Health Centers Consolidation Act of 1996
Public Law 104-299 · S. 1044 · 104th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 11, 1996 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS)
Cosponsors (6): Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. Jim Jeffords,
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Health Centers Consolidation Act of 1996 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions concerning health centers (currently, community health centers), definitions relating to such centers, and the services provided by such centers. Authorizes planning, operating, and infant mortality grants for health centers that provide required primary health services to medically underserved or special medically underserved populations (migrant and seasonal agricultural workers, the homeless, and public housing residents). Mandates a program to guarantee the principal and interest on loans by non-Federal lenders to health centers for the costs of developing and operating managed care networks or plans. Authorizes appropriations, regulates grant distribution, and mandates annual audits.
(Sec. 3) Requires the Office of Rural Health Policy of the Health Resources and Services Administration to administer the rural health services outreach demonstration grant program. Authorizes appropriations.
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 11, 1996Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 104-299.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 2, 1996PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Sep 27, 1996FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Bilirakis moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 20, 1996FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 15, 1995CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Jul 20, 1995CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Jul 17, 1995CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- 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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.