400 Years of African-American History Commission Act
Public Law 115-102 · H.R. 1242 · 115th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Jan 8, 2018 · Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Sponsor: Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-3)
Cosponsors (53): Rep. Scott Taylor, Rep. Donald McEachin,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
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.
400 Years of African-American History Commission Act
(Sec. 3) This bill establishes the 400 Years of African-American History Commission to develop and carry out activities throughout the United States to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of Africans in the English colonies at Point Comfort, Virginia, in 1619.
The commission must:
• plan programs to acknowledge the impact that slavery and laws that enforced racial discrimination had on the United States;
• encourage civic, patriotic, historical, educational, artistic, religious, and economic organizations to organize and participate in anniversary activities;
• assist states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration; and
• coordinate for the public scholarly research on the arrival of Africans in the United States and their contributions to this country.
(Sec. 5) The commission may provide: (1) grants to communities and nonprofit organizations for the development of programs; (2) grants to research and scholarly organizations to research, publish, or distribute information relating to the arrival of Africans in the United States; and (3) technical assistance to states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration.
(Sec. 7) The commission must prepare a strategic plan and submit a final report to Congress that contains a summary of its activities, an accounting of its received and expended funds, and its recommendations.
(Sec. 8) The commission shall terminate on July 1, 2020.
(Sec. 9) All expenditures of the commission shall be made solely from donated funds.
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.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
S. 392Related bill
400 Years of African-American History Commission Act
S. 1460Related bill
Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017
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. 16 actions.
- Jan 8, 2018Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 27, 2017FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 22, 2017FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 21, 2017FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- May 2, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
- May 1, 2017FloorFloor · 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 H.R. 1242.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Comer moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 62.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 115-105.
- Mar 28, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Feb 28, 2017CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
- 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.