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Federal Property Management Improvement Act of 1988

Public Law 100-612 · H.R. 5104 · 100th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 5, 1988 · Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor: Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX-9)

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.

Federal Property Management Improvement Act of 1988 - Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to allow surplus government property which is to be sold at fixed sale prices to be offered to specified organizations that have expressed an interest in such property in order to permit them a prior opportunity to make the purchase. Describes such organizations as States, territories, possessions, political subdivisions, or tax-supported agencies.

Requires an explanatory statement of the circumstances of each disposal by negotiation of: (1) any personal property which has an estimated fair market value in excess of $15,000; (2) any real property that has an estimated fair market value in excess of $100,000; (3) any real property disposed of by lease for a term of five years or less, if the estimated fair annual rent is in excess of $100,000 for any of such years; (4) any real property disposed of by lease for a term of more than five years, if the total estimated rent over the term of the lease is in excess of $100,000; or (5) any real property or real and related personal property disposed of by exchange, regardless of value, or any property any part of the consideration for which is real property. (Current provisions require such a statement for each disposal by negotiation of any real or personal property having a fair market value in excess of $1,000.) Requires the annual report of the Administrator of General Services to contain a listing and description of any negotiated disposals of surplus property having an estimated fair market value of more than $15,000, in the case of real property, or $5,000, in the case of any other property, other than disposals for which an explanatory statement has been prepared.

Requires the Administrator to report to the Congress biennially on programs for the donation of Federal surplus property. Requires a copy of such report to be sent to the Comptroller General for review and evaluation.

Authorizes the use of proceeds from dispositions of surplus real and related personal property for costs of environmental and historic preservation services.

Requires the advice of the Attorney General with respect to the antitrust implications of the disposal of real property if the estimated fair market value is less than $3,000,000 (currently, $1,000,000).

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. 15 actions.

  1. Nov 5, 1988Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 100-612.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 27, 1988PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 20, 1988FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  5. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  6. Sep 15, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  7. Sep 13, 1988FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  8. Sep 9, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  9. Aug 9, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  10. Aug 3, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  11. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  12. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  14. Jul 28, 1988CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  15. 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.