Civil Rights Commission Authorization Act of 1977
Public Law 95-132 · H.R. 5645 · 95th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 13, 1977 · Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Sponsor: Rep. Peter Rodino (D-NJ-10)
Cosponsors (11): Rep. Don Edwards, Rep. Manley Butler,
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateRecorded vote: 80 yea, 4 nay80–4
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.
Civil Rights Commission Authorization Act - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1978, for the Commission on Civil Rights.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 95th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 81 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
81 yea4 nay15 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(50)
- Sen. James AbourezkD-SD
- Sen. George McGovernD-SD
- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Dick ClarkD-IA
- Sen. Howard MetzenbaumD-OH
- Sen. John CulverD-IA
- Sen. Gaylord NelsonD-WI
- Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
- Sen. John DurkinD-NH
- Sen. Wendell AndersonD-MN
- Sen. William HathawayD-ME
- Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
- Sen. Gary HartD-CO
- Sen. Edmund MuskieD-ME
Sen. Joseph BidenD-DE- Sen. Birch BayhD-IN
- Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
- Sen. Hubert HumphreyD-MN
- Sen. Floyd HaskellD-CO
- Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
- Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
- Sen. Warren MagnusonD-WA
- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
- Sen. Thomas McIntyreD-NH
- Sen. Frank ChurchD-ID
- Sen. James SasserD-TN
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. Abraham RibicoffD-CT
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
- Sen. Daniel MoynihanD-NY
- Sen. Adlai StevensonD-IL
- Sen. Robert MorganD-NC
- Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
- Sen. John MelcherD-MT
- Sen. John SparkmanD-AL
- Sen. Dennis DeConciniD-AZ
- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. John GlennD-OH
- Sen. Edward ZorinskyD-NE
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
- Sen. Dick StoneD-FL
Republicans who voted yea(31)
- Sen. Clifford CaseR-NJ
- Sen. Jacob JavitsR-NY
- Sen. Edward BrookeR-MA
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
- Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
- Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
- Sen. James PearsonR-KS
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
- Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. John DanforthR-MO
- Sen. Richard SchweikerR-PA
- Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
- Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK- Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
- Sen. Henry BellmonR-OK
- Sen. William RothR-DE
Sen. Richard LugarR-IN- Sen. Samuel HayakawaR-CA
- Sen. Harrison SchmittR-NM
- Sen. John TowerR-TX
- Sen. Dewey BartlettR-OK
- Sen. Malcolm WallopR-WY
- Sen. Clifford HansenR-WY
Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT- Sen. Carl CurtisR-NE
- Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
- Sen. James McClureR-ID
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 503 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. 16 actions.
- Oct 13, 1977Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 95-132.
- Oct 4, 1977PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 3, 1977PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Sep 30, 1977Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments, roll call #503 (80-4).Senate roll call 503
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to House amendments, roll call #503 (80-4).Senate roll call 503
- Sep 27, 1977Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendment with an amendment (see H. Res. 782).
- Jun 13, 1977Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in Senate.
- FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, in lieu of S. 1231.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- May 23, 1977FloorFloor · Measure passed House, roll call #274 (365-34).House roll call 274
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- May 16, 1977CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Mar 28, 1977CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary 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.