An act to authorize the voluntary interservice transfer of officers between the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Armed Forces, to authorize advance payments of pay and allowances to officers of such corps under the the same conditions that apply to advance payments to members of the Armed Forces, and to provide officers of such corps the same unemployment compensation benefits that apply to members of the Armed Forces.
Public Law 96-215 · S. 1454 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Mar 25, 1980 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Howard Cannon (D-NV)
Cosponsors (2): Sen. Warren Magnuson, Sen. Fritz Hollings
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.
Authorizes the President to: (1) transfer and appoint any commissioned officer of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to any armed force; and (2) transfer and appoint any commissioned officer of an armed force to the NOAA. Directs the Secretaries of Defense and Commerce, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating, to jointly establish procedures for such transfers and appointments.
States that any such transferred officer: (1) may not be assigned precedence or higher rank than he/she held before such transfer; and (2) shall receive retirement and pay credit for his/her creditable service as of the day before the transfer.
Provides that advance payments may be made to members of the uniformed services (presently to members of the armed forces or Public Health Service).
Entitles commissioned officers of the NOAA to the same Federal unemployment compensation coverage as provided for military personnel.
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. 18 actions.
- Mar 25, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-215.
- Mar 14, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Mar 11, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- FloorFloor · Senate agreed to House amendments.
- Dec 20, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Dec 11, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Armed Services Committee
- Nov 9, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- Oct 19, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Ways and Means Committee
- Sep 7, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Armed Services Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Ways and Means Committee
- Sep 6, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate.
- Aug 2, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Jul 9, 1979CommitteeCommittee · 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.