Federal Information Centers Act
Public Law 95-491 · S. 3259 · 95th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 20, 1978 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Lawton Chiles (D-FL)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. Thomas McIntyre, Sen. Samuel Nunn
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 Information Centers Act - Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to authorize the Administrator of General Services to establish within the General Services Administration a nationwide network of Federal information centers for the purpose of informing the public of programs and procedures of the Federal Government and for other appropriate and related purposes.
Authorizes the appropriation of $7,000,000 for fiscal year 1980 and such sums as necessary for each succeeding fiscal year to carry out this Act.
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. 12 actions.
- Oct 20, 1978Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 95-491.
- Oct 12, 1978PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Oct 11, 1978PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 10, 1978PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 5, 1978Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Sep 25, 1978FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 13688.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Sep 12, 1978FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Aug 22, 1978CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Jun 28, 1978CommitteeCommittee · 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.