A bill to authorize the Administrator of General Services to transfer to the Smithsonian Institution without reimbursement the General Post Office Building and the site thereof located in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes.
Public Law 98-523 · H.R. 4025 · 98th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 19, 1984 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Young (D-MO-2)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Clay Shaw, Rep. Norman Mineta
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.
Authorizes the Administrator of General Services to transfer the General Post Office Building in the District of Columbia to the Smithsonian Institution without reimbursement.
Directs the Administrator to relocate all operations of the United States International Trade Commission currently located in such building. Directs the Administrator and the Chairman of the Commission to each report separately in writing on the status of such relocation to the Committees on Environment and Public Works, Finance, and Rules and Administration of the Senate and to the Committees on Public Works and Transportation and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives.
Authorizes appropriations to the Smithsonian Board of Regents for fiscal years beginning with FY 1985 for renovation and repair of the General Post Office Building. Requires submission of renovation and repair plans to specified congressional committees, plus a 30 day delay, before any contract may be advertised or entered into.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Public Buildings and Grounds 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. 21 actions.
- Oct 19, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-523.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 11, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 5, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Sep 29, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Rules and Administration Committee
- Sep 26, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Rules and Administration Committee
- Sep 25, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Rules and Administration Committee
- Sep 18, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Aug 9, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by House Committee on House Administration
- May 15, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- May 10, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Apr 12, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Mar 14, 1984CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Public Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Public Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Oct 3, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Public Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Sep 28, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Committee on House Administration
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure 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.