Special Prosecutor Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Special Prosecutor Act of 1979 - Establishes an independent Office of Special Prosecution, to be headed by a Special Prosecutor appointed by the President, with jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute violations of any provision of or regulation promulgated under the Emergency Petroleum Act of 1973. Grants the Special Prosecutor the power and authority to exercise all investigative and prosecutorial functions and powers of the Departments of Justice and Energy to perform the function of the office, including: (1) conducting civil and criminal litigation in any court; (2) contesting the assertion of executive, testimonial, evidentiary, or other privilege; (3) receiving appropriate national security clearance and, if necessary, contesting any attempt to withhold evidence on grounds of national security; (4) inspecting, obtaining, or using the original or a copy of any tax return; and (5) instructing the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other domestic investigative agencies with respect to information and evidence. Directs the Special Prosecutor to submit at least annually a report on the activities of the Office to the President and the Congress. Requires the submission of a detailed statement of the activities of the Office with recommendations for legislation and administrative action. Terminates the Office five years after appointment of the Special Prosecutor.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 26, 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 June 26, 1979: Referred to House Committee on the 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 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?
ALBERT GORE (D-TN) introduced it on June 26, 1979, 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 June 26, 1979, 17290 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17290 days ago, on June 26, 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