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Parole Commission Phaseout Act of 1996

Public Law 104-232 · S. 1507 · 104th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 2, 1996 · Crime and Law Enforcement

Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)

Cosponsors (3): Sen. Joseph Biden,

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
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.

Parole Commission Phaseout Act of 1996 - Amends the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 to extend by five years the term of the United States Parole Commission.

Authorizes the Commission to perform its functions with any quorum of Commissioners as the Commission may prescribe.

Reduces the total number of Commissioners to two, effective December 31, 1999, and to one, the Commission Chairman, effective December 31, 2001. Authorizes that Commissioner (or, in that Commissioner's absence, the Attorney General) to delegate to one or more hearing examiners specified powers.

Directs the Attorney General: (1) to report to the Congress by May 1 of 1998 through 2002 on the status of the Commission; and (2) unless he or she certifies in such report that the Commission's continuation is the most effective and cost-efficient manner for carrying out the Commission's functions, to include an alternative plan for a transfer of the Commission's functions to another entity. Directs that such a plan that provides for the transfer of functions and powers to an entity within the Department of Justice shall take effect on November 1 of the year in which the report is made, unless the Congress by law provides otherwise.

Committees

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

  • Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Crime and Federal Government Surveillance 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. 16 actions.

  1. Oct 2, 1996Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 104-232.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Sep 25, 1996PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 20, 1996Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  5. Sep 17, 1996FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  6. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
  7. FloorFloor · Mr. Buyer moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  8. Sep 16, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
  9. Sep 11, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
  10. Jul 10, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  11. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  12. Jun 6, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  13. Feb 9, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  14. Dec 27, 1995CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
  15. Dec 22, 1995FloorFloor · Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Voice Vote.
  16. IntroducedIntroduced · 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.

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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.