An act to designate the United States Department of Agriculture Boll Weevil Research Laboratory building, located adjacent to the campus of Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, as the "Robey Wentworth Harned Laboratory"; to extend the delay in making any adjustment in the price support level for milk; and to extend the time for conducting the referenda with respect to the national marketing quotas for wheat and upland cotton.
Public Law 97-77 · S. 1322 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 13, 1981 · Commemorations
Sponsor: Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS)
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.
Designates the U.S. Department of Agriculture Boll Weevil Research Laboratory building, adjacent to Mississippi State University, as the Robey Wentworth Harned Laboratory.
Extends, to a specified date, price supports for milk containing 3.67 percent butterfat.
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to extend to January 1, 1982, the date by which the Secretary of Agriculture is required to conduct a referendum of wheat producers to determine whether they favor establishment of national marketing quotas for marketing years beginning in 1982.
Extends to the earlier of: (1) 30 days after adjournment sine die of the first session of the Ninety-seventh Congress; or (2) January 1, 1982, the date by which a similar referendum of cotton producers must be held.
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.
- Nov 13, 1981Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-77.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 12, 1981PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- FloorFloor · Passed House by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 9, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments and an amendment to the Title by Voice Vote.
- Oct 28, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Oct 21, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Jun 3, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 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.