A joint resolution to authorize and request the President to issue a proclamation designating March 21, 1982, as Afghanistan Day, a day to commemorate the struggle of the people of Afghanistan against the occupation of their country by Soviet Forces.
Public Law 97-151 · S.J.Res. 142 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Mar 10, 1982 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Cosponsors (36): Sen. Charles Percy, Sen. Claiborne Pell,
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseRecorded vote: 345 yea, 0 nay345–0
- SenateRecorded vote: 96 yea, 0 nay96–0
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.
Requests the President to designate March 21, 1982, as Afghanistan Day.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 97th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 97 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
97 yea0 nay3 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(46)
Sen. Ted KennedyD-MA- Sen. Howard MetzenbaumD-OH
- Sen. Donald RiegleD-MI
- Sen. Paul SarbanesD-MD
Sen. Carl LevinD-MI- Sen. Thomas EagletonD-MO
- 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. Joseph BidenD-DE
Sen. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
- 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. 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. James ExonD-NE
- 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
- Sen. Harry ByrdD-VA
Republicans who voted yea(51)
- Sen. Charles MathiasR-MD
- Sen. Lowell WeickerR-CT
Sen. Arlen SpecterR-PA- Sen. Henry HeinzR-PA
- Sen. John ChafeeR-RI
- Sen. Larry PresslerR-SD
- Sen. David DurenbergerR-MN
- Sen. Mark AndrewsR-ND
- Sen. Robert StaffordR-VT
- Sen. William CohenR-ME
- Sen. William RothR-DE
- Sen. Paula HawkinsR-FL
- Sen. Nancy KassebaumR-KS
- Sen. Mark HatfieldR-OR
- Sen. Robert PackwoodR-OR
- Sen. John DanforthR-MO
- Sen. Alfonse D’AmatoR-NY
- Sen. Charles PercyR-IL
- Sen. Rudy BoschwitzR-MN
- Sen. James AbdnorR-SD
- Sen. Robert KastenR-WI
Sen. Chuck GrassleyR-IA- 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. William ArmstrongR-CO
- Sen. Strom ThurmondR-SC
- Sen. Malcolm WallopR-WY
- Sen. Paul LaxaltR-NV
- Sen. Jeremiah DentonR-AL
- Sen. John TowerR-TX
- 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. Gordon HumphreyR-NH
- Sen. John EastR-NC
- Sen. Barry GoldwaterR-AZ
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 540 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.
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. 10 actions.
- Mar 10, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-151.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Mar 9, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Mar 4, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House by Yea-Nay Vote: 345 - 0 (Record Vote No: 19).House roll call 19
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Mar 3, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment and with a preamble by Yea-Nay Vote. 96-0. Record Vote No: 43.Senate roll call 43
- Mar 2, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Feb 2, 1982CommitteeCommittee · 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.