A bill entitled: Passenger Ship Authorization Act.
Latest action. Referred to subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Merchant Marine.
Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to document as a U.S. vessel entitled to engage in the coastwise trade any passenger vessel, if: (1) all major structural components of such vessel are fabricated and assembled in the United States, and its propulsion and auxiliary machinery systems are installed and tested in the United States; (2) such vessel is in compliance with other requirements for coastwise trade vessels; (3) such vessel is owned by a U.S. citizen; (4) the for hire carriage trade is limited to passengers and their property; and (5) such vessel's owner is agreeable to contracting with the United States for inclusion of enhanced military features. Makes this Act applicable to any passenger vessel for which a building contract has been executed within two years of enactment.
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 11, 1985. 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 19, 1985: Referred to Subcommittee on Merchant Marine.
- 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 99th Congress (1985-86), 666 of the 9,885 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 6.7 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?
HELEN BENTLEY (R-MD) introduced it on September 11, 1985. 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 11, 1985, 15022 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 15014 days ago, on September 19, 1985.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 99th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1987 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