National Arthritis Act of 1974
Public Law 93-640 · S. 2854 · 93rd Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Jan 4, 1975 · Health
Sponsor: Sen. Alan Cranston (D-CA)
Cosponsors (70): Sen. Jacob Javits, Sen. Harrison Williams,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
National Arthritis Act - Directs the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare to establish a National Commission on Arthritis and Related Musculoskeletal Diseases. Specifies the membership of the Commission, including four members of the general public, two of whom suffer from arthritis.
Directs the Commission to assess Federal, State, and local programs relating to arthritis. Directs the Commission to formulate a long-range plan with specific recommendations for the use and organization of national resources to combat arthritis.
Requires such "Arthritis Plan" to include a comprehensive program for the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases and plans for Federal, State, and local programs.
Specifies studies and projects to be included in such programs.
Terminates the existance of such Commission after it has submitted its "Arthritis Plan."
Creates the Arthritis Coordinating Council to coordinate activities in the Federal government relating to arthritis.
Authorizes grants to public and nonprofit entities to establish and support projects for the development and demonstration of methods for arthritis, screening, detection, prevention, and referral, and for the dissemination of these methods to health and allied health professions.
Sets forth requirements for such projects.
Directs the Secretary to establish the Arthritis Screening and Detection Data Bank for the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of data useful in screening, prevention, and early detection involving patient populations with asymptomatic and symptomatic types of arthritis.
Authorizes the Secretary to provide for the development, modernization, and operation of centers for arthritis research, screening, detection, diagnosis, prevention, control, and treatment, for education related to arthritis, and for rehabilitation of individuals who suffer from arthritis.
Sets forth requirements for such centers' projects.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 11 actions.
- Jan 4, 1975Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 93-640.
- Dec 24, 1974PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Dec 19, 1974Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Dec 18, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Oct 15, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Oct 11, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Oct 9, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- Dec 21, 1973CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.