A bill to amend Section 3102 of title 5, United States Code and section 7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act to permit the employment of personal assistants for handicapped Federal employees both at their regular duty station and while on travel status.
Public Law 96-523 · H.R. 7466 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Dec 12, 1980 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Patricia Schroeder (D-CO-1)
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 head of each executive agency and the Library of Congress to employ personal assistants, who shall serve without pay from the agency, to assist a handicapped employee to perform the employee's official duties. Permits such a personal assistant to receive pay for his or her services from the handicapped employee or a nonprofit organization. Defines the term "handicapped employee" as an individual employed by an agency who is blind or deaf or who otherwise qualifies as a handicapped individual under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Authorizes the head of an agency: (1) to employ personal assistants to handicapped employees as regular civil service employees; and (2) to authorize the payment of an individual to accompany and assist a handicapped employee traveling on official business. Limits the amount payable to such individual.
Declares that nothing in this Act shall be held to prevent the assignment to a handicapped employee by an agency of clerical or secretarial assistance normally provided to an employee.
Amends the Federal Advisory Committee Act to permit handicapped members of Federal advisory committees to be provided the services of personal assistants.
Allows a Federal employee with at least five years of creditable civilian service for purposes of civil service retirement to receive retirement credit for congressional campaign committee service if the employee has at least five years service on such a committee as of the effective date of this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Post Office and Civil Service Committee · House · referred to, reported by
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.
- Dec 12, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-523.
- Dec 3, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Dec 1, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendment.
- Nov 21, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Sep 8, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Sep 4, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- May 29, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Post Office and Civil Service 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.