To amend the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, the Foreign Service Act of 1980, and other provisions of law to make certain changes in administrative authorities.
Public Law 102-499 · H.R. 6047 · 102nd Congress · began in the House
Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Oct 24, 1992 · International Affairs
Sponsor: Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA-26)
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 to authorize the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) to enter into contracts for the construction of Voice of America facilities in Sri Lanka, Sao Tome, and Kuwait.
Amends the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 to permit funds authorized to be appropriated for any account of USIA in the Department of State and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, for the second fiscal year of any two-year authorization cycle, to be appropriated for the second fiscal year for any other USIA account. Prohibits amounts appropriated for the salaries and expenses and educational and cultural exchange programs accounts from exceeding by more than five percent (ten percent for any other account) the amount authorized to be appropriated for such accounts in a fiscal year. Terminates such amendments after September 30, 1993.
Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require deductions from the basic pay of Foreign Service criminal investigators/inspectors of the Office of Inspector General of the Agency for International Development (AID) in amounts equal to amounts deducted for retirement purposes from the pay of civil service law enforcement officers. Provides for the deposit of deducted amounts, along with an equivalent amount contributed by the Department of State, into the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability Fund.
Requires a special contribution for past service as an AID investigator/inspector which would have been creditable toward civil service law enforcement retirement and for which a contribution has not been made to equal the difference between the amount actually contributed under Foreign Service retirement provisions and the amount that should have been contributed under civil service provisions.
Increases the mandatory retirement age for AID criminal investigators/inspectors to 57 (currently, 55).
Amends the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1991 to provide that U.S. hostages paid salaries in amounts that were not adjusted to compensate for a devaluation of the Lebanese pound during their captivity shall not be considered to have received such salaries for purposes of eligibility for Federal benefits.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.
- Oct 24, 1992Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 102-499.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 19, 1992PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 7, 1992FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- Oct 3, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- Oct 2, 1992FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Berman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 28, 1992CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Foreign Affairs 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.