A bill to amend subtitle II of title 46, United States Code, "Shipping", making technical and conforming changes, and for other purposes.
Public Law 99-36 · S. 597 · 99th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on May 15, 1985 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK)
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.
Makes technical and conforming changes to certain Federal shipping laws.
Exempts vessels engaged in coastwise commerce from the requirement that the master (or owner) of such vessels pay a seaman two days' wages for each day that payment of wages is delayed without sufficient cause.
Subjects fishing industry vessels which service remote Alaskan communities to certain safety requirements imposed upon flammable or combustible liquid bulk cargo.
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.
- May 15, 1985Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-36.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 7, 1985PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- May 6, 1985FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- Apr 17, 1985FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Apr 10, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Mar 8, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Mar 6, 1985CommitteeCommittee · 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.