A bill to extend until December 18, 1985, the application of certain tobacco excise taxes, trade adjustment assistance, certain medicare reimbursement provisions, and borrowing authority under the railroad unemployment insurance program.
Public Law 99-181 · H.R. 3918 · 99th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 13, 1985 · Economics and Public Finance
Sponsor: Rep. Daniel Rostenkowski (D-IL-8)
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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Extends the increase in the excise tax on cigarettes from December 15, 1985, to December 19, 1985.
Extends from December 14, 1985, to December 18, 1985: (1) the trade adjustment assistance program; (2) borrowing authority under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act; and (3) Medicare hospital and physician payment rate provisions.
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. 9 actions.
- Dec 13, 1985Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-181.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 12, 1985FloorFloor · Received in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Ways and Means Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from 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.