Department of Defense Supplemental Authorization Act, 1981
Public Law 97-39 · S. 694 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 14, 1981 · Armed Forces and National Security
Sponsor: Sen. John Tower (R-TX)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. John Stennis
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Department of Defense Supplemental Authorization Act, 1981 - Title I: Procurement - Authorizes the appropriation of additional funds for fiscal year 1981 for the use of the armed forces for procurement of aircraft, missiles, naval vessels, and tracked combat vehicles.
Title II: Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation - Authorizes the appropriation of additional funds for fiscal year 1981 for the use of the armed forces for research, development, test, and evaluation.
Title III: Active Forces - Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1981, to increase the active duty personnel end strengths of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force.
Title IV: Reserve Forces - Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1981, to increase the number of reserve component members authorized to serve on fulltime active duty with the Marine Corps Reserve for the purpose of organizing, administering, recruiting, instructing, or training.
Title V: Civilian Personnel - Amends the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1981, to increase the number of civilian personnel authorized for the Department of Defense.
Title VI: Military Construction - Authorizes the appropriation of additional funds for fiscal year 1981 for military construction operations. Amends the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1981, to decrease the authorization for construction or acquisition of military family housing and increase the authorization for support of such housing. Permits the Secretary of Defense to establish or develop facilities for the Air National Guard utilizing additional authorizations.
Amends the Military Construction Authorization Act, 1980, to decrease the number of family housing units authorized for Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Authorizes the construction of such housing on base.
Title VII: Compensation Provisions - Entitles specified members of the Navy to submarine duty incentive pay. Establishes an effective date for the accumulated leave provisions of the Military Pay and Allowances Benefits Act of 1980.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Armed Services Committee · Senate · hearings by (full committee), markup by, referred to, reported by
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. 23 actions.
- Aug 14, 1981Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-39.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 5, 1981PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 4, 1981Resolving 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.
- Jul 30, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report by Voice Vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report by Voice Vote.
- Jul 27, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference Report 97-204 Filed in House.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference Report 97-204 Filed in House.
- Jul 20, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conferees agreed to file conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference committee actions: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
- Jul 9, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to request for conference. Appointed conferees. Tower; Thurmond; Goldwater; Warner; Humphrey; Cohen; Jepsen; Quayle; Denton; Stennis; Jackson; Cannon; Byrd, of VA; Nunn; Hart; Exon; Levin.
- FloorFloor · Senate disagreed to House amendments by Voice Vote.
- Jun 23, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Requested a Conference and Speaker Appointed Conferees: Price, Bennett, Stratton, White, Nichols, Brinkley, Mollohan, Dan Daniel, Dickinson, Whitehurst, Spence, Beard, Mitchell (NY), Holt.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Insisted on its Amendments by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 7, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Apr 1, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Armed Services Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Armed Services Committee
- Mar 23, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Armed Services Committee
- Mar 12, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Armed Services 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.