A bill making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1982, and for other purposes.
Public Law 97-103 · H.R. 4119 · 97th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 23, 1981 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Rep. Jamie Whitten (D-MS-1)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateRecorded vote: 75 yea, 20 nay75–20
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.
(House receded and concurred in certain Senate amendments with an amendment)
Title I: Agricultural Programs - Appropriates funds for the following agricultural programs and services: (1) Office of the Secretary of Agriculture; (2) departmental administration; (3) governmental and public affairs and emergency preparedness; (4) Office of the Inspector General; (5) Office of the General Counsel; (6) Federal Grain Inspection Service (with limitations on administrative expenses); (7) Agricultural Research Service (including the purchase of land in the Central Plains Experimental Range, Colorado, and scientific activities overseas); (8) Cooperative State Research Service; (9) Extension Service (including programs for animal health and nonpoint source pollution, and for carrying out the Renewable Resources Extension Act of 1978); (10) National Agricultural Library; (11) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (including emergency funds for the Mediterranean fruit fly program); (12) Food Safety and Inspection Service; (13) Economic Research Service; (14) Statistical Reporting Service; (15) Agricultural Cooperative Service (including a specified amount for opening an office in Hawaii); (16) World Agricultural Outlook Board; (17) Agricultural Marketing Service (including a specified amount for the Blytheville, Arkansas Cotton Marketing Office, limitations on administrative expenses, and payments to States and possessions; (18) Packers and Stockyards Administration; and (19) Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (including the dairy indemnity program).
Authorizes the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to make expenditures to carry out their respective programs. Places limits on 1982 amounts for CCC administrative expenses and direct export credit loans. Prohibits the use of any funds for loan guarantees for producing or marketing industrial hydrocarbons and alcohol from agricultural products.
Title II: Rural Development Programs - Appropriates funds for rural development assistance as follows: (1) Farmers Home Administration; (2) Rural Electrification Administration; (3) Soil Conservation Service; and (4) Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (including forestry incentives and water bank programs).
TItle III: Domestic Food Programs - Appropriates funds for programs of the Food and Nutrition Service, including child nutrition (limits reimbursement to meals served after September 1, 1981), the special milk and supplemental food programs, food stamps (including job search activities and work registration) and administrative expenses.
Title IV: International Programs - Appropriates funds for: (1) the Foreign Agricultural Service (including an allotment from the Commodity Credit Corporation); (2) the Office of International Cooperation and Development; and (3) Public Law 480 (financing the sale of agricultural commodities for convertible foreign currencies).
Title V: Related Agencies - Appropriates funds for the: (1) Food and Drug Administration; (2) Commodity Futures Trading Commission; and (3) Farm Credit Administration (with limitations on administrative expenses).
Title VI: General Provisions - Limits the expenditures of specified appropriations made by this Act. Allows specified housing funds to remain available until expended.
Provides that ceilings on full-time equivalent staff years of the Department of Agriculture shall exclude overtime as well as staff years expended as a result of carrying out natural disaster programs. Sets ceilings for specified agency and activity appropriations under this Act.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 97th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 76 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
76 yea21 nay3 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(35)
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
- Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
Sen. Carl LevinD-MI- Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT- Sen. Dale BumpersD-AR
Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
- Sen. Harrison WilliamsD-NJ
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- Sen. George MitchellD-ME
Sen. Max BaucusD-MT- Sen. David PryorD-AR
- Sen. James SasserD-TN
- Sen. Dee HuddlestonD-KY
- Sen. Howard CannonD-NV
- Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
- Sen. John MelcherD-MT
- Sen. Quentin BurdickD-ND
- Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
- Sen. John GlennD-OH
- Sen. Dennis DeConciniD-AZ
- Sen. Alan DixonD-IL
- Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
- Sen. Howell HeflinD-AL
- Sen. David BorenD-OK
- Sen. Samuel NunnD-GA
- Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
- Sen. Lloyd BentsenD-TX
- Sen. Edward ZorinskyD-NE
- Sen. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
Republicans who voted yea(41)
Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA- Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
- Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
- Sen. Mark AndrewsR-ND
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. William CohenR-ME
- Sen. Paula HawkinsR-FL
- Sen. Nancy KassebaumR-KS
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. John DanforthR-MO
- Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
- Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
- Sen. James AbdnorR-SD
Sen. Chuck GrassleyR-IA- Sen. Harrison SchmittR-NM
- Sen. Slade GortonR-WA
- Sen. Warren RudmanR-NH
Sen. Thad CochranR-MS- Sen. Roger JepsenR-IA
Sen. Pete DomeniciR-NM
Sen. Ted StevensR-AK- Sen. Alan SimpsonR-WY
- Sen. Frank MurkowskiR-AK
Sen. Richard LugarR-IN
Sen. John WarnerR-VA- Sen. Mack MattinglyR-GA
Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT- Sen. Howard BakerR-TN
- Sen. Robert DoleR-KS
- Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
- Sen. Malcolm WallopR-WY
- Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
- Sen. Jeremiah DentonR-AL
- Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
- Sen. Don NicklesR-OK
- Sen. Samuel HayakawaR-CA
- Sen. Jesse HelmsR-NC
- Sen. Dan QuayleR-IN
- Sen. James McClureR-ID
- Sen. John EastR-NC
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 487 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.
Appropriations Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
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. 33 actions.
- Dec 23, 1981Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-103.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 17, 1981PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 15, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments to Senate amendments Nos.15,23,30,35,94,112 by Voice Vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report by Yea-Nay Vote. 75-20. Record Vote No: 487.Senate roll call 487
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report by Yea-Nay Vote. 75-20. Record Vote No: 487.Senate roll call 487
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report considered in Senate.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Receded and Concurred With an Amendment in Senate Amendments 015, 023, 030, 035, 094, 112.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Receded and Concurred in Senate Amendments 037, 038, 071, 082, 098, 111.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Conference Report by Voice Vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House Agreed to Conference Report by Voice Vote.
- Nov 4, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference Report 97-313 Filed in House.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference Report 97-313 Filed in House.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conferees agreed to file conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference committee actions: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Request for Conference and Speaker Appointed Conferees: Whitten, Traxler, Alexander, McHugh, Hightower, Akaka, Watkins, Smith (NE), Robinson, Myers, Lewis, Natcher, Conte.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Disagreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Oct 30, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate requests a conference. Appoints conferees. Cochran; McClure; Andrews; Abdnor; Kasten; Mattingly; Specter; Hatfield; Eagleton; Stennis; Byrd, of WV; Chiles; Burdick; Sasser; Proxmire.
- FloorFloor · Senate insists on its amendments by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Yea-Nay Vote. 69-15. Record Vote No: 345.Senate roll call 345
- Oct 22, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Appropriations Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Appropriations Committee
- Jul 28, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Appropriations Committee
- Jul 27, 1981FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Yea-Nay Vote: 343 - 33 (Record Vote No: 166).House roll call 166
- FloorFloor · House Agreed to Amendments Adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
- Jul 23, 1981FloorFloor · Rule Passed House.
- Jul 9, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Appropriations Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Appropriations Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
- Jun 18, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee
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.