National Emergencies Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Judiciary.
National Emergencies Act - Title I: Terminating Existing Declared Emergencies - States that all powers and authorities conferred by law upon the President, any other officer or employee of the Federal Government, or any department, agency, independent establishment, or any other body of the Federal Government, and all powers and authorities conferred by any Executive Order pursuant to law as a result of the existence of any national emergency in effect immediately prior to the two hundred and seventy-first day after the date of enactment of this Act, are terminated on such two hundred and seventy-first day. Title II: Future National Emergencies - Provides that in the event the President finds that the proclamation of a national emergency is essential to the preservation, protection, and defense of the Constitution, and is essential to the common defense, safety, or well-being of the territory and people of the United States, the President is authorized to proclaim the existence of a national emergency. Title III: Declarations of War by Congress - Stipulates that whenever Congress declares war, any provisions of law conferring powers and authorities to be exercised during time of war or a national emergency shall be effective from the date of such declaration and remain in effect only in accordance with the provisions of this Act. Title IV: Future National Emergencies - Provides that when the President declares a national emergency, or Congress declares war, any provisions of law conferring powers and authorities to be exercised during such a national emergency or during a war declared by the Congress shall be effective and remain in effect with respect to such emergency or war only in accordance with this Act. States that when the President declares a national emergency, no powers made available by statute for use in the event of an emergency shall become operative unless and until the President specifies by Executive Order the specific provisions of law under which he proposed that he, or other officers of the executive branch, will act. Provides that any national emergency declared by the President in accordance with this title shall terminate 180 days after the date the national emergency was declared unless Congress, by concurrent resolution, provides otherwise. Title V: Miscellaneous - Provides that when the President declares a national emergency, or Congress declares war, the President shall be responsible for maintaining a file, and an index thereof, of all Executive Orders issued by the President. Directs the President to transmit to the House of Representatives and the Senate and to the appropriate committees of the Congress the texts of each order, rule, or regulation, by whatever name called, promulgated by any executive department, administration, independent establishment, board, commission, official, group of officials, or other rulemaking authority. Title VI: Repeal of Certain Emergency Power Statutes - Provides for the repeal of specified provisions of law dealing with emergency powers.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on October 8, 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 October 8, 1974: Referred to House Committee on 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 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?
WILLIAM RANDALL (D-MO) introduced it on October 8, 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 October 8, 1974, 18965 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 18965 days ago, on October 8, 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