A bill to authorize the Smithsonian Institution to plan, design, and construct facilities for the National Air and Space Museum.
Public Law 99-617 · S. 1311 · 99th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 6, 1986 · Arts, Culture, Religion
Sponsor: Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-AZ)
Cosponsors (5): Sen. Jake Garn, Sen. John Glenn,
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 appropriations for the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to construct the Charles McC. Mathias, Jr. Laboratory for Environmental Research at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Maryland. Authorizes appropriations
Designates the United States Courthouse and Customhouse on West Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky, as the Gene Snyder United States Courthouse and Customhouse.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Rules and Administration Committee · Senate · hearings by (full committee), markup by, referred to, reported by
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. 13 actions.
- Nov 6, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-617.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 30, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 18, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendments by Voice Vote.
- Oct 16, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 15, 1986FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Aug 15, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Rules and Administration Committee
- Aug 12, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Rules and Administration Committee
- Aug 5, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Rules and Administration Committee
- Jun 17, 1985CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Rules and Administration 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.