Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015
Public Law 114-136 · S. 1172 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Mar 18, 2016 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Ron Johnson
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.
Edward "Ted" Kaufman and Michael Leavitt Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Presidential Transition Act of 1963 to direct the President to plan and coordinate activities to facilitate an efficient transfer of power to a successor President, including by: (1) not later than six months before a presidential election, establishing and operating a White House transition coordinating council; and (2) establishing and operating an agency transition directors council.
The General Services Administration (GSA) must designate a senior career appointee to: (1) carry out the duties and authorities of GSA relating to presidential transitions, (2) serve as the Federal Transition Coordinator to coordinate transition planning across agencies; (3) ensure that agencies comply with all statutory requirements relating to transition planning and reporting, and (4) act as a liaison to eligible candidates.
Each executive agency shall designate a senior career employee to oversee transition activities.
The Federal Transition Coordinator shall: (1) negotiate a memorandum of understanding with the transition representative of each eligible candidate on the conditions of access to employees, facilities, and documents of agencies by transition staff; and (2) submit reports to specified congressional committees on the activities undertaken by the current administration and executive agencies to prepare for the transfer of power to a new President.
(Sec. 3) This section requires the President's annual budget request to Congress to include funding for the management and custody of presidential records by the National Archives and Records Administration for each fiscal year in which the term of office of the President will expire.
(Sec. 4) This section directs the Office of Personnel Management to submit to specified congressional committees annual reports on requests by agencies to appoint political appointees or former political appointees to nonpolitical civil service positions. These reports shall be submitted quarterly in the last year of a presidential term or in the last year of the second consecutive term of a President.
(Sec. 5) This section directs the Government Accountability Office to report to specified congressional committees on final significant regulatory actions promulgated during the last 120-day period of presidential administrations ending in 2001, 2009, and 2017. A significant regulatory action means any regulatory action that is likely to result in a rule that may: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect in a material way the economy, the environment, productivity, competition, jobs, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (2) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with an agency action; (3) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs, or (4) raise novel legal or policy issues.
(Sec. 6) This section directs the Department of Homeland Security to submit, not later than February 15, 2016, a report to specified congressional committees analyzing the threats and vulnerabilities facing the United States during a presidential transition.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Homeland Security Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability 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. 29 actions.
- Mar 18, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-136.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Mar 15, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Mar 9, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Mar 8, 2016Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate bill by Unanimous Consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to the Senate bill by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 1, 2016FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- Feb 29, 2016FloorFloor · 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. 1172.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Hice, Jody B. moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Dec 18, 2015CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 290.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security discharged.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 114-384, Part I.
- Oct 9, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Aug 8, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency.
- Jul 31, 2015FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee conc…
- Jul 30, 2015FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · The committee amendments agreed to by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Jul 27, 2015CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 166.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson with amendments. With written report No. 114-94.
- May 6, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
- Apr 30, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- 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. 2543SenateSen. Thomas CarperD-DE· offered Jul 30, 2015Agreed to
To improve the bill.
Jul 30, 2015: Amendment SA 2543 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.