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Outer Continental Shelf Operations Indemnification Clarification Act of 1988

Public Law 100-610 · H.R. 4517 · 100th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 5, 1988 · Environmental Protection

Sponsor: Rep. Walter Jones (D-NC-1)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Outer Continental Shelf Operations Indemnification Clarification Act of 1988 - Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act Amendments of 1978 to authorize any owner or operator of an offshore facility to enter into an idemnity, hold harmless, or similar agreement regarding their oil pollution liability, but prohibits such agreements from relieving them of liability under the Act or altering the Act's financial responsibility requirements.

Limits the liability of any guarantor in a direct action suit brought under the Act to the monetary limits of the instrument obtained from the guarantor by the liable party.

Requires the Secretary of the Interior to designate Pettaquamscutt Cove in Rhode Island as a National Wildlife Refuge. Authorizes appropriations.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Coast Guard and Navigation 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.

  1. Nov 5, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-610.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 27, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 19, 1988Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Voice Vote.
  5. Oct 14, 1988FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
  6. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  7. Jun 20, 1988FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  8. Jun 16, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
  9. Jun 8, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
  10. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Coast Guard and Navigation Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
  11. May 6, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Coast Guard and Navigation Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
  12. May 3, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
  13. 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.