Octane Rating Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
Octane Rating Act - Stipulates that no person may distribute gasoline at the retail level unless (1) the gasoline and the pump from which such gasoline is distributed are color coded with respect to the octane rating of such gasoline in accordance with rules prescribed under this Act, and (2) the pump from which such gasoline is distributed clearly shows the flow and color of such gasoline in accordance with regulations prescribed under this Act. Directs the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe (1) a system of color coding of gasoline and gasoline pumps with respect to the octane rating of the gasoline distributed by such pumps, and (2) regulations with respect to the clear display of the flow and color of the gasoline distributed by such pumps. Provides for a civil penalty of not more than $1000 for each violation.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 24, 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 September 24, 1974: Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
- 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?
HENRY HELSTOSKI (D-NJ) introduced it on September 24, 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 September 24, 1974, 19027 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19027 days ago, on September 24, 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