Marine Artificial Reef Development Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
Marine Artificial Reef Development Act of 1979 - Declares that it is the purpose of this Act to: (1) establish artificial reefs in waters under United States jurisdiction; (2) develop accessible fishing grounds; (3) provide financial assistance to States for the implementation of this program; (4) use Federal surplus properties as artificial reef materials; and (5) promote cooperative agreements between salvage companies and the Federal Government in transporting materials to reef sites. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, through the National Marine Fisheries Service, to make grants to certain States enumerated in the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to develop marine artificial reefs in the territorial waters of such States and to develop such habitats in the fishery conservation zone off the coasts of such States. Requires each fishery management council established under the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to establish a fishery management plan for each habitat established under this Act in the Councils' region.
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 10, 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 July 10, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
- 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?
BO GINN (D-GA) introduced it on July 10, 1979. 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 July 10, 1979, 17229 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17229 days ago, on July 10, 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