An act to authorize the acceptance and use of bequests and gifts for disaster relief.
Public Law 96-446 · S. 2185 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 13, 1980 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Sen. John Danforth (R-MO)
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.
Authorizes the President to accept and use gifts or bequests for purposes of the Disaster Relief Act of 1974.
Requires all sums received under this Act to be deposited into a separate Treasury Fund. Allows the Secretary of the Treasury to invest excess monies of such fund in public debt securities.
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.
- Oct 13, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-446.
- Oct 2, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Oct 1, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Sep 30, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Sep 29, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Jul 23, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Jul 21, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- Jul 2, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
- Dec 20, 1979CommitteeCommittee · 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.