An Act to upgrade the position of Under Secretary of Agriculture to Deputy Secretary of Agriculture; to provide for an additional Assistant Secretary of Agriculture; to increase the compensation of certain officials of the Department of Agriculture; to provide for an additional member of the Board of Directors, Commodity Credit Corporation; and for other purposes.
Public Law 94-561 · H.R. 10133 · 94th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Oct 19, 1976 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Rep. Thomas Foley (D-WA-5)
Cosponsors: None
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.
Upgrades the position of Under Secretary of Agriculture to Deputy Secretary of Agriculture. Provides for one additional Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. Increases the compensation of specified officials of the Department of Agriculture. Provides for an additional member of the Board of Directors of the Commodity Credit Corporation.
Amends the Farm Labor Contractor Act of 1963 to exempt custom poultry harvesting, breeding, debeaking, sexing, and health service operations from the provisions of that Act where the employees of the operation are not regularly required to be away from their domicile other than during their normal working hours.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Post Office and Civil Service Committee · House · discharged from, referred to
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. 16 actions.
- Oct 19, 1976Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-561.
- Oct 8, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Oct 7, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 6, 1976PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 1, 1976Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- Sep 30, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jul 27, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jul 26, 1976FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, roll call #546 (356-18).House roll call 546
- Jun 3, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Agriculture Committee
- Mar 2, 1976CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Post Office and Civil Service Committee
- Oct 9, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Post Office and Civil Service 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.