The 99th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1985, to January 3, 1987, during the fifth and sixth years of Ronald Reagan's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1980 United States census.
The Republicans maintained control of the Senate, while the Democrats maintained control of the House of Representatives – albeit with both majorities slightly reduced from the 98th Congress.
This is the most recent Congress to feature a Republican senator from Maryland, Charles Mathias, who retired at the end of the Congress.
This is also the most recent Congress in which no Democratic women Senators served and the most recent Congress in which more Republican women Senators served than Democratic women Senators.
This was the most recent session of Congress prior to the 116th to feature a Republican Senate/Democratic House split and had a third-party House member.
Major events
January 20, 1985: Ronald Reagan was privately sworn in for a second term as president (publicly sworn in, January 21). January 28, 1986: Space Shuttle Challenger disaster: Destruction of the shuttle and death of the crew shortly after lift-off. April 15, 1986: Operation El Dorado Canyon: At least 15 people die after United States planes bomb targets in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, and the Benghazi region. June 2, 1986: First regular television broadcast of Senate proceedings on C-SPAN2. October 21, 1986: The Marshall Islands achieved independence from U.S.-administered UN Trusteeship and became an associated state under the Compact of Free Association. November 3, 1986: The Federated States of Micronesia achieved independence from U.S.-administered UN Trusteeship and became an associated state under the Compact of Free Association. November 3, 1986: Iran–Contra affair: The Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa reported that the United States has been selling weapons to Iran in secret to secure the release of American hostages held by pro-Iranian groups in Lebanon. November 4, 1986: 1986 United States elections; Congressional Democrats regained (+8) their Senate majority (55-45), and slightly increased (+5) their House majority (258-177).
Major legislation
December 12, 1985: Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act) (title II) December 17, 1985: Gold Bullion Coin Act of 1985, April 7, 1986: Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA) (including Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act) May 19, 1986: Firearm Owners Protection Act, August 28, 1986: Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, , October 1, 1986: Goldwater–Nichols Act (Defense Reorganization), October 2, 1986: Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, October 17, 1986: Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act, (title III) October 21, 1986: Electronic Communications Privacy Act, October 21, 1986: Stored Communications Act, , October 22, 1986: Tax Reform Act of 1986, October 27, 1986: Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986, October 27, 1986: Money Laundering Control Act, , October 31, 1986: Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1986, November 6, 1986: Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (Simpson-Mazzoli Act), , November 10, 1986: Emergency Wetlands Resources Act, , November 14, 1986: National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, November 17, 1986: Water Resources Development Act of 1986,
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
President: George H. W. Bush (R) President pro tempore: Strom Thurmond (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
Majority Leader: Bob Dole Majority Whip: Alan Simpson Republican Conference Chairman: John Chafee Republican Conference Secretary: Thad Cochran National Senatorial Committee Chair: John Heinz Policy Committee Chairman: William L. Armstrong
Minority (Democratic) leadership
Minority Leader: Robert Byrd Minority Whip: Alan Cranston Democratic Caucus Secretary: Daniel Inouye Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: George J. Mitchell
House of Representatives
Speaker: Tip O'Neill (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership
Majority Leader: Jim Wright Majority Whip: Tom Foley Chief Deputy Majority Whip: William Vollie Alexander Jr. Democratic Caucus Chairman: Dick Gephardt Democratic Caucus Secretary: Mary Rose Oakar Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Tony Coelho
Minority (Republican) leadership
Minority Leader: Robert H. Michel Minority Whip: Trent Lott Chief Deputy Whip: Tom Loeffler Republican Conference Chairman: Jack Kemp Republican Conference Vice-Chairman: Lynn Morley Martin Republican Conference Secretary: Robert J. Lagomarsino Policy Committee Chairman: Dick Cheney Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Guy Vander Jagt
Caucuses Congressional Arts Caucus Congressional Automotive Caucus Congressional Black Caucus Congressional Friends of Ireland Caucus Congressional Hispanic Caucus Congressional Pediatric & Adult Hydrocephalus Caucus Congressional Travel & Tourism Caucus Congresswomen's Caucus House Democratic Caucus Senate Democratic Caucus
Members This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
Senate
Senators are popularly elected statewide every six years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress, In this Congress, Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1986; Class 1 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1988; and Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1990.
Alabama 2. Howell Heflin (D) 3. Jeremiah Denton (R)
Alaska 2. Ted Stevens (R) 3. Frank Murkowski (R)
Arizona 1. Dennis DeConcini (D) 3. Barry Goldwater (R)
Arkansas 2. David Pryor (D) 3. Dale Bumpers (D)
California 1. Pete Wilson (R) 3. Alan Cranston (D)
Colorado 2. William L. Armstrong (R) 3. Gary Hart (D)
Connecticut 1. Lowell Weicker (R) 3. Chris Dodd (D)
Delaware 1. William Roth (R) 2. Joe Biden (D)
Florida 1. Lawton Chiles (D) 3. Paula Hawkins (R)
Georgia 2. Sam Nunn (D) 3. Mack Mattingly (R)
Hawaii 1. Spark Matsunaga (D) 3. Daniel Inouye (D)
Idaho 2. James A. McClure (R) 3. Steve Symms (R)
Illinois 2. Paul Simon (D) 3. Alan J. Dixon (D)
Indiana 1. Richard Lugar (R) 3. Dan Quayle (R)
Iowa 2. Tom Harkin (D) 3. Chuck Grassley (R)
Kansas 2. Nancy Kassebaum (R) 3. Bob Dole (R)
Kentucky 2. Mitch McConnell (R) 3. Wendell Ford (D)
Louisiana 2. J. Bennett Johnston (D) 3. Russell B. Long (D)
Maine 1. George J. Mitchell (D) 2. William Cohen (R)
Maryland 1. Paul Sarbanes (D) 3. Charles Mathias (R)
Massachusetts 1. Ted Kennedy (D) 2. John Kerry (D)
Michigan 1. Donald Riegle (D) 2. Carl Levin (D)
Minnesota 1. David Durenberger (I-R) 2. Rudy Boschwitz (I-R)
Mississippi 1. John C. Stennis (D) 2. Thad Cochran (R)
Missouri 1. John Danforth (R) 3. Thomas Eagleton (D)
Montana 1. John Melcher (D) 2. Max Baucus (D)
Nebraska 1. Edward Zorinsky (D) 2. J. James Exon (D)
Nevada 1. Chic Hecht (R) 3. Paul Laxalt (R)
New Hampshire 2. Gordon J. Humphrey (R) 3. Warren Rudman (R)
New Jersey 1. Frank Lautenberg (D) 2. Bill Bradley (D)
New Mexico 1. Jeff Bingaman (D) 2. Pete Domenici (R)
New York 1. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D) 3. Al D'Amato (R)
North Carolina 2. Jesse Helms (R) 3. John Porter East (R), until June 29, 1986 Jim Broyhill (R), from July 14 to November 4, 1986 Terry Sanford (D), from November 5, 1986
North Dakota 1. Quentin Burdick (D-NPL) 3. Mark Andrews (R)
Ohio 1. Howard Metzenbaum (D) 3. John Glenn (D)
Oklahoma 2. David Boren (D) 3. Don Nickles (R)
Oregon 2. Mark Hatfield (R) 3. Bob Packwood (R)
Pennsylvania 1. John Heinz (R) 3. Arlen Specter (R)
Rhode Island 1. John Chafee (R) 2. Claiborne Pell (D)
South Carolina 2. Strom Thurmond (R) 3. Fritz Hollings (D)
South Dakota 2. Larry Pressler (R) 3. James Abdnor (R)
Tennessee 1. Jim Sasser (D) 2. Al Gore (D)
Texas 1. Lloyd Bentsen (D) 2. Phil Gramm (R)
Utah 1. Orrin Hatch (R) 3. Jake Garn (R)
Vermont 1. Robert Stafford (R) 3. Patrick Leahy (D)
Virginia 1. Paul Trible (R) 2. John Warner (R)
Washington 1. Daniel J. Evans (R) 3. Slade Gorton (R)
West Virginia 1. Robert Byrd (D) 2. Jay Rockefeller (D), from January 15, 1985
Wisconsin 1. William Proxmire (D) 3. Bob Kasten (R)
Wyoming 1. Malcolm Wallop (R) 2. Alan Simpson (R)
House of Representatives
Alabama . Sonny Callahan (R) . William Louis Dickinson (R) . Bill Nichols (D) . Tom Bevill (D) . Ronnie Flippo (D) . Ben Erdreich (D) . Richard Shelby (D)
Alaska . Don Young (R)
Arizona . John McCain (R) . Mo Udall (D) . Bob Stump (R) . Eldon Rudd (R) . Jim Kolbe (R)
Arkansas . William Vollie Alexander Jr. (D) . Tommy F. Robinson (D) . John Paul Hammerschmidt (R) . Beryl Anthony Jr. (D)
California . Douglas H. Bosco (D) . Eugene A. Chappie (R) . Bob Matsui (D) . Vic Fazio (D) . Sala Burton (D) . Barbara Boxer (D) . George Miller (D) . Ron Dellums (D) . Pete Stark (D) . Don Edwards (D) . Tom Lantos (D) . Ed Zschau (R) . Norman Mineta (D) . Norman D. Shumway (R) . Tony Coelho (D) . Leon Panetta (D) . Chip Pashayan (R) . Richard H. Lehman (D) . Robert J. Lagomarsino (R) . Bill Thomas (R) . Bobbi Fiedler (R) . Carlos Moorhead (R) . Anthony Beilenson (D) . Henry Waxman (D) . Edward R. Roybal (D) . Howard Berman (D) . Mel Levine (D) . Julian Dixon (D) . Augustus Hawkins (D) . Matthew G. Martínez (D) . Mervyn Dymally (D) . Glenn M. Anderson (D) . David Dreier (R) . Esteban Edward Torres (D) . Jerry Lewis (R) . George Brown Jr. (D) . Al McCandless (R) . Bob Dornan (R) . William E. Dannemeyer (R) . Robert Badham (R) . Bill Lowery (R) . Dan Lungren (R) . Ron Packard (R) . Jim Bates (D) . Duncan L. Hunter (R)
Colorado . Pat Schroeder (D) . Tim Wirth (D) . Michael L. Strang (R) . Hank Brown (R) . Ken Kramer (R) . Dan Schaefer (R)
Connecticut . Barbara B. Kennelly (D) . Sam Gejdenson (D) . Bruce Morrison (D) . Stewart McKinney (R) . John G. Rowland (R) . Nancy Johnson (R)
Delaware . Tom Carper (D)
Florida . Earl Hutto (D) . Don Fuqua (D) . Charles E. Bennett (D) . Bill Chappell (D) . Bill McCollum (R) . Buddy MacKay (D) . Sam Gibbons (D) . Bill Young (R) . Michael Bilirakis (R) . Andy Ireland (R) . Bill Nelson (D) . Tom Lewis (R) . Connie Mack III (R) . Dan Mica (D) . Clay Shaw (R) . Lawrence J. Smith (D) . William Lehman (D) . Claude Pepper (D) . Dante Fascell (D)
Georgia . Lindsay Thomas (D) . Charles Floyd Hatcher (D) . Richard Ray (D) . Pat Swindall (R) . Wyche Fowler (D) . Newt Gingrich (R) . George Darden (D) . J. Roy Rowland (D) . Ed Jenkins (D) . Doug Barnard Jr. (D)
Hawaii . Cecil Heftel (D), until July 11, 1986 . Neil Abercrombie (D), from September 20, 1986 . Daniel Akaka (D)
Idaho . Larry Craig (R) . Richard H. Stallings (D)
Illinois . Charles Hayes (D) . Gus Savage (D) . Marty Russo (D) . George M. O'Brien (R), until July 17, 1986 . Bill Lipinski (D) . Henry Hyde (R) . Cardiss Collins (D) . Dan Rostenkowski (D) . Sidney R. Yates (D) . John Porter (R) . Frank Annunzio (D) . Phil Crane (R) . Harris Fawell (R) . John E. Grotberg (R), until November 15, 1986 . Edward Rell Madigan (R) . Lynn Morley Martin (R) . Lane Evans (D) . Robert H. Michel (R) . Terry L. Bruce (D) . Dick Durbin (D) . Melvin Price (D) . Kenneth J. Gray (D)
Indiana . Pete Visclosky (D) . Philip Sharp (D) . John P. Hiler (R) . Dan Coats (R) . Elwood Hillis (R)