A bill to provide that meetings of Government agencies and of congressional committees shall be open to the public, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Rules.
Provides that all meetings of any Government agency at which any official action is considered or discussed shall be open to the public. Provides that the above provision shall not apply to that portion of any meeting in which the action or proposed action to be taken, considered, or discussed by an agency: (1) relates to a matter affecting the national security; (2) relates solely to the internal management of such agency; (3) might tend to reflect adversely on the character or reputation of any individual who is subject to any proposed or potential sanction by such agency; or (4) might divulge matters required to be kept confidential under specific statutory provisions. Requires each agency subject to the requirements of this Act to establish, through publication in the Federal Register, procedures for providing public notice of meetings required by this Act to be open to the public. Revises the Legislative Reorganization Act to bring the procedures of the Congress into substantial conformity with the above standards. (Amends 2 U.S.C. 190a). Provides that the district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction of actions to render declaratory judgments or to enforce, by injunction or otherwise, the provisions of this Act.
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 11, 1973. 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 11, 1973: Referred to House Committee on Rules.
- 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?
DANTE FASCELL (D-FL) introduced it on January 11, 1973, and 17 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 13 Democrats, 4 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 January 11, 1973, 19600 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19600 days ago, on January 11, 1973.
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