Surface Freight Forwarder Deregulation Act of 1986
Public Law 99-521 · S. 1124 · 99th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 22, 1986 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Sen. Robert Packwood (R-OR)
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.
Surface Freight Forwarder Deregulation Act of 1986 - Amends Federal shipping laws to eliminate Interstate Commerce Commission regulations governing the operations of general commodities surface freight forwarders. Retains Federal regulation of such forwarders with respect to cargo liability and claims settlement procedures.
Retains the jurisdiction of the Interstate Commerce Commission over surface freight forwarders of household goods.
Prohibits State and local governments from regulating general commodities freight forwarders deregulated by this Act. Continues the authority of the State of Hawaii to regulate motor carriers other than freight forwarders.
Includes freight forwarders within the enforcement purview of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Revises the Commission's general authority to investigate on its own or upon complaint matters relative to its remaining authority over freight forwarders.
Declares that the existing regulatory authority of the Department of Transportation (including its safety authority) continues to apply to all freight forwarders whether or not they are regulated by the Commission.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Surface Transportation and 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. 11 actions.
- Oct 22, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-521.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 14, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 8, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment by Voice Vote.
- Sep 30, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Nov 4, 1985FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- Jul 31, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Jul 18, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- May 17, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- May 14, 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.