An act to amend the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 and the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the appropriation of funds to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to carry out the earthquake hazards reduction programs and the fire prevention and control program, and for other purposes.
Public Law 97-80 · S. 999 · 97th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 20, 1981 · Government Operations and Politics
Sponsor: Sen. Robert Packwood (R-OR)
Cosponsors: None
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.
(House agreed to Senate amendment with an amendment)
Title I: Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program - Amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1982 for the United States Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, the National Bureau of Standards, and for specified required adjustments in salaries and benefits as set forth in such Act.
Title II: Fire Prevention and Control - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1982 and 1983 for: (1) research and development at the Fire Research Center of the National Bureau of Standards; and (2) executive direction by the Federal Emergency Management Agency of certain programs.
Authorizes and directs the Administrator of the United States Fire Administration to convey, without consideration, to Gallaudet College a specified tract of land in the District of Columbia.
Title III: Multihazard Research, Planning, and Mitigation - Directs the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to conduct: (1) emergency first response training programs; and (2) a program of planning, preparedness, and mitigation related to earthquake hazards.
Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1982 for such purposes, including a specified sum for earthquake preparedness in California.
Title IV: General Provisions - Permits funds authorized by this Act to be transferred among specified program categories. Limits such transfers to ten percent of a category unless certain congressional committees allow otherwise.
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. 11 actions.
- Nov 20, 1981Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 97-80.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Nov 12, 1981PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Nov 5, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments to Senate amendments to House amendments by Voice Vote.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Concurred in Senate Amendments to House Amendments, with Amendments, by Voice Vote.
- Oct 16, 1981Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate concurred in House amendments with amendments SU489 by Voice Vote.
- Oct 13, 1981FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Called up by House by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 29, 1981FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Apr 23, 1981CommitteeCommittee · Reported original measure by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation 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.