Gold Labeling Act of 1976
Public Law 94-450 · S. 3095 · 94th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Oct 1, 1976 · Commerce
Sponsor: Sen. John Pastore (D-RI)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseRecorded vote: 365 yea, 22 nay365–22
- SenateRecorded vote: 79 yea, 0 nay79–0
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.
Gold Labeling Act - Requires that the actual fineness of any item made of gold or any of its alloys and sold by manufacturers or importers more than five years after the date of the enactment of this Act must not be less by more than three one-thousandths parts than the fineness indicated by any mark on the item or by its label.
States that the assay of such articles which have been brazed with a mixture of solder and an alloy of gold of inferior fineness shall be not less, by more than three one-thousandths part, in the case of a watchcase or flatware, (or seven one thousandth parts, in the case of of any other article) than the fineness indicated by the mark on the item or its label.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 94th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 79 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
79 yea0 nay21 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(49)
- Sen. James AbourezkD-SD
- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
- Sen. Dick ClarkD-IA
- Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
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. William HathawayD-ME
- Sen. John DurkinD-NH
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Birch BayhD-IN
- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- Sen. Edmund MuskieD-ME
- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
- Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
- Sen. Hubert HumphreyD-MN
- Sen. Stuart SymingtonD-MO
- 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. John PastoreD-RI
- Sen. Robert MorganD-NC
- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
- Sen. Dick StoneD-FL
- Sen. Mike GravelD-AK
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. John SparkmanD-AL
- Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. Herman TalmadgeD-GA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
- Sen. John McClellanD-AR
- Sen. James EastlandD-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. Jacob JavitsR-NY
- 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. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. Hiram FongR-HI
- Sen. Milton YoungR-ND
- Sen. William RothR-DE
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM- Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
- Sen. Robert GriffinR-MI
- Sen. Henry BellmonR-OK
- Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
- Sen. Dewey BartlettR-OK
- Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
- Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
- Sen. William ScottR-VA
- Sen. Clifford HansenR-WY
- Sen. John TowerR-TX
- Sen. Carl CurtisR-NE
- Sen. James McClureR-ID
- Sen. Paul FanninR-AZ
- Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 1227 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.
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. 15 actions.
- Oct 1, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-450.
- Sep 23, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Sep 22, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Sep 21, 1976Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments, roll call #616 (79-0).Senate roll call 616
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendments, roll call #616 (79-0).Senate roll call 616
- Sep 20, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, roll call #765 (365-22).House roll call 765
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- May 17, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- May 13, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- May 11, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Mar 9, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation 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.