An act to revise, consolidate, and enact certain laws related to vessels and seamen as subtitle II of title 46, United States Code, "Shipping".
Public Law 98-89 · S. 46 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 26, 1983 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Sen. Robert Packwood (R-OR)
Cosponsors (4): Sen. Ted Stevens, Sen. Slade Gorton,
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.
Amends Federal law to recodify, consolidate, and revise specified shipping and related marine provisions administered by the Coast Guard.
Reorganizes existing law with respect to: (1) the operation, inspection, and regulation of passenger, cargo, animal transport, and recreational vessels; (2) marine casualties and accidents; (3) licenses, certificates and merchant mariners' documents; (4) the manning of vessels; and (5) merchant seamen, their protection and relief.
Repeals specified laws and eliminates obsolete statutes.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Coast Guard and Navigation Subcommittee; Merchant Marine 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. 15 actions.
- Aug 26, 1983Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-89.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 17, 1983PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 3, 1983Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment. By Voice Vote.
- Aug 1, 1983FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- Jun 28, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- May 12, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Coast Guard and Navigation Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Merchant Marine Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- May 5, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- Apr 28, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Apr 12, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Mar 22, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Jan 26, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- 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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.