Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010
Public Law 111-225 · S. 1749 · 111th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Aug 10, 2010 · Crime and Law Enforcement
Sponsor: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Cosponsors (5): Sen. Chuck Grassley, Sen. Mary Landrieu,
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.
Cell Phone Contraband Act of 2010 - Amends the federal criminal code to include a phone or other device provided by a commercial mobile service as a "prohibited object" the provision of which to, or the possession of which by, a federal prisoner is prohibited.
Directs the Comptroller General to submit a report to Congress within one year after the enactment of this Act on a study of: (1) telephone rates within federal prisons, to include information on interstate, intrastate, and collect calls made by prisoners; (2) state and federal efforts to prevent the smuggling of cell phones and other wireless devices into prisons; and (3) cell phone use by inmates in selected state and federal prisons.
Provides for compliance of the budgetary effects of this Act with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: 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.
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. 26 actions.
- Aug 10, 2010Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 111-225.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 29, 2010FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jul 28, 2010Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Cleared for White House.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 21, 2010FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- Jul 20, 2010FloorFloor · 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 · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 1749.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Scott (VA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jun 15, 2010CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
- Apr 14, 2010FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Apr 13, 2010FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee reported amendments were agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Feb 2, 2010CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 269.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with amendments. Without written report.
- Jan 28, 2010CommitteeCommittee · Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
- Oct 5, 2009CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- CommitteeCommittee · Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S10112)
- 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. 3722SenateSen. Dianne FeinsteinD-CA· offered Apr 13, 2010Agreed to
To require a GAO study of cell phone use in prisons.
Apr 13, 2010: Amendment SA 3722 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.