RAFT Act of 2019
Latest action · Nov 19, 2019 Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedNov 19, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Reforming America's Fiscal Toolkit Act of 2019 or the RAFT Act of 2019
This bill modifies the federal budget process to provide for the establishment of a target for the ratio of the public debt to the estimated gross domestic product (GDP).
Specifically, the bill requires congressional budget resolutions to include a recommended ratio of public debt to GDP. In addition, congressional budget resolutions for even-numbered fiscal years must either (1) instruct one or more congressional committees to recommend changes in existing laws necessary to achieve the target ratio, or (2) request the establishment of a Joint Select Committee on Fiscal Responsibility to make the recommendations.
The bill also sets forth requirements for (1) establishing the Joint Select Committee on Fiscal Responsibility if it is requested, and (2) considering the recommendations of the joint committee or other congressional committees using expedited legislative procedures in the Senate.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Nov 19, 2019 to Mar 3, 2020; 2 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-HI | Ed Case | Original | Nov 19, 2019 |
| R-AR | Steve Womack | Original | Nov 19, 2019 |
| D-MN | Dean Phillips | Jan 27, 2020 | |
| D-CA | Harley Rouda | Mar 3, 2020 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Rules Committee | Referred Nov 19, 2019 |
| House | Budget Committee | Referred Nov 19, 2019 |
Actions 2
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Nov 19, 2019Introduced in House
- Nov 19, 2019Referred to the Committee on Rules, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 185, November 19, 2019, page H9058.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 116-95 | HEARING ON "MODERNIZING THE NATURAL GAS ACT TO ENSURE IT WORKS FOR EVERYONE"203 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Feb 5, 2020 |
| Serial No. 116-18 | REEXAMINING THE ECONOMIC COSTS OF DEBT135 pages | Budget Committee | Nov 20, 2019 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 915 | RAFT Act of 2021 | Reintroduced Bill | Feb 8, 2021 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide for procedures to meet a target ratio of public debt to gross domestic product, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- RAFT Act of 2019
- Reforming America’s Fiscal Toolkit Act of 2019
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Economics and Public Finance.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Nov 19, 2019Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
