A bill to permit registered public utility holding companies to own certain interests in qualifying cogeneration facilities.
Public Law 99-553 · H.R. 5056 · 99th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 27, 1986 · Energy
Sponsor: Rep. John Bryant (D-TX-5)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Thomas Luken, Rep. Ralph Hall
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.
Permits certain public utility holding companies registered under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 to: (1) acquire interests in cogeneration facilities; and (2) be exempt from utility rate regulation under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Energy and Commerce Committee · House · markup by, referred toSubcommittee: Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee; Energy 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. 15 actions.
- Oct 27, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-553.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 17, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 15, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Sep 24, 1986FloorFloor · Received in the Senate and read twice and held at the desk by unanimous consent. Pending further disposition.
- Sep 22, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Sep 16, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Aug 11, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Jun 26, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Telecommunications and Finance Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Energy Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Jun 19, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce 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.