A bill to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to authorize appropriations for the United States Commission on Civil Rights for fiscal year 1980.
Public Law 96-81 · S. 721 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 6, 1979 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Birch Bayh (D-IN)
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.
(Senate receded and concurred in House amendment with an amendment)
Civil Rights Commission Authorization Act of 1979 - Amends the Civil Rights Act of 1957 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1980 for the Civil Rights Commission.
Directs the Commission to continue to appraise the laws and policies of the Federal Government with respect to denials of equal protection of the laws under the Constitution involving Americans who are members of eastern- and southern-European ethnic groups and to report its findings to the Congress.
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. 15 actions.
- Oct 6, 1979Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-81.
- Sep 28, 1979PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Sep 27, 1979PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House receded from its amendment.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- Sep 25, 1979Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate receded and concurred in House amendment with an amendment.
- Jun 8, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H. R. 2641.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Jun 7, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended, roll call #124 (91-5).Senate roll call 124
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- May 15, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Mar 21, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary 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.