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A joint resolution increasing the statutory limit on the public debt.

Public Law 98-475 · H.J.Res. 654 · 98th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 13, 1984 · Economics and Public Finance

Cosponsors: None

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateRecorded vote: 37 yea, 30 nay37–30
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.

Amends the Second Liberty Bond Act to increase the temporary public debt limit to $1,575,700,000,000, or $1,823,800,000,000 on and after October 1, 1984.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 98th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 37 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

37 yea30 nay33 present or did not vote

Dimension 2
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(0)

  • None.

Republicans who voted yea(37)

  • Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
  • Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
  • Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA
  • Sen. William CohenR-ME
  • Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
  • Sen. Larry PresslerR-SD
  • Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
  • Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
  • Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
  • Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
  • Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
  • Sen. Thad CochranR-MS
  • Sen. John DanforthR-MO
  • Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
  • Sen. Daniel EvansR-WA
  • Sen. John WarnerR-VA
  • Sen. Slade GortonR-WA
  • Sen. Paul TribleR-VA
  • Sen. William RothR-DE
  • Sen. Ted StevensR-AK
  • Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
  • Sen. Alan SimpsonR-WY
  • Sen. James AbdnorR-SD
  • Sen. Frank MurkowskiR-AK
  • Sen. Warren RudmanR-NH
  • Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
  • Sen. Pete WilsonR-CA
  • Sen. Richard LugarR-IN
  • Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
  • Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
  • Sen. Jacob HechtR-NV
  • Sen. John TowerR-TX
  • Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT
  • Sen. Dan QuayleR-IN
  • Sen. Jeremiah DentonR-AL
  • Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
  • Sen. John EastR-NC
Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 663 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 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.

  1. Oct 13, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-475.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 12, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 37-30. Record Vote No: 292.Senate roll call 292
  5. FloorFloor · Motion by Senator Baker to reconsider the vote by which the joint resolution was defeated agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
  6. FloorFloor · Motion by Senator Baker to reconsider the vote by which the resolution failed passage agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
  7. FloorFloor · Motion by Senator Baker to reconsider the vote by which the resolution failed made in Senate.
  8. FloorFloor · Failed of passage in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 14-46. Record Vote No: 290.Senate roll call 290
  9. FloorFloor · Failed of passage/not agreed to in Senate: Failed of passage in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 14-46. Record Vote No: 290.Senate roll call 290
  10. Oct 1, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House by Unanimous Consent.
  11. 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.