A bill to authorize the presentation on behalf of the Congress of a specially struck gold medal to Admiral Hyman George Rickover.
Public Law 97-201 · H.R. 5432 · 97th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Jun 23, 1982 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Rep. Samuel Stratton (D-NY-28)
Cosponsors (250): Rep. Charles Price, Rep. Charles Bennett,
Passage votesYeaNay
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateRecorded vote: 91 yea, 1 nay91–1
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.
Authorizes the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to present, on behalf of Congress, a gold medal to Admiral Hyman George Rickover in recognition of his distinguished service and for his contributions to the development of safe nuclear energy and to the defense of the United States. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to provide for a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and inscriptions. Authorizes appropriations to carry out such provision.
Authorizes the Secretary to make available bronze duplicates of such medal for sale under prescribed regulations. Requires reimbursement of appropriations under this Act from proceeds of such sales.
Who voted for it
Every senator of the 97th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 93 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.
93 yea1 nay6 present or did not vote
Democrats who voted yea(43)
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. Robert ByrdD-WV- Sen. Jennings RandolphD-WV
- Sen. Spark MatsunagaD-HI
- Sen. William ProxmireD-WI
- Sen. Wendell FordD-KY
Sen. Daniel InouyeD-HI- 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. Russell LongD-LA
- Sen. John StennisD-MS
- Sen. Harry ByrdD-VA
Republicans who voted yea(50)
- 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. 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. 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. Richard LugarR-IN
Sen. John WarnerR-VA- Sen. Mack MattinglyR-GA
- Sen. Nicholas BradyR-NJ
Sen. Orrin HatchR-UT- 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. Steven SymmsR-ID
- Sen. Barry GoldwaterR-AZ
Data notes
The Senate’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 666 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.
Financial Services Committee · House · discharged from, markup by, referred toSubcommittee: Consumer Affairs and Coinage 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. 12 actions.
- Jun 23, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-201.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jun 14, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Jun 9, 1982FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 91-1. Record Vote No: 169.Senate roll call 169
- Apr 27, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Financial Services Committee
- Apr 22, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Financial Services Committee
- Mar 9, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Consumer Affairs and Coinage Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Consumer Affairs and Coinage Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee
- Feb 16, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Consumer Affairs and Coinage Subcommittee of the House Financial Services Committee
- Feb 3, 1982CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Financial Services Committee
- 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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.