To confirm full ownership rights for certain United States astronauts to artifacts from the astronauts' space missions.
Public Law 112-185 · H.R. 4158 · 112th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 5, 2012 · Science, Technology, Communications
Sponsor: Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX-4)
Cosponsors (33): Rep. Eddie Johnson, Rep. Lamar Smith,
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.
Grants a U.S. astronaut who participated in any of the Mercury, Gemini, or Apollo programs through the completion of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, and who received an artifact during his participation, full ownership of and clear title to that artifact.
Defines "artifact" as any expendable item utilized in missions for the Mercury, Gemini, or Apollo programs through the completion of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project not expressly required to be returned to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the completion of the mission and other expendable, disposable, or personal-use items utilized by such an astronaut during participation in any such program, excluding lunar rocks and other lunar material.
Prohibits the federal government from having any claim or right to ownership, control, or use of: (1) any artifact in the possession of such an astronaut; or (2) any such artifact that was subsequently transferred, sold, or assigned to a third party by such an astronaut.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
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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. 15 actions.
- Oct 5, 2012Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 112-185.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 25, 2012FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Sep 24, 2012FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Sep 22, 2012FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 20, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- Sep 19, 2012FloorFloor · 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 · VACATING ORDER FOR YEAS AND NAYS - Mr. Hall asked unanimous consent that the ordering of the yeas and nays on the motion that the House suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4158 be vacated to the end that the Chair put the question de novo. Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4158.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Hall moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Mar 7, 2012CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
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
No amendments to this bill are on record.
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.