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A bill to amend the charter of AMVETS by extending eligibility for membership to individuals who qualify on or after May 8, 1975.

Public Law 98-304 · S. 2079 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on May 31, 1984 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC)

Cosponsors: None

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.

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Summary

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

Amends the charter of the American Veterans of World War II (AMVETS) to allow the organization to establish membership criteria in its constitution and by-laws (currently, such criteria are established by the charter and can only be amended by Congress). Prohibits discrimination in membership and office-holding criteria on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

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
  • Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.

  1. May 31, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-304.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. May 21, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. May 16, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment. By Voice Vote.
  5. May 7, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  6. FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
  7. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Judiciary Committee
  8. Feb 1, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  9. Jan 10, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Administrative Law and Governmental Relations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
  10. Nov 18, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  11. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
  12. Nov 17, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
  14. Nov 10, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
  15. 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.