InsideGov
Congress · Laws

Major Fraud Act Amendments of 1989

Public Law 101-123 · S. 248 · 101st Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Oct 23, 1989 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Sen. Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH)

Cosponsors (1): Sen. Chuck Grassley

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateRecorded vote: 82 yea, 16 nay82–16
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.

Report a correction

Summary

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

Major Fraud Act Amendments of 1989 - Amends the Federal criminal code to authorize: (1) the Attorney General, under special circumstances, to make payments from Department of Justice funds to individuals furnishing information relating to a possible prosecution for a major fraud against the United States; and (2) the court, upon application by the Attorney General, to order that the Department shall be reimbursed for a payment from a criminal fine imposed for such fraud.

Makes ineligible for such a payment any individual who: (1) is a Government officer or employee acting in the performance of official duties; (2) failed to furnish the information to such individual's employer prior to furnishing it to law enforcement authorities (with exceptions); (3) is not the original source of the information which has been disclosed to the public; or (4) participated in the violation with respect to which payment would be made.

Specifies that the failure of the Attorney General to authorize a payment shall not be subject to judicial review.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 101st Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 83 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

83 yea16 nay1 present or did not vote

Dimension 2
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(44)

  • Sen. Howard MetzenbaumD-OH
  • Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA
  • Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
  • Sen. Brock AdamsD-WA
  • Sen. Barbara MikulskiD-MD
  • Sen. Paul SimonD-IL
  • Sen. James SasserD-TN
  • Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
  • Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT
  • Sen. Tom HarkinD-IA
  • Sen. Kent ConradD-ND
  • Sen. Tom DaschleD-SD
  • Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
  • Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV
  • Sen. Daniel MoynihanD-NY
  • Sen. John KerryD-MA
  • Sen. Bill BradleyD-NJ
  • Sen. Frank LautenbergD-NJ
  • Sen. Timothy WirthD-CO
  • Sen. Jay RockefellerD-WV
  • Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
  • Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
  • Sen. George MitchellD-ME
  • Sen. Carl LevinD-MI
  • Sen. Herb KohlD-WI
  • Sen. Christopher DoddD-CT
  • Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE
  • Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI
  • Sen. James SanfordD-NC
  • Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
  • Sen. Wyche FowlerD-GA
  • Sen. Richard BryanD-NV
  • Sen. Max BaucusD-MT
  • Sen. Dennis DeConciniD-AZ
  • Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
  • Sen. John BreauxD-LA
  • Sen. James ExonD-NE
  • Sen. Bob GrahamD-FL
  • Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
  • Sen. Charles RobbD-VA
  • Sen. Alan DixonD-IL
  • Sen. David BorenD-OK
  • Sen. Richard ShelbyD-AL
  • Sen. Howell HeflinD-AL

Republicans who voted yea(39)

  • Sen. Jim JeffordsR-VT
  • Sen. William CohenR-ME
  • Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
  • Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
  • Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA
  • Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
  • Sen. Alfonse D’AmatoR-NY
  • Sen. Ted StevensR-AK
  • Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
  • Sen. John WarnerR-VA
  • Sen. John DanforthR-MO
  • Sen. Nancy KassebaumR-KS
  • Sen. Larry PresslerR-SD
  • Sen. Robert KastenR-WI
  • Sen. Pete WilsonR-CA
  • Sen. Slade GortonR-WA
  • Sen. Thad CochranR-MS
  • Sen. John McCainR-AZ
  • Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
  • Sen. Frank MurkowskiR-AK
  • Sen. Alan SimpsonR-WY
  • Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT
  • Sen. William RothR-DE
  • Sen. Richard LugarR-IN
  • Sen. Mitch McConnellR-KY
  • Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
  • Sen. Chuck GrassleyR-IA
  • Sen. Conrad BurnsR-MT
  • Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
  • Sen. Daniel CoatsR-IN
  • Sen. Trent LottR-MS
  • Sen. Phil GrammR-TX
  • Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
  • Sen. James McClureR-ID
  • Sen. Gordon HumphreyR-NH
  • Sen. William ArmstrongR-CO
  • Sen. Steven SymmsR-ID
  • Sen. Malcolm WallopR-WY
  • Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 28 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.

Report a correction

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.

Report a correction

Timeline

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

  1. Oct 23, 1989Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 101-123.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 13, 1989PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 10, 1989FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. FloorFloor · Mr. Hughes moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  7. Oct 6, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
  8. Oct 3, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
  9. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Crime Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  10. Apr 20, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Crime Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  11. Apr 12, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
  12. Apr 5, 1989FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 82-16. Record Vote No: 28.Senate roll call 28
  13. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  14. Mar 13, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
  15. Feb 23, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
  16. Jan 26, 1989CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
  17. Jan 25, 1989IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
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.

Report a correction

Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.