Federal Program Information Act
Public Law 95-220 · S. 904 · 95th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Dec 28, 1977 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
Cosponsors (6): Sen. William Roth, Sen. Edmund Muskie,
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.
Federal Program Information Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish and maintain a computerized program information system which is capable of identifying all existing Federal domestic assistance programs. Specifies the required contents of the Federal Assistance Information Data Base, including the identity, description, and eligibility requirements of each such assistance program. Requires the Director of the Center to publish an annual catalog containing all information of Federal domestic assistance programs that is in the data base of the system. States that information in such data base and the catalog prepared pursuant to this Act shall be made available to the public at a reasonable price.
Authorizes the appropriation of specified sums for fiscal years 1978, 1979, and 1980.
Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to conduct a study of existing Federal information systems that provide fiscal and program-related statistics on grant awards. Requires the Director to report to the Congress within one year from the date of enactment of this Act recommendations for appropriate dissemination of Federal financial information.
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. 13 actions.
- Dec 28, 1977Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 95-220.
- Dec 19, 1977PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Dec 16, 1977PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Dec 15, 1977Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment.
- Sep 27, 1977FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 6257.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- May 17, 1977FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- May 12, 1977CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Mar 4, 1977CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 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.