A bill to amend chapter 39 of title 10, United States Code, to enable the President to authorize the involuntary order to active duty of Selected Reservists, for a limited period, whether or not a declaration of war or national emergency has been declared.
Public Law 94-286 · S. 2115 · 94th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on May 14, 1976 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Sen. John Stennis (D-MS)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Clifford Case
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateRecorded vote: 77 yea, 0 nay77–0
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.
(Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #9 (77-0))
Authorizes the President to involuntarily order to active duty Selected Reservists, for a period not to exceed 90 days, to augment the active forces.
Provides that not more than 50,000 Selected Reservists may be on active duty under this Act at one time.
Requires the President to notify the Congress within 24 hours of his exercise of authority under this Act, and the circumstances necessitating his action and the anticipated use of such forces. Permits the termination of service by such forces by order of the President or by concurrent resolution of Congress.
States that this Act shall not be construed to amend or limit the war powers resolution Adds 10 U.S.C. 673b
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 94th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 83 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
83 yea0 nay17 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(52)
- Sen. James AbourezkD-SD
- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
- Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
- Sen. Mike MansfieldD-MT
- Sen. George McGovernD-SD
Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE- Sen. Floyd HaskellD-CO
- Sen. Lee MetcalfD-MT
- Sen. John CulverD-IA
- Sen. Gary HartD-CO
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Philip HartD-MI
- Sen. William HathawayD-ME
- Sen. John DurkinD-NH
- Sen. Rupert HartkeD-IN
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Walter MondaleD-MN
- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- Sen. Edmund MuskieD-ME
- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
- Sen. Hubert HumphreyD-MN
- Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
- Sen. Thomas McIntyreD-NH
- Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
- Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
- Sen. Frank MossD-UT
- Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
- Sen. Dee HuddlestonD-KY
Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
- Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
- Sen. Warren MagnusonD-WA
- Sen. Abraham RibicoffD-CT
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
- Sen. John PastoreD-RI
- Sen. John GlennD-OH
- Sen. Howard CannonD-NV
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. Robert MorganD-NC
- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. Joseph MontoyaD-NM
- Sen. Dick StoneD-FL
- Sen. Mike GravelD-AK
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. John SparkmanD-AL
- Sen. Gale McGeeD-WY
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. Herman TalmadgeD-GA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
- Sen. Harry ByrdD-VA
- Sen. James AllenD-AL
Republicans who voted yea(30)
- Sen. Clifford CaseR-NJ
- Sen. Edward BrookeR-MA
- Sen. Richard SchweikerR-PA
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
- Sen. Hugh ScottR-PA
- Sen. James PearsonR-KS
- Sen. John BeallR-MD
- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM- Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
- Sen. Robert TaftR-OH
- Sen. Robert GriffinR-MI
- Sen. William BrockR-TN
- Sen. Henry BellmonR-OK
- Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
- Sen. Dewey BartlettR-OK
- Sen. Roman HruskaR-NE
- Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
- Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
- Sen. William ScottR-VA
- Sen. John TowerR-TX
- Sen. Carl CurtisR-NE
- Sen. James McClureR-ID
- Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
- Sen. Barry GoldwaterR-AZ
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 620 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. 1 yea vote was cast by members of neither major party and is highlighted on the compass but not listed. 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.
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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- May 14, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-286.
- May 4, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- May 3, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Apr 29, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Armed Services Committee
- Jan 27, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Armed Services Committee
- Jan 26, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #9 (77-0).Senate roll call 9
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Dec 15, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Armed Services Committee
- Jul 15, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Armed Services Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
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.