An act to amend title V of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to reduce administrative burdens on low volume automobile manufacturers, to encourage an increase of the domestic value added content in labor and materials of foreign automobiles sold in the United States, to extend the time available to all manufacturers for carryforward or carryback of credits earned under the Act, and for other purposes.
Public Law 96-425 · S. 2475 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 10, 1980 · Transportation and Public Works
Sponsor: Sen. Howard Cannon (D-NV)
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.
Automobile Fuel Efficiency Act of 1980 - Amends Title V (Improving Automotive Efficiency) of the Motor Vehicle Information and Cost Savings Act to permit an automobile manufacturer of fewer than 10,000 automobiles per year to file a single application for: (1) an exemption from; and (2) alternate standards for Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for any period after model year 1980 and before model year 1986. Permits an application accepted by the Department of Transportation (DOT) for model year 1981 to be so amended and extended through model year 1985.
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to review and modify the requirements and procedures of such Act in order to reduce administrative burdens on automobile manufacturers. Directs the Secretary to notify Congress of the review and actions taken under this Act in the annual report mandated by such Act. Exempts small manufacturers from specified reporting requirements.
Directs the Secretary to permit domestic automobile manufacturers who began production after enactment of the Environmental Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 and before May 1, 1980, or who began production after May 1, 1980, and have engaged in such production for one model year before December 31, 1985, to increase the local content of their automobiles while maintaining a single fleet for purposes of fuel economy standards. Prohibits such action by the Secretary if he finds that such exemption would reduce automobile industry employment in the United States. Sets forth provisions for judicial review of such decisions by the Secretary.
Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Labor to annually conduct a joint examination of the effects of this Act and report to Congress on the same.
Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to allow a manufacturer to include up to 150,000 foreign-manufactured passenger automobiles in such manufacturer's calculation of average fuel economy when: (1) such automobiles have never previously been domestically manufactured; (2) at least 50 percent of the cost to the manufacturer of such automobiles is attributable to value added in the United States or Canada; (3) any automobile assembled in Canada is imported into the United States within 30 days after the end of the applicable model year; and (4) such automobile model type or types are domestically manufactured before the close of the fourth model year covered by a specified plan. Directs that the manufacturer set out its import program, subject to Department of Transportation approval, in such a plan which which assures that the automobile type or types in question will be domestically manufactured before the end of the fourth model year covered by such plan. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to approve such plan unless: (1) the Secretary finds the plan inadequate to meet the requirements of this Act; and (2) the manufacturer has previously submitted a plan which has been approved by the Secretary.
Authorizes the Secretary, through the model year 1985, to examine and adjust specified standards for four-wheel drive, light-duty trucks if the petitioning manufacturer can show that it will suffer severe economic impacts as a result of such standards.
Directs that a manufacturer shall not be considered to have engaged in unlawful conduct, or to have failed to comply with any fuel economy standard applicable to such manufacturer under such Act, if the average fuel economy of such manufacturer, after taking into account specified credits then available to the manufacturer, would result in the applicable standard being met or exceeded. Extends the time available to all passenger automobile manufacturers to carry forward or carry back such credits.
Exempts emergency vehicles from the calculation of a manufacturer's average fuel economy standards.
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. 20 actions.
- Oct 10, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-425.
- Oct 1, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Sep 30, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House agreed to conference report.
- Sep 26, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report.
- Sep 25, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-1402.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-1402.
- Sep 23, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in House.
- Sep 22, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in Senate.
- Jun 3, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up under motion to suspend rules and pass in House.
- May 16, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Apr 23, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Energy and Commerce Committee
- Apr 16, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate.
- Mar 25, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by 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.