A bill to provide for the transfer of the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States to the United States Department of Justice as a separate agency in that Department; to provide for the authority and responsibility of the Department of Justice to supply to the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission certain administrative support services without altering the adjudicatory independence of the Commission; to change the terms of office and method of appointment of the members of the Commission; and for other purposes.
Public Law 96-209 · H.R. 4337 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Mar 14, 1980 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Jack Brooks (D-TX-9)
Cosponsors: None
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.
=Title I:= - Transfers the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to the Department of Justice.
Requires the President to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, a full-time chairman and two part-time members to the Commission to serve staggered three-year terms. Sets forth the compensation and administrative powers and responsibilities of the chairman and members of the Commission.
Directs the Attorney General to provide administrative services to the Commission. States that the claims decisions of the Commission are not subject to review by the Attorney General.
=Title II: Annual Assay Commission= - Abolishes the Annual Assay Commission and the positions of assay commissioners.
Transfers the functions of such Commission and commissioners to the Secretary of the Treasury.
=Title III: United States Marine Corps Memorial Commission= - Abolishes the United States Marine Corps Memorial Commission.
=Title IV: The Low-Emission Vehicle Certification Board= - Abolishes the Low-Emission Vehicle Certification Board.
=Title V: Determination Order= - Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to make such determinations and take such actions as are necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Act.
=Title VI:= States the effective date of 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. 13 actions.
- Mar 14, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-209.
- Mar 4, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Feb 28, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendment.
- Feb 26, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, in lieu of S. 1419.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Sep 18, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Sep 17, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- Aug 2, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Jun 6, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform 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.