A bill to establish a Department of Health.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
Establishes an executive department to be known as the Department of Health. Provides for a Secretary of Health, an Under Secretary, 7 Assistant Secretaries, and a Chief Medical Officer, all of whom shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Transfers to the Secretary all functions of the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare under specified Federal laws. Transfers various functions of the Secretary of HEW in regard to the Public Health Service. Redesignates the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare as the Department of Education and Welfare. Authorizes the Secretary of Health to appoint and fix the compensation of such officers and employees as are necessary to carry out his functions. Transfers to the Secretary the personnel, property, and authorizations of the Acts and functions listed in this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to establish a working capital fund for expenses necessary for the maintenance and operation of common administrative services and equipment. Authorizes the Secretary to provide for certain services and supplies for employees and their dependents stationed at remote localities. Provides that the Secretary shall appoint such advisory committees as appropriate for consultation with the Department in the performance of its functions. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with educational institutions and public or private agencies for research into problems related to authorized programs. Establishes the National Advisory Commission on Health Planning to be composed of 19 members, which shall conduct a study of the programs of the Department, and shall submit a comprehensive report of its findings and legislative and administrative recommendations to the President, the Secretary, and the Congress. Provides that the Commission shall also conduct a detailed study of the current and future health needs of the United States, and issue a national health plan for health needs over the next ten years. Authorizes expenditures by the Commission not to exceed $5,000,000. Requires the Secretary to make a report in writing to the President for submission to the Congress on the activities of the Department during the preceding fiscal year. Continues all rules, contracts, and privileges effective under any Act previously listed, until suspended. Provides that this Act shall not affect any proceedings pending at the time of enactment. Makes the provisions of this Act effective 90 days after enactment.
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 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 December 6, 1973: Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
- 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?
JOE MOAKLEY (D-MA) introduced it on December 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 December 6, 1973, 19271 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19271 days ago, on December 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