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Export Administration Amendments Act of 1981

Public Law 97-145 · H.R. 3567 · 97th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 29, 1981 · Foreign Trade and International Finance

Sponsor: Rep. Jonathan Bingham (D-NY-22)

Cosponsors (20): Rep. Clement Zablocki,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateRecorded vote: 67 yea, 27 nay67–27
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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Export Administration Amendments Act of 1981 - Amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 to carry out such Act. Requires departments or agencies with information relevant to enforcement of such Act to furnish the appropriate department or agency with such information. Exempts census information and certain tax return information from such requirement.

Increases the maximum criminal fine: (1) for violations of such Act; and (2) for failure to report that goods exported under a validated license are being used by the importing country for military or intelligence gathering purposes contrary to the license conditions. Makes such fines less for individuals than in other cases.

Imposes a higher ceiling on the fine for violations involving national security controls or export controls on defense articles and services than for other violations of such Act.

Requires all information regarding export controls to be made available upon request to the appropriate congressional committee and to the General Accounting Office (GAO). Prohibits such committee and the GAO from disclosing, except under specified circumstances, any such information that was submitted confidentially.

Prohibits the imposition of export controls on food if it is determined such controls would cause measurable malnutrition in the countries against whom the controls are proposed, unless the President determines that the controls are necessary to protect U.S. security or that arrangements are insufficient to ensure that food will reach those most in need.

States that this Act can be used as authority for a total embargo if the Soviet Union or Warsaw Pact countries take military action against Poland.

Who voted for it

Every senator of the 97th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 68 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

68 yea27 nay5 present or did not vote

Dimension 2
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(33)

  • Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA
  • Sen. Howard MetzenbaumD-OH
  • Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
  • Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
  • Sen. Carl LevinD-MI
  • Sen. Alan CranstonD-CA
  • Sen. Christopher DoddD-CT
  • Sen. Gary HartD-CO
  • Sen. Patrick LeahyD-VT
  • Sen. Paul TsongasD-MA
  • 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. Bill BradleyD-NJ
  • Sen. Claiborne PellD-RI
  • Sen. Max BaucusD-MT
  • Sen. Daniel MoynihanD-NY
  • Sen. Howard CannonD-NV
  • Sen. Scoop JacksonD-WA
  • Sen. John MelcherD-MT
  • Sen. Fritz HollingsD-SC
  • Sen. John GlennD-OH
  • Sen. Dennis DeConciniD-AZ
  • Sen. Lawton ChilesD-FL
  • Sen. John JohnstonD-LA
  • Sen. Russell LongD-LA
  • Sen. John StennisD-MS
  • Sen. Harry ByrdD-VA

Republicans who voted yea(35)

  • Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
  • Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA
  • Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
  • Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
  • Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
  • Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
  • Sen. William CohenR-ME
  • Sen. Paula HawkinsR-FL
  • Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
  • Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
  • Sen. John DanforthR-MO
  • Sen. Alfonse D’AmatoR-NY
  • Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
  • Sen. Robert KastenR-WI
  • Sen. Harrison SchmittR-NM
  • Sen. Slade GortonR-WA
  • Sen. Warren RudmanR-NH
  • Sen. Thad CochranR-MS
  • 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. William ArmstrongR-CO
  • Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
  • Sen. Malcolm WallopR-WY
  • Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
  • Sen. Jeremiah DentonR-AL
  • Sen. Jake GarnR-UT
  • Sen. Samuel HayakawaR-CA
  • Sen. Dan QuayleR-IN
Data notes

The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 485 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.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Foreign Affairs Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: International Economic Policy and Trade 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.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.

  1. Dec 29, 1981Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-145.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 17, 1981PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 16, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Conference Report by Voice Vote.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House Agreed to Conference Report by Voice Vote.
  6. Dec 15, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report by Yea-Nay Vote. 67-27. Record Vote No: 485.Senate roll call 485
  7. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report by Yea-Nay Vote. 67-27. Record Vote No: 485.Senate roll call 485
  8. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report considered in Senate.
  9. Dec 11, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference Report 97-401 Filed in House.
  10. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference Report 97-401 Filed in House.
  11. Dec 8, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to request for conference. Appointed conferees. Heinz; Garn; Armstrong; Proxmire; Dixon.
  12. FloorFloor · Senate insists on its amendments by Voice Vote.
  13. Nov 20, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Requested a Conference and Speaker Appointed Conferees: Zablocki, Bingham, Eckart, Bonker, Wolpe, Shamansky, Broomfield, Lagomarsino, Erdahl, Gilman, Fenwick.
  14. Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Disagreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
  15. Nov 12, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate in lieu of S. 1112 with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  16. Jun 8, 1981FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
  17. May 19, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Foreign Affairs Committee
  18. May 13, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Foreign Affairs Committee
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Foreign Affairs Committee
  20. CommitteeCommittee · Markup by International Economic Policy and Trade Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
  21. 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.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.