A bill to extend certain authority of the Supreme Court Police, modify the venue of prosecutions relating to the Supreme Court building and grounds, and authorize the acceptance of gifts to the United States Supreme Court.
Public Law 108-356 · S. 2742 · 108th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by George W. Bush (R) on Oct 21, 2004 · Law
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Patrick Leahy
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.
Extends to December 29, 2008, the authority of the Marshal of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court Police to protect the Justices and official guests of the court away from the court building and grounds.
Adds the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to venue provisions governing prosecutions relating to the Supreme Court building and grounds (currently, venue lies only in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia).
Authorizes the Chief Justice to accept, hold, administer, and use gifts and bequests of personal property pertaining to the history of the Supreme Court or its justices. Requires gifts or bequests of money to be covered into the Treasury.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet 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.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 20 actions.
- Oct 21, 2004Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 108-356.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 12, 2004FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Oct 6, 2004FloorFloor · 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 · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2742.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Sensenbrenner moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Sep 30, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
- Sep 29, 2004FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Sep 28, 2004FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Sep 21, 2004CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 707.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Hatch without amendment. Without written report.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jul 22, 2004CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8727-8728)
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 3729SenateSen. Orrin HatchR-UT· offered Sep 28, 2004Agreed to
To provide for the authority to accept gifts pertaining to the history of the Supreme Court, and for other purposes.
Sep 28, 2004: Amendment SA 3729 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.