Ocean and Coastal Observation System Act of 2005
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Environment, Technology, and Standards.
Ocean and Coastal Observation System Act of 2005 - Directs the Committee on Ocean Policy, acting through the National Ocean Research Leadership Council, to establish and maintain an integrated system of coastal and ocean observations, data communication and management, analysis, modeling, research, and education designed to provide data and information for the timely detection and prediction of changes occurring in the coastal and ocean environment that impact the Nation's social, economic, and ecological systems.
Requires the Council to establish an interagency program office (Oceanus) responsible for program planning and coordination of the system. Requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to be the lead Federal agency for system implementation and operation.
Makes regional associations responsible for the development and operation of regional coastal and ocean observing systems to meet the information needs of user groups in the region while adhering to national standards. Deems certified regional systems to be part of NOAA when carrying out this Act, and employees of such systems acting within the scope of their employment to be Federal Government employees, for purposes of civil liability under specified laws.
Directs the Council to establish programs for research, development, and education for the system.
Authorizes departments and agencies represented on the Council to participate in interagency financing and to share funds appropriated to any Council member.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on April 12, 2005. 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 May 26, 2005: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards.
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
CURT WELDON (R-PA) introduced it on April 12, 2005, and 19 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 12 Democrats, 7 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 April 12, 2005, 7821 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7777 days ago, on May 26, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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