A bill to abolish the position of Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife and for other purposes.
Public Law 93-271 · H.R. 13542 · 93rd Congress · began in the House
Signed by Richard Nixon (R) on Apr 22, 1974 · Animals
Sponsor: Rep. George Goodling (R-PA-19)
Cosponsors (12): Rep. John Dingell, Rep. Robert Leggett,
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
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.
Abolishes the position of Commissioner of Fish and Wildlife. Establishes within the Department of the Interior the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, to be administered under the supervision of the Director, subject to the supervision of the Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife. States that the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Provides that no individual may be appointed as the Director unles he is knowledgable in the principles of fisheries and wildlife management. (Amends 16 U.S.C. 742(b))
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee · House · referred to, reported by
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. 8 actions.
- Apr 22, 1974Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 93-271.
- Apr 10, 1974PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Apr 9, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate.
- Apr 2, 1974FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- Mar 26, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- Mar 18, 1974CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Merchant Marine and Fisheries 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.