Water Heater Rating Improvement Act of 2011
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 Energy and Power.
Water Heater Rating Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to require the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to publish a rule that establishes a uniform efficiency descriptor and accompanying test methods for water heaters, storage water heaters, instantaneous water heaters, and unfired water storage tanks (covered heaters) no later than 180 days after this Act's enactment. Requires: (1) the efficiency descriptor and accompanying test method to apply to all water heating technologies in use and to future water heating technologies, and (2) the efficiency standard to be denominated according to the efficiency descriptor.
Sets forth provisions concerning a mathematical conversion factor for converting the measurement of efficiency for covered heaters from the test procedures in effect on the date of enactment of this Act to the new energy descriptor.
Authorizes the rule to exclude a specific category of covered water heaters from the uniform efficiency descriptor if the category of water heaters: (1) does not have a residential use and can be clearly described, and (2) are rated effectively using the thermal efficiency and standby loss descriptors applied to the category.
Requires the Secretary, in establishing the rule, to contract with the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct testing and simulation of alternative descriptors identified for consideration.
Considers a covered water heater to be in compliance with the rule and with any revised labeling requirements established by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to implement the rule if the covered water heater: (1) was manufactured prior to the effective date of the rule, and (2) complied with the efficiency standards and labeling requirements in effect prior to the rule.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 26, 2011. 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 February 9, 2011: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
- 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 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 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?
JAMES COOPER (D-TN) introduced it on January 26, 2011, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 6 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 January 26, 2011, 5753 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5739 days ago, on February 9, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 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