Land-Based Marine Debris Reduction 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 Environment and the Economy.
Land-Based Marine Debris Reduction Act - Declares national goals of: (1) no increase in the generation of solid waste sent to landfills, (2) recycling of at least 50% of the municipal solid waste stream by the end of 2020 and 65% by the end of 2030, and (3) no increase in the flow of marine debris into the ocean.
Requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to report on: (1) municipal solid waste generation, waste management methods, and progress in meeting the goals; (2) leakage paths of marine debris into the ocean; and (3) landfill closures.
Directs the EPA to develop a list of categories of commonly used products and packaging that are discarded into the municipal solid waste stream and determine with respect to the products or packaging in each category: (1) the percentage of recovered materials used in their manufacture; (2) the source reduction and recovery efficiency; (3) the percentage that is recycled upon discard and the percentage that is littered; and (4) the life cycle environmental effects associated with them, compared to alternatives.
Requires the EPA to identify categories to be targeted for regulatory action. Authorizes regulations requiring manufacturers to use recovered materials in the product or packaging.
Directs the EPA and the Department of Commerce to develop a voluntary system of packaging standards with respect to materials contained within the packaging and the recyclability of the packaging upon discard. Requires the standard to provide that packaging that meets the standards be eligible to use a label indicating compliance for promotional and educational purposes.
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 30, 2014. 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 1, 2014: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.
- 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 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 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?
MICHAEL HONDA (D-CA) introduced it on July 30, 2014, and 7 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 7 Democrats.
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 30, 2014, 4425 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4423 days ago, on August 1, 2014.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 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