Council on Wage and Price Stability Act Amendments of 1975
Public Law 94-78 · S. 409 · 94th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Gerald Ford (R) on Aug 9, 1975 · Economics and Public Finance
Sponsor: Sen. William Proxmire (D-WI)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Adlai Stevenson
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.
Council on Wage and Price Stability Act Amendments - Authorizes the Council on Wage and Price Stability, under the Council on Wage and Price Stability Act, to require periodic reports and to issue subpenas for the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of information relating to wages, prices, costs, profits, and productivity by product line.
Provides that information obtained under this Act shall be made available to the public unless the Council determines that public disclosure would impose an undue competitive disadvantage on the person submitting such information.
Authorizes the Council to require any person having gross sales or revenues in excess of $250,000,000 during its most recent fiscal year to submit a prenotification to the Council with respect to any price increase of any product or service not more than 30 days prior to the effective date of such increase.
Declares that the Council may require any person who grants a wage increase affecting more than 5,000 employees to submit a prenotification of such increase not more than 30 days prior to the effective increase date.
Gives the Council the authority to delay up to 60 days any price or wage increase which the Council determines would or could significantly increase inflation.
Provides that the Council may request the Attorney General to bring an action to enjoin any act or practice which constitutes a violation of any requirement imposed by the Council on Wage and Price Stability Act.
Extends the life of the Council to September 30, 1977, and increases the sum authorized to be appropriated to the Council from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000 for each fiscal year.
Requires the Council to control the price of domestic "old oil" at a level equal to its price on January 1, 1975, and "new oil" at a price no higher than 70 percent of the actual average world market price for crude oil purchased for export from major oil producing countries during the two-week period of January 1 through January 14, 1975, as determined by the Secretary of State.
Provides that the appointment of any future Director of the Council shall be subject to confirmation by the Senate.
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. 13 actions.
- Aug 9, 1975Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public law 94-78.
- Aug 2, 1975PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Aug 1, 1975Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Jul 31, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 8731.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- May 6, 1975FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #167 (67-20).Senate roll call 167
- May 5, 1975FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Apr 18, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee
- Jan 27, 1975CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 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.