Database of Federal Statute Names

A political cartoon lampooning the Embargo Act of 1807

The collection can be sorted by the popular name of the law, by the date of its enactment, or by descriptive category of naming convention. The categories are our attempt to bring some degree of order to the chaos.

Database of Federal Statute Popular Names

Title Type Popular Name Short Title Named For? Classification PL Statute At Large Date(s) Enactedsort descending Interesting Part Statutized? Leads to other named Legislation Link/Source Notes
Rankin World War Widows Act Sponsor Rankin World War Widows Act NO short title Rep. John Rankin (D-MS) ch 214, 52 Stat 352 X

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000056

 nothing in statute
Humphrey-Hawkins Act (see Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978) Sponsor Humphrey-Hawkins Act (see Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978) "Full Employment and Balanced Growth Act of 1978" Sen. Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. (D-MN); Rep. Augustus Freeman (Gus) Hawkins; (D-CA) 15 USC 3101 95-523 92 Stat 1887 N

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000953; http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000367

 name not statutized; short title at beginning
MD-CARE Act Acrostic MD-CARE Act "Muscular Dystrophy Community Assitance, Research and Education Amendments of 2001" or "MD-CARE Act" 42 USC 201 107-84 115 Stat 823 Y short title at beginning of statute
Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act Victim Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act "Matthew Shephard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act" Matthew Shepard was the victim of a hate crime, beaten to death in Laramie, WY in 1998 by two men because he was gay. Jame Byrd, an African-American man from Texas, was killed in 1998 by two white supremacists who chained him to a pickup truck and dragged him to death. 18 USC 1 (note) 111-84, div E 123 Stat 2835 Y

"Obama signs hate-crimes law rooted in crimes of 1998," USA Today, Oct. 28, 2009. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/10/620000629/1

 short title and division title; check original bills -- think the full title changed through the legislative history
National Stolen Property Act Description National Stolen Property Act "National Stolen Property Act" Ch. 333, 48 Stat 794
Right to Work Law Description Right to Work Law NO short title 29 USC 164 ch 372, S 14, 49 Stat 457 N nothing in statute about "Right to Work", cited as the "National Labor Relations Act"; "Right to Work" never statutized
Brooks Act (Architects and Engineers) (see Brooks Architect-Engineers Act) Sponsor Brooks Act (Architects and Engineers) (see Brooks Architect-Engineers Act) NO short title Rep. Overton Brooks (D-LA), served on the Committee on Science and Aeronautics. 92-582 86 Stat 1278 Y

http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=B000884

 Kind of odd. Info in Table is "June 30, 1949, ch. 288, title IX, as added Oct 27, 1972, Pub. L. 92-582, 86 Stat. 1278" No name in statute; amended to add short title "Brooks Architect-Engineers Act" by 108 Stat 3409 in 1994
Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act of 1994 Institution Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act of 1994 "Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship Act of 1994" Albert Einstein 42 USC 7382 103-382, title V, part A (sec 511 et seq) 108 Stat 4042 Y

http://science.energy.gov/wdts/einstein/

 Name is the name of the program
Wright Amendment Reform Act of 2006 Sponsor Wright Amendment Reform Act of 2006 "Wright Amendment Reform Act of 2006" Amendment to the International Air Transportation Competition Act of 1979 offered by Rep. Jim Wright (TX). 109-352 120 Stat 2011 Y

S.Rpt.109-317; Wright - http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000763

 short title
Filled Cheese Act Description Filled Cheese Act NO short title ch 337, 29 Stat 253 X

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