A bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 1980 and 1981 for the Department of State, the International Communication Agency, and the Board for International Broadcasting.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Title I: Department of State - Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1980 and 1981 - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1981 for the Department of State to be used for: (1) the administration of foreign affairs; (2) international organizations and conferences; (3) international commissions; (4) migration and refugee assistance (with $25,000,000 earmarked for resettling refugees in Israel); (5) bilateral science and technology agreements; and (6) salary increases and currency fluctuations. Requires the United States to reduce its contribution to the United Nations by a specified percentage of the amount budgeted by the United Nations for certain Palestinian organizations. Permits the use of up to ten percent of the authorized appropriations for the State Department to be shifted from one account to another. Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1946 to express the sense of Congress that Foreign Service officers assigned abroad be familiar with the local language. Title II: International Communication Agency - International Communication Agency Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1980 and 1981 - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1981 for the International Communication Agency (ICA). Repeals the loyalty investigations required by the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 and the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961. Amends the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 to give the Director of the ICA, as well as the Secretary of State, the authority to employ aliens without regard to the civil service and classification laws. Amends the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 to exempt the Director of ICA from provisions concerning the management and disposal of government property with respect to the furnishing of facilities in foreign countries and reception centers in the United States. Amends the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 to authorize the Director to provide services within the United States in connection with exchange activities when such services are requested and reimbursed by other departments or agencies. Amends the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 to permit the Director to approve the acquisition, leasing, and improving of real property without regard to provisions requiring the Attorney General's approval of the title. Redesignates the United States Advisory Commission on International Communication, Cultural and Educational Affairs as the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. Provides for the appointment of a Staff Director of such Commission. Revises the administrative authority of the Secretary of State. Authorizes additional appropriations for the ICA to cover salary increases and currency fluctuations. Authorizes the public distribution within the United States of the film, "Aspen," and the "English Teaching Forum." Title III: Board for International Broadcasting - Board for International Broadcasting Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1980 and 1981 - Amends the Board for International Broadcasting Act of 1973 to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 1981. Authorizes the appropriation of additional amounts for RFE/RL, Incorporated, to cover currency fluctuations. Title IV: Technical Provisions - Amends the Act which establishes a Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe to limit to $6,000 the amount the Commission may use for official reception and representational expenses. Stipulates that any statutory reference to the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives shall be deemed a reference to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 15, 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 March 15, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
- 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?
DANTE FASCELL (D-FL) introduced it on March 15, 1979, and 18 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 11 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 March 15, 1979, 17346 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17346 days ago, on March 15, 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