A bill to phase out the Federal supplemental compensation program.
Public Law 99-15 · H.R. 1866 · 99th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Apr 4, 1985 · Labor and Employment
Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Rostenkowski (D-IL-8)
Cosponsors (20): Rep. John Duncan, Rep. Harold Ford,
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateRecorded vote: 94 yea, 0 nay94–0
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 the Federal Supplemental Compensation Act of 1982 to provide for a phase out, rather than an immediate termination, of the Federal supplemental unemployment compensation program by providing that individuals who are eligible for compensation in the last week of the current program shall receive the full number of weeks of compensation without regard to the termination date of the program. (Current law terminates all compensation payments as of April 6, 1985, the end of the week beginning March 31, 1985.)
Provides for modification of agreements with States to conform to the amendments made by this Act.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 99th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 95 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
95 yea0 nay5 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(47)
Sen. Tom HarkinD-IA- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
- Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
- Sen. Howard MetzenbaumD-OH
- Sen. John MelcherD-MT
- Sen. Gary HartD-CO
- Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
- Sen. Paul SimonD-IL
- Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
Sen. Carl LevinD-MI
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. James SasserD-TN
- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
Sen. John KerryD-MA- Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
Sen. Max BaucusD-MT- Sen. Albert GoreD-TN
- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
Sen. Frank LautenbergD-NJ
Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE- Sen. George MitchellD-ME
- Sen. David PryorD-AR
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
Sen. Jay RockefellerD-WV- Sen. James ExonD-NE
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
- Sen. Daniel MoynihanD-NY
- Sen. John GlennD-OH
Sen. Jeff BingamanD-NM
Sen. Christopher DoddD-CT- Sen. Dennis DeConciniD-AZ
- Sen. Bill BradleyD-NJ
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
- Sen. Alan DixonD-IL
- Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
- Sen. David BorenD-OK
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
- Sen. Edward ZorinskyD-NE
- Sen. Howell HeflinD-AL
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
Republicans who voted yea(48)
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA- Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
- Sen. Mark AndrewsR-ND
- Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Alfonse D’AmatoR-NY
- Sen. William CohenR-ME
Sen. Chuck GrassleyR-IA- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
- Sen. Robert KastenR-WI
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. James AbdnorR-SD
- Sen. Larry PresslerR-SD
- Sen. John DanforthR-MO
- Sen. Paula HawkinsR-FL
- Sen. Nancy KassebaumR-KS
- Sen. Slade GortonR-WA
- Sen. Daniel EvansR-WA
Sen. John WarnerR-VA- Sen. Paul TribleR-VA
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK- Sen. Mack MattinglyR-GA
Sen. Mitch McConnellR-KY- Sen. Don NicklesR-OK
Sen. Thad CochranR-MS- Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
Sen. Richard LugarR-IN- Sen. Pete WilsonR-CA
- Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
- Sen. William RothR-DE
- Sen. Warren RudmanR-NH
- Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
- Sen. Alan SimpsonR-WY
- Sen. Jeremiah DentonR-AL
Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT- Sen. Dan QuayleR-IN
- Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
- Sen. Phil GrammR-TX
- Sen. Jacob HechtR-NV
- Sen. James McClureR-ID
- Sen. Barry GoldwaterR-AZ
- Sen. John EastR-NC
- Sen. Steven SymmsR-ID
- Sen. Malcolm WallopR-WY
- Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 28 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
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. 8 actions.
- Apr 4, 1985Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-15.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Apr 3, 1985FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 94-0. Record Vote No: 28.Senate roll call 28
- Apr 2, 1985FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Ways and Means Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Ways and Means 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.