Commonsense Coordination 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 Conservation and Forestry.
Commonsense Coordination Act
This bill allows a federal agency to categorically exclude certain actions from the preparation of an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement if another agency has categorically excluded such actions. Such a categorical exclusion shall not be subject to judicial review.
The bill also categorically excludes certain forest management activities from requirements for environmental assessments or environmental impact statements. The forest management activities designated for such a categorical exclusion are those
carried out by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) or the Department of the Interior jointly with another federal agency on certain National Forest System lands or certain public lands, respectively; and
for which a categorical exclusion applies with respect to such other agency.
USDA or Interior, as appropriate, may use the categorical exclusion after first obtaining written confirmation from the other federal agency that the categorical exclusion applies to the proposed forest management activity.
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 22, 2021. 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 August 13, 2021: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
- 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 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 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?
Cliff Bentz (R-OR) introduced it on July 22, 2021, and 10 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 10 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 July 22, 2021, 1876 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1854 days ago, on August 13, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 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