Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988
Public Law 100-394 · H.R. 2213 · 100th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 16, 1988 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Nicholas Mavroules (D-MA-6)
Cosponsors (131): Rep. Ed Markey, Rep. Allan Swift,
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.
Hearing Aid Compatibility Act of 1988 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require all essential telephones (coin-operated telephones, telephones provided for emergency use, and other telephones frequently needed by persons using hearing aids) and all telephones manufactured in the United States or imported for use in the United States to be hearing aid compatible. Exempts telephones used with public mobile services or private radio services, certain cordless telephones, and secure telephones.
Requires the Federal Communications Commission to assess periodically the exemptions provided for telephones used with public mobile services or private radio services and to revoke or limit these exemptions under specified circumstances.
Permits waivers (except for essential telephones) in connection with terminal equipment associated with a new technology or service in the public interest if compliance would be technologically infeasible or would entail costs preventing successful marketing of the technology or service.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Energy and Commerce Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee
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. 14 actions.
- Aug 16, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-394.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 5, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Jul 28, 1988Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 11, 1988FloorFloor · Passed Senate in lieu of S. 314 with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- Jun 8, 1988FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 391 - 15 (Record Vote No: 173).House roll call 173
- Jun 7, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- May 18, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Apr 28, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Feb 24, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- May 6, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Apr 29, 1987CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce 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.