Trade Sanctions Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Banking and Currency.
Trade Sanctions Act - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to prohibit the shipment of certain goods and materials to those Arab nations which have restricted or stopped shipments of petroleum to the United States. Imposes an embargo upon shipment of the following: (1) certain agricultural products; (2) all medical and pharmaceutical supplies; and (3) certain industrial and manufactured products . States that the restrictions herein described shall be imposed upon the described goods and materials to the following nations: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Algeria, and Qatar. Directs the Secretary of Commerce to monitor all shipments of goods and materials herein described to all nations to determine which nations, if any, are aiding in any evasion or mitigation of the effects of this embargo by funneling restricted goods and materials to the Arab nations listed in this Act. Directs the Secretary to prepare and submit to Congress continuing reports on such activities with recommendations of what further trade embargos would be necessary to eliminate or minimize such activity. Authorizes appropriations of such sums as are necessary to place into effect and maintain such trade restrictions.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on December 3, 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 December 3, 1973: Referred to House Committee on Banking and Currency.
- 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 SHOUP (R-MT) introduced it on December 3, 1973, and 13 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 8 Republicans.
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 December 3, 1973, 19274 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19274 days ago, on December 3, 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