An act to amend the Clayton Act to modify the amount of damages payable to foreign states and instrumentalities of foreign states which sue for violations of the antitrust laws.
Public Law 97-393 · S. 816 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Dec 29, 1982 · Commerce
Sponsor: Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
Cosponsors (24): Sen. Dennis DeConcini, Sen. Jeremiah Denton,
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.
Amends the Clayton Act to limit the amount a foreign state may recover in a suit for damages resulting from an antitrust violation, to the amount of actual damages it sustained and the cost of the suit. Declares that such limitation shall not apply to any foreign state which: (1) would not be immune from the jurisdiction of U.S. courts with respect to an action arising out of the same violation; (2) waives all of its defenses as a foreign state to any claim brought against it in the same action; (3) engages primarily in commercial activities; and (4) does not function as a procurement entity for itself or another foreign state with respect to such violation.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust 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. 14 actions.
- Dec 29, 1982Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-393.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 17, 1982PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Dec 16, 1982Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments. By Voice Vote.
- Dec 13, 1982FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Judiciary Committee
- Jul 15, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Jul 13, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- Jul 9, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- May 15, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- May 12, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Apr 20, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Mar 26, 1981CommitteeCommittee · 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.