A joint resolution to provide for a temporary increase in the public debt limit.
Public Law 97-49 · H.J.Res. 265 · 97th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Sep 30, 1981 · Economics and Public Finance
Cosponsors: None
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateRecorded vote: 64 yea, 34 nay64–34
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 the Second Liberty Bond Act to increase the temporary public debt limit for fiscal year 1982 by $679,800,000,000.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 97th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 64 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
64 yea35 nay1 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(18)
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
Sen. Carl LevinD-MI- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
Sen. Christopher DoddD-CT- Sen. Paul TsongasD-MA
Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE- Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. Bill BradleyD-NJ
- Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
- Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
- Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
Republicans who voted yea(46)
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
- Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA- Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
- Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
- Sen. Larry PresslerR-SD
- Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
- Sen. Mark AndrewsR-ND
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. William CohenR-ME
- Sen. William RothR-DE
- Sen. Paula HawkinsR-FL
- Sen. Nancy KassebaumR-KS
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. John DanforthR-MO
- Sen. Alfonse D’AmatoR-NY
- Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
- Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
- Sen. James AbdnorR-SD
- Sen. Robert KastenR-WI
- Sen. Harrison SchmittR-NM
- Sen. Slade GortonR-WA
- Sen. Warren RudmanR-NH
Sen. Thad CochranR-MS- Sen. Roger JepsenR-IA
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK- Sen. Alan SimpsonR-WY
- Sen. Frank MurkowskiR-AK
Sen. Richard LugarR-IN
Sen. John WarnerR-VA
Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT- Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
- Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
- Sen. Malcolm WallopR-WY
- Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
- Sen. Jeremiah DentonR-AL
- Sen. John TowerR-TX
- Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
- Sen. Samuel HayakawaR-CA
- Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
- Sen. Dan QuayleR-IN
- Sen. James McClureR-ID
- Sen. John EastR-NC
- Sen. Barry GoldwaterR-AZ
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 298 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. 9 actions.
- Sep 30, 1981Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-49.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Sep 29, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 64-34. Record Vote No: 298.Senate roll call 298
- Sep 15, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Finance Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Finance Committee
- May 21, 1981FloorFloor · Engrossed and Deemed Passed.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Finance 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.