An act to extend the Federal tort claims provisions of title 28, United States Code, to acts or omissions of members of the National Guard, and to provide that the remedy under those provisions shall be exclusive in medical malpractice actions involving members of the National Guard.
Public Law 97-124 · H.R. 3799 · 97th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 29, 1981 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (D-WI-2)
Cosponsors (1): Rep. Sonny Montgomery
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Extends the Federal tort claims provisions to members of the National Guard while engaged in certain Federal training or duty.
Makes the Federal tort claims procedure the exclusive remedy in medical malpractice actions resulting from federally authorized National Guard training activities. (Repeals the current provision covering such liability.)
Limits the application of this amendment to claims arising after its enactment.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Armed Services Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Military Personnel Subcommittee- Judiciary Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee
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. 18 actions.
- Dec 29, 1981Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-124.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 18, 1981PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 16, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Judiciary Committee
- Dec 15, 1981FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Armed Services Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Dec 10, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Dec 8, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Judiciary Committee
- Oct 29, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Oct 13, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Jun 9, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Jun 4, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Armed Services Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary 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.