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An act to amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to make certain changes in the authority of the Office of Government Ethics, and for other purposes.

Public Law 98-150 · S. 461 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 11, 1983 · Government Operations and Politics

Sponsor: Sen. William Cohen (R-ME)

Cosponsors (1): Sen. Carl Levin

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

(House agreed to Senate amendment with amendments)

Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to establish a five year term of office for the Director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE).

Authorizes the Director, in consultation with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to issue regulations pertaining to conflicts of interest and ethics in the executive branch. (Currently, the Director may only recommend rules for promulgation by OPM or the President.)

Directs the President to: (1) include in each annual Government budget transmitted to Congress the estimated expenditures and proposed appropriations necessary to support OGE for the next five fiscal years; and (2) include in each statement of changes in budget authority, expenditures, or receipts the effect of such changes on OGE funding.

Authorizes the Director to request assistance from agency inspectors general in conducting investigations.

Includes certain high level White House aides among those officials whose financial disclosure reports must be transmitted to the Director. Limits the outside earned income of such individuals for a calendar year to 15 percent of their salary for such year.

Requires a presidential nominee to update his or her financial report by the date of the first Senate confirmation hearing with respect to income and honoraria received as of five days before such hearing. Permits an individual whose nomination the President or President-elect has publicly announced to file such financial report at any time after such announcement but not later than five days before such hearing.

Requires an individual to notify the designated agency official, OGE, or a Senate confirmation committee upon completing actions the individual agrees to take to comply with this Act or other laws or regulations governing conflicts of interest or establishing standards of conduct for Federal employees and officials. Requires the individual to make such notification by the date specified for completion of action in the agreement or, if no date is specified, within three months after the agreement is made. Directs an individual who agrees to recuse himself or herself from particular categories of official action to: (1) reduce to writing those subjects to which the agreement applies and the process for determining whether such individual must recuse himself or herself in a specific instance; and (2) file a document setting forth such information with the designated agency official, OGE, or the appropriate Senate committee by the time prescribed by such agreement or within three months after such agreement is made if no time is prescribed.

Revises the conditions a trust must satisfy to be considered a qualified blind trust which is exempt from certain reporting requirements of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Includes among the new conditions a requirement that the supervising ethics office determine that approval of the trust as a qualified blind trust is necessary and appropriate to assure compliance with applicable ethics laws and regulations. Repeals the requirement that a reporting individual file a copy of the trust instrument and a list of the trust's assets and their value with the supervising ethics office within 30 days of its approval as a qualified blind trust.

Requires certain individuals who perform staff functions for Federal advisory committees composed of one or more special Government employees to file financial disclosure reports.

Extends the authorization of appropriations for OGE for five years.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Judiciary Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee
  • Post Office and Civil Service Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Human Resources Subcommittee
  • Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Oversight of Government Management 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.

  1. Nov 11, 1983Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-150.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Oct 31, 1983PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 27, 1983Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendments to the Senate amendment to the House amendment. By Voice Vote.
  5. Sep 30, 1983Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Concurred, in Senate Amendments , with Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  6. Sep 28, 1983Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate concurred in the House amendments with an amendment (SP2236). By Voice Vote.
  7. Sep 19, 1983FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  8. FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
  9. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Judiciary Committee
  10. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
  11. Apr 13, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  12. Apr 12, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Human Resources Subcommittee of the House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
  13. Apr 11, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
  15. Apr 6, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  16. Mar 24, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  17. Mar 17, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  18. Mar 10, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  20. Feb 24, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  21. Feb 15, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  22. Feb 3, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
  23. 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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.