Petroleum Marketing Divorcement Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Petroleum Marketing Divorcement Act - States that it shall be unlawful for any person directly or indirectly to be engaged in commerce in the marketing of refined petroleum products while such person or affiliate of such person who is also engaged in one or more of the other three branches of the petroleum industry; namely, production, refining, and transportation. Provides that any person who knowingly violates the provisions of this Act on or after January 1, 1974, shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not to exceed $100,000 for each such offense committed. Requires the Attorney General to examine the relationships of persons now engaged in one or more branches of the petroleum industry and to institute suits in equity in the United States district courts for the issuance of mandatory injunctions commanding any person to comply with the provisions of this Act. Grants the United States district courts exclusive jurisdiction of violations of this Act and of all suits in equity and actions at law brought to enforce compliance with or enjoin any violation of this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 6, 1973. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 6, 1973: Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
RICHARD MALLARY (R-VT) introduced it on September 6, 1973. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 6, 1973, 19362 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19362 days ago, on September 6, 1973.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers