A bill to amend section 3726 of title 31, United States Code, relating to payment for transportation, to permit prepayment audits for selected transportation bills, to permanently authorize payment of transportation audit contractors from carrier overpayments collected, and to authorize net overpayments collected to be transferred to the Treasury.
Public Law 99-627 · H.R. 5420 · 99th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 7, 1986 · Law
Sponsor: Rep. Cardiss Collins (D-IL-7)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Alfred McCandless, Rep. Tom DeLay
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.
Directs the Administrator of General Services to prescribe regulations under which carriers or freight forwarders may be paid for claims against the Government for transportation services before the Administrator conducts an audit. (Current provisions require such payment before an audit.)
Requires that expenses of transportation audit contracts be financed from overpayments collected from carriers on transportation bills paid by the Government and other similar type refunds at not to exceed 40 percent of annual collections. Prohibits payment to any contractor from exceeding 50 percent of the overpayments identified by any contract audit.
Requires the transfer of the balance of overpayments collected to miscellaneous receipts of the Treasury. Requires the Administrator to include transactions under this Act in budget estimates to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and to the Congress.
Directs the Administrator, within 60 days of enactment of this Act, to establish a task force to study and investigate the feasibility, desirability, and economy of an integrated automated system that Federal agencies may use in managing the transportation of property for the United States. Requires a final report to the Congress on the results of such study not later than July 1, 1988.
Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to remove the certification requirement of the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of Commerce that the importation of foreign surplus property would relieve domestic shortages or otherwise benefit the economy of this country.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Oversight and Accountability Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Government Activities and Transportation 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. 13 actions.
- Nov 7, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-627.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 30, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 18, 1986FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Oct 6, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Sep 30, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Sep 23, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Sep 17, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Sep 10, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Aug 27, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Government Activities and Transportation Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Aug 13, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform 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.