A bill to temporarily increase the limit on the public debt and to restore the investments of the Social Security Trust Funds and other trust funds.
Public Law 99-155 · H.R. 3721 · 99th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 14, 1985 · Economics and Public Finance
Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Rostenkowski (D-IL-8)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. John Duncan
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- 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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Increases the public debt limit until December 6, 1985, by an amount determined by the Secretary of the Treasury to be necessary to permit the United States to meet its obligations, but not in excess of $1,903,800,000,000. Directs the Secretary to restore to the Social Security Trust Funds and any other Government trust funds any securities disinvested since September 30, 1985.
Extends to December 14, 1985: (1) the increase in the excise tax on cigarettes; (2) the trade adjustment assistance program; (3) borrowing authority under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act; and (4) Medicare hospital and physician payments.
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. 10 actions.
- Nov 14, 1985Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-155.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 13, 1985FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Passed House by Yea-Nay Vote: 300 - 121 (Record Vote No: 405).House roll call 405
- FloorFloor · Rule Passed House.
- Nov 12, 1985CommitteeCommittee · 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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.