NY
- Sen. John DurkinD-NH
- Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
- Sen. Frank ChurchD-ID
- Sen. John GlennD-OH
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
- Sen. John MelcherD-MT
- Sen. Robert MorganD-NC
- Sen. Herman TalmadgeD-GA
- Sen. James ExonD-NE
- Sen. David PryorD-AR
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
- Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. Dick StoneD-FL
Republicans who voted yea(15)
- Sen. Jacob JavitsR-NY
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
- Sen. Milton YoungR-ND
- Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
- Sen. John DanforthR-MO
- Sen. William CohenR-ME
- Sen. Henry BellmonR-OK
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK- Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
- Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
- Sen. Harrison SchmittR-NM
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 28 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 committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Apr 2, 1979Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-5.
- PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments (See H. Res. 183).
- Mar 27, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #28 (62-33).Senate roll call 28
- Mar 21, 1979FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Mar 15, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, roll call #41 (212-195).House roll call 41
- Mar 8, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Ways and Means Committee
- Mar 1, 1979CommitteeCommittee · 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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.