An act to amend Title IV of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to postpone for two months the date on which the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation must pay benefits under terminated multiemployer plans.
Public Law 96-239 · H.R. 7140 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Apr 30, 1980 · Labor and Employment
Sponsor: Rep. Frank Thompson (D-NJ-4)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. John Erlenborn
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.
Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to extend to July 1, 1980, the period during which the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation may pay benefits under terminated multiemployer plans under circumstances provided for in such 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.
- Apr 30, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-239.
- PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Apr 29, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Apr 28, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Education and Workforce Committee
- Apr 23, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Education and Workforce 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.