An Act to provide for the establishment of constitutions for the Virgin Islands and Guam.
Public Law 94-584 · H.R. 9460 · 94th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Oct 21, 1976 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Ron de Lugo (D-VI)
Cosponsors (24): Rep. Phillip Burton, Rep. Tip O’Neill,
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.
(House agreed to Senate amendment with amendments)
Authorizes the peoples of the Virgin Islands and Guam to organize governments pursuant to constitutions of their own adoption. Authorizes the legislatures of the Virgin Islands and Guam to call constitutional conventions to draft constitutions for local self-government.
Requires that such constitutions recognize the sovereignity of the United States over the Virgin Islands and Guam.
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. 15 actions.
- Oct 21, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-584.
- Oct 13, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Oct 12, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 8, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 1, 1976Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Sep 22, 1976Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendment with amendments.
- Jul 20, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Jul 15, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 7, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 6, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Sep 26, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 9, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
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.