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Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Reaffirmation Act of 1986

Public Law 99-384 · H.R. 5395 · 99th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 21, 1986 · Economics and Public Finance

Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Rostenkowski (D-IL-8)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateRecorded vote: 36 yea, 35 nay36–35
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.

Increases the public debt limit to $2,152,000,000,000.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 99th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 36 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

36 yea35 nay29 present or did not vote

Dimension 2
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(10)

  • Sen. Paul SimonD-IL
  • Sen. Carl LevinD-MI
  • Sen. Albert GoreD-TN
  • Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE
  • Sen. Christopher DoddD-CT
  • Sen. Bill BradleyD-NJ
  • Sen. Alan DixonD-IL
  • Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
  • Sen. David BorenD-OK
  • Sen. Russell LongD-LA

Republicans who voted yea(26)

  • Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA
  • Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
  • Sen. Alfonse D’AmatoR-NY
  • Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
  • Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
  • Sen. James AbdnorR-SD
  • Sen. Nancy KassebaumR-KS
  • Sen. Slade GortonR-WA
  • Sen. Paul TribleR-VA
  • Sen. Ted StevensR-AK
  • Sen. Mitch McConnellR-KY
  • Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
  • Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
  • Sen. Richard LugarR-IN
  • Sen. Pete WilsonR-CA
  • Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
  • Sen. William RothR-DE
  • Sen. Warren RudmanR-NH
  • Sen. James BroyhillR-NC
  • Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
  • Sen. Alan SimpsonR-WY
  • Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT
  • Sen. Jacob HechtR-NV
  • Sen. James McClureR-ID
  • Sen. Steven SymmsR-ID
  • Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 636 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 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 17 actions.

  1. Aug 21, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-384.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 20, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Aug 16, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate receded from its amendment No. 2. By Voice Vote.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Disagreed to Senate Amendment 002 by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendment 001 by Unanimous Consent.
  7. FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Yea-Nay Vote. 36-35. Record Vote No: 255.Senate roll call 255
  8. FloorFloor · Motion by Senator Dole to reconsider agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
  9. FloorFloor · Failed of passage in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 34-47. Record Vote No: 254.Senate roll call 254
  10. FloorFloor · Failed of passage/not agreed to in Senate: Failed of passage in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 34-47. Record Vote No: 254.Senate roll call 254
  11. Aug 15, 1986FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  12. Aug 14, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House by Yea-Nay Vote: 216 - 199 (Record Vote No: 350).House roll call 350
  13. FloorFloor · Rule Passed House.
  14. Aug 13, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Ways and Means Committee
  15. Aug 12, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Ways and Means Committee
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Ways and Means Committee
  17. 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.