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HR 1146 102th Congress House

Beeper Abuse Prevention Act of 1991

Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe rules to prevent possession of beepers and pagers by pers… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe rules to prevent possession of beepers and pagers by persons under 21 years of age, and for other purposes.

Introduced: March 20, 1991 Introduced by: Mfume, Kweisi Democratic · Maryland See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Equipment and suppliesTelephoneYouth
This bill died when the 102nd Congress ended
It never became law before the 102nd Congress (1991–1992) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 11, 1991
Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance.
Feb 27, 1991
Introduced in House
Feb 27, 1991
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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 Latest action March 11, 1991

Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Beeper Abuse Prevention Act of 1991 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to direct the Federal Communications Commission to prescribe regulations to prevent the sale or rental to, or possession by, persons under 21 years of age of paging devices (beepers), except that such regulations shall permit: (1) parents or guardians to allow their children to possess and use such devices under supervision; and (2) a business enterprise to allow its employees under age 21 to possess and use such devices while carrying out a lawful business activity under the supervision of such enterprise.

Provides that such regulations shall require: (1) persons engaged in sales or rentals of such devices to verify the identification and age of each person to whom such a device is sold or rented; and (2) parents or guardians who intend to permit their children to use such devices, or any business enterprises that intend to permit employees under age 21 to use such devices, to disclose that information at the time of the purchase or rental.

Outlines penalties for violations of such regulations.

Authorizes the Commission to bring an action in any district court of the United States to enforce such regulations.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1146: Beeper Abuse Prevention Act of 1991. 102nd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1146/
MLA
"H.R. 1146: Beeper Abuse Prevention Act of 1991." 102nd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1146/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1146, 102nd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1146/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1146: Beeper Abuse Prevention Act of 1991](https://openamerica.io/bill/102-HR-1146/)
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