An act to rename the National Collection of Fine Arts and the Museum of History and Technology of the Smithsonian Institution as the National Museum of American Art and the National Museum of American History, respectively.
Public Law 96-441 · H.R. 8103 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 13, 1980 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Rep. Frank Thompson (D-NJ-4)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Norman Mineta, Rep. Silvio Conte
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.
Designates the Smithsonian Institution's National Collection of Fine Arts as the National Museum of American Art and the Museum of History and Technology as the National Museum of American History, effective on the day after the date of enactment 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. 11 actions.
- Oct 13, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-441.
- Oct 6, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 3, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 1, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Committee on House Administration
- Sep 10, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Committee on House Administration
- 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.