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To provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces.

Public Law 117-1 · H.R. 335 · 117th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jan 22, 2021 · Armed Forces and National Security

Sponsor: Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA-9)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 326 yea, 78 nay326–78
  • SenateRecorded vote: 69 yea, 27 nay69–27
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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

This bill allows the first person nominated and appointed as Secretary of Defense after 12 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on January 20, 2021, to be a person who is, on the date of appointment, at least four years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular component of the Armed Forces. Under current law, an individual may not be appointed as Secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from such active duty.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 117th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 326 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

326 yea78 nay27 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(205)

Republicans who voted yea(121)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 17 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 11Related bill

    A bill to provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces.

  • S. 12Identical billRelated bill

    A bill to provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.

  1. Jan 22, 2021Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-1.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Jan 21, 2021FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. FloorFloor · Received in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed (under the order of 1/21/21, having achieved 60 votes in the affirmative) without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 69 - 27. Record Vote Number: 4.Senate roll call 4
  6. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  7. FloorFloor · On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 326 - 78 (Roll no. 18).House roll call 18
  8. FloorFloor · The previous question was ordered pursuant to a previous order of the House.
  9. FloorFloor · DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous special order, the House proceeded with one hour of debate on H.R. 335.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered pursuant to a previous order.
  11. FloorFloor · Consideration initiated pursuant to a previous order.
  12. FloorFloor · ORDER OF PROCEDURE - Mr. McGovern asked for unanimous consent that it be in order at any time to consider H.R. 335 in the House if called up by the chair of the Committee on Armed Services or his designee; that all points of order against consideration of the bill be waived; tha…
  13. Jan 15, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
  14. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.