Federal Noxious Weed Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Agriculture.
Federal Noxious Weed Act - States that the importation or distribution in interstate commerce of noxious weeds, except under controlled conditions, allows the growth and spread of such weeds which interfere with the growth of useful plants, clog waterways and interfere with navigation, cause disease, or have other adverse effects upon man or his environment, and therefore is determined to be injurious to the agriculture and commerce of the United States and to the public health. Defines the terms used in this Act. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to designate as noxious weeds kinds of plants that he determines are new to, or not known to be widely prevalent or distributed within and throughout, the United States, and are directly or indirectly injurious to crops or other useful plants, livestock, or poultry, or other interests of agriculture, including irrigation, or to navigation or public health. Permits the Secretary to promulgate such quarantines and regulations requiring inspection of products and articles of any character whatsoever as he deems necessary to prevent the dissemination into the United States, or interstate, of any noxious weeds. Prohibits the movement or sale of any noxious weed into or through the United States unless authorized under permit from the Secretary. Allows the Secretary, in order to prevent the dissemination of any noxious weed, to destroy, or otherwise dispose of, any product or article of any character whatsover which he has reason to believe is infested by or contains any such noxious weed, if there is no less drastic action which would be adequate to prevent the dissemination of noxious weeds into the United States or in interstate commerce. Enables the owner of any article or noxious weed destroyed to bring an action against the United States in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia within one year after such destruction. Permits any authorized inspector, without a warrant, to stop any persons or means of conveyance moving into or through the United States, and to inspect any noxious weeds and any products and articles of any character whatsoever carried thereby, to determine whether such persons or means of conveyance are moving any noxious weeds contrary to this Act. Allows the entry with a warrant into any premises in the United States for inspections or other actions necessary under this Act. Provides a fine not exceeding $500, or imprisonment not exceeding 1 year, or both, for violation of this Act. Authorizes the Secretary to cooperate with the Governments of Canada or Mexico, and with State and Federal agencies to control the spread of any noxious weed.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 27, 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 March 27, 1974: Referred to House Committee on Agriculture.
- 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?
MARK ANDREWS (R-ND) introduced it on March 27, 1974. 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 March 27, 1974, 19160 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19160 days ago, on March 27, 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