A bill to authorize appropriations for the saline water conversion program for fiscal year 1977.
Public Law 94-316 · H.R. 11559 · 94th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Jun 22, 1976 · Water Resources Development
Sponsor: Rep. Harold Johnson (D-CA-1)
Cosponsors (7): Rep. Manuel Luján, Rep. Harold Runnels,
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.
Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Saline Water Conversion Act of 1971 of $7,540,000 for fiscal year 1977 for specified categories for water research, technology development, test facility operation and maintenance, and administration and coordination. Permits expenditures and obligations authorized under any category for water resources research and for technology development to be increased by ten percent if any such increase is accompanied by a corresponding decrease in expenditures and obligations in other categories for such purposes.
Makes provisions of the Federal Nonnuclear Energy, Research, and Development Act of 1974, relating to inventions and patents and application of antitrust laws, applicable to the definition of, title to, and licensing of, inventions made or conceived in the course of, or under any contract or grant pursuant to, the Water Resources Research Act of 1964 or the Saline Water Conversion Act of 1971.
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.
- Jun 22, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-316.
- Jun 11, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Jun 7, 1976Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- Jun 3, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- May 11, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 6, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 5, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Mar 30, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- Jan 28, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources 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.