A bill to provide for the establishment of the National Conservation Area of the California Desert and to provide for the immediate and future protection, development, and administration of such public lands.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
States that it is the purpose of this Act to provide for the immediate and future protection and administration of public lands in the California desert within the framework of a program of multiple use, sustained yield, and maintenance of environmental quality. Establishes the California Desert Advisory Commission which shall consist of Federal and State representatives, representatives of the academic community, representatives of residents of the desert, and representatives of groups which make use of the desert and its resources for recreational, study, or business purposes. States that it shall be the function of the Commission to advise the Secretary of the Interior with respect to the program for the desert under this Act. Establishes the National Conservation Area of the California Desert to carry out the purposes of the Act. Gives the Secretary of the Interior responsibility for the preparation of a long-range program for the management, development, and use of the California Desert. Provides that such program shall include a plan, to be completed and reported to Congress within seven years from the date of enactment of this Act. Requires consultation with the Advisory Commission and with State organizations concerning such plan. Provides for an interim program to manage and protect the desert resources now in danger of destruction, and to provide for the public use of the desert. Authorizes the Secretary to acquire such lands or interests therein as he deems necessary to provide access to the facilities of the desert, to facilitate efficient and beneficial management of the desert. Empowers the Secretary to issue such regulations as he deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act. Provides that all mining carried out within the conservation area shall be subject to such reasonable regulations as the Secretary may prescribe to carry out the purposes of this Act. States that such regulations shall provide for such measures as may be reasonable to protect the scenic, scientific, and environmental values of the California Desert against undue impairment.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 23, 1974. 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 January 23, 1974: Referred to House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs.
- 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?
JERRY PETTIS (R-CA) introduced it on January 23, 1974, and 24 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 13 Democrats, 11 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 January 23, 1974, 19270 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19270 days ago, on January 23, 1974.
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