Whale Conservation and Protection Study Act
Public Law 94-532 · H.R. 15445 · 94th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Oct 17, 1976 · Animals
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Leggett (D-CA-4)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateRecorded vote: 74 yea, 0 nay74–0
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 #662 (74-0))
Whale Conservation and Protection Study Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Marine Mammal Commission and the Coastal States, to undertake comprehensive studies of all whales found in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the United States for the purpose of developing measures to conserve and protect such mammals. Requires the Secretary to submit findings and recommendations to Congress no later than January 1, 1980.
Directs the Secretary of Commerce, with the Secretary of State, to initiate negotiations with Mexico and Canada for the preservation of whales.
Authorizes the appropriation of $1,000,000 for fiscal years 1978 and 1979 to carry out this Act.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 94th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 75 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
75 yea0 nay25 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(46)
- Sen. James AbourezkD-SD
- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
- Sen. Dick ClarkD-IA
- Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
- Sen. Floyd HaskellD-CO
- Sen. Lee MetcalfD-MT
- Sen. John CulverD-IA
- Sen. Gary HartD-CO
- 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. Frank ChurchD-ID
- Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
- Sen. Hubert HumphreyD-MN
- Sen. Stuart SymingtonD-MO
- Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
- Sen. Thomas McIntyreD-NH
- 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. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. Robert MorganD-NC
- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. Dick StoneD-FL
- Sen. Mike GravelD-AK
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. John SparkmanD-AL
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. Herman TalmadgeD-GA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
- Sen. John McClellanD-AR
- Sen. James EastlandD-MS
- Sen. James AllenD-AL
Republicans who voted yea(29)
- 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. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. Hiram FongR-HI
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK- Sen. William RothR-DE
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM- Sen. Robert TaftR-OH
- Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
- Sen. Robert GriffinR-MI
- Sen. William BrockR-TN
- 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. John TowerR-TX
- 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 1273 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.
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. 14 actions.
- Oct 17, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-532.
- Oct 6, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 5, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 1, 1976Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- Sep 28, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #662 (74-0).Senate roll call 662
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Sep 22, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Sep 20, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, roll call #759 (314-70).House roll call 759
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- Sep 16, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- Sep 2, 1976CommitteeCommittee · 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.