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To amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the transfer to States of surplus personal property for donation to nonprofit providers of necessaries to impoverished families and individuals.

Public Law 105-50 · H.R. 680 · 105th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 6, 1997 · Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor: Rep. Lee Hamilton (D-IN-9)

Cosponsors (50): Rep. Pat Danner,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • 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.

Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to add providers of assistance to families or individuals with annual incomes below the poverty line to the list of organizations eligible to receive surplus personal property allocated by the Administrator of the General Services Administration.

Authorizes the Administrator, under such regulations as the Administrator may prescribe, to assign to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for disposal such surplus real property, including buildings, fixtures, and equipment situated thereon, as is recommended by the Secretary as being needed for providing housing or housing assistance for low-income individuals or families. Authorizes the Secretary, through such officers or employees of HUD as the Secretary may designate, to sell or lease such property for that purpose to any State, any political subdivision or instrumentality of a State, or any nonprofit organization that exists for the primary purpose of providing housing or housing assistance for low-income individuals or families, subject to the disapproval of the Administrator within 30 days after notice to the Administrator by the Secretary of a proposed transfer of property for the purpose of providing such housing or housing assistance.

Requires the Administrator to disapprove a proposed transfer of property unless the Administrator determines that the property will be used for low-income housing opportunities through the construction, rehabilitation, or refurbishment of self-help housing, under terms requiring: (1) any individual or family receiving housing or housing assistance constructed, rehabilitated, or refurbished through the use of the property to contribute a significant amount of labor toward the construction, rehabilitation, or refurbishment; and (2) dwellings constructed, rehabilitated, or refurbished through the use of the property to be quality dwellings that comply with local building and safety codes and standards and to be available at prices below prevailing market prices.

Directs the Administrator to ensure that nonprofit organizations that are sold or leased property develop and use guidelines to consider any disability of an individual for the purposes of fulfilling any self-help requirement.

Directs the Secretary, in fixing the sale or lease value of property to be disposed of, to take into consideration and discount the value of any benefit that has accrued or may accrue to the United States from the use of such property by any such State, political subdivision, instrumentality, or nonprofit organization. Sets the amount of the discount at 75 percent of the market value of the property, except that the Secretary may discount by a greater percentage if the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator, determines that a higher percentage is justified.

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. 22 actions.

  1. Oct 6, 1997Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-50.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Sep 24, 1997PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Sep 18, 1997Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendments Agreed to without objection.
  6. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Horn asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendments.
  7. Jul 9, 1997FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  8. FloorFloor · Amendment SP 788 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
  9. Jun 27, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  10. May 22, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  11. Apr 30, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  12. Apr 29, 1997FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  13. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  14. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 418 - 0 (Roll no. 93).House roll call 93
  15. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 5, rule I, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  16. FloorFloor · Mr. Horn moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  17. Mar 12, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  18. Mar 11, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  20. Feb 13, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  21. Feb 11, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
  22. 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.