SWAP Act
Latest action. Referred to the 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 Consumer Protection and Commerce.
Stemming Warming and Augmenting Pay Act of 2019 or the SWAP Act.
This bill imposes a tax on combusted fossil fuel greenhouse gas emissions. The tax is equal to $30 per metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions beginning in 2021. The tax increases by 5% plus inflation each year and increases by $3 per ton every two years if the previous year's emission goals are not met.
The revenue from such tax is divided (1) 70% for the reduction of payroll taxes; (2) 10% for additional payments to Social Security beneficiaries, and (3) 20% to establish a carbon trust fund for block grants to offset higher energy costs for low-income households, climate adaptation, energy efficiency, carbon sequestration, and research and development programs.
The bill also amends the Clean Air Act to impose a 12-year moratorium on regulations that limit greenhouse gas emissions. This moratorium may be lifted if certain emission targets are not met.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on July 25, 2019. 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 July 26, 2019: Referred to the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and 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 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 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?
Francis Rooney (R-FL) introduced it on July 25, 2019, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
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 July 25, 2019, 2604 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2603 days ago, on July 26, 2019.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 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