An Act to authorize the Francis Scott Key Park Foundation, Inc. to erect a memorial in the District of Columbia.
Public Law 99-531 · S. 2370 · 99th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 27, 1986 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Sen. Frank Murkowski (R-AK)
Cosponsors (10): Sen. Daniel Moynihan, Sen. Claiborne Pell,
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.
Authorizes the Francis Scott Key Park Foundation to erect a memorial on public grounds in the District of Columbia in honor of Francis Scott Key, the author of the words to the National Anthem. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, with the approval of the National Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission, to select the site for the memorial. Requires the Mayor of the District of Columbia to assume the Secretary's functions under this Act if the proposed site is on grounds owned or under the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia.
Prohibits the use of either Federal or District of Columbia funds to establish the memorial. Terminates the authority created by this Act if construction of the memorial does not begin within five years with funds sufficient to ensure its completion. Requires the memorial, if erected on Federal land in the District of Columbia, to comply with a specified Act as approved by the House of Representatives on September 29, 1986.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation 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. 14 actions.
- Oct 27, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-531.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 17, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 14, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 10, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 9, 1986FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Sep 19, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 17, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Aug 4, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 24, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Public Lands, Reserved Water and Resource Conservation Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources 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.