A bill to amend title 18 of the United States Code to provide penalties for obtaining or attempting to obtain controlled substances from pharmacies by force or by breaking and entering, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Prohibits anyone from: (1) breaking and entering a pharmacy with intent to unlawfully obtain a narcotic or controlled substance; or (2) obtaining, or attempting to obtain, such substances from a pharmacy by force or violence. Imposes maximum penalties for anyone violating this section of 20 years imprisonment and/or a $5,000 fine. Increases such penalties to 25 years and/or a $10,000 fine if, during the commission of such offense, any person is assaulted or any person's life is put in jeopardy by the use of a dangerous weapon. Mandates a minimum term of imprisonment of ten years, if any person is killed or maimed during such offense.
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 31, 1979. 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 31, 1979: Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 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 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 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?
WILLIAM LEHMAN (D-FL) introduced it on January 31, 1979, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
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 31, 1979, 17389 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17389 days ago, on January 31, 1979.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 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