Energy Productivity Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Science and Technology.
Energy Productivity Act of 1979 - Title I: Residential Energy Conservation - Establishes the Residential Energy Conservation Office within the Department of Energy to accept applications for reimbursement of residential energy conservation improvement expenditures made in accordance with regulations issued by the Director of such office. Sets forth requirements for such applications and imposes limitations upon the amount of reimbursement to be made to approved applicants for energy conservation improvements to houses, apartment buildings, and hotels. Directs the Director to coordinate such reimbursement program with the energy audit program established under the National Energy Conservation Act and to promote the availability of such audits in connection with such reimbursement program. Authorizes the Director to use any available means of communication to advertise such residential energy conservation reimbursement program. Requires the Director to conduct an evaluation of such program to determine its effectiveness in promoting residential energy conservation and its cost effectiveness in terms of probable energy savings. Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to audit the operations of the Residential Energy Conservation Office. Sets forth procedures for such audits. Authorizes appropriations for such residential energy conservation program. Requires sellers of energy conservation improvements to certify to purchasers that such improvements comply with regulations issued by the Director pursuant to this Act. Establishes criminal penalties for providing false information to the Director concerning any reimbursement application or improvement certification. Title II: Industrial Fuel Conservation - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make loans to industrial firms to assist in paying engineering costs for industrial energy conservation projects. Sets forth criteria for issuing necessary regulations and terms and conditions for such loans. Authorizes appropriations for such program for fiscal years 1980 through 1985. Authorizes appropriations for an accelerated energy productivity industrial research, development, and demonstration program. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations providing for an energy rebate to industrial firms implementing energy conservation projects approved by the Secretary. Sets the amount of such rebate at $15 for each barrel of crude oil equivalent of critical fuel saved in the full year following such project implementation. Requires that such rebate be structured to provide incentive for investment in permanent conservation equipment and production procedures. Authorizes appropriations for such rebate program. Title III: Commercial Property Energy Conservation Loan Program - Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Energy a Commercial Property Energy Conservation Loan Program for the purpose of providing low-interest loans to owners, developers, or builders of commercial property for the purchase of energy conservation systems. Prohibits participation of Program personnel and agents in matters affecting their personal interest or the interests of any entity with which they are associated. Directs the General Accounting Office to periodically audit the financial transactions of the program. Establishes an advisory board to provide advice to the Secretary in carrying out such loan program. Sets forth membership requirements for such Board. Excludes owners, developers, or builders of structures eligible for grants pursuant to title III of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act from eligibility for such loans. Defines the term "energy conservation systems" for the purpose of determining eligibility for such loans and sets forth terms thereof. Provides that where a borrower has entered into agreements with his tenants allowing energy savings passthroughs, such borrower may pass through annual loan payments to his tenants as operating energy expenses. Establishes criminal penalties for making false statements or misrepresentations concerning loans made under such program. Directs the Secretary to make annual reports to the President and to both Houses of Congress on the operation of such program, recommendations for improvements, and identification of problem areas. Directs the Secretary to promote such loan program by informing financial institutions and commercial property owners, developers, and builders of the benefits of such program. Permits the use of Department of Energy personnel on such program. Authorizes appropriations for such program for fiscal years 1980 through 1983.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on September 17, 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 September 17, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Science and Technology.
- 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?
BOB ECKHARDT (D-TX) introduced it on September 17, 1979, and 42 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 35 Democrats, 7 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 September 17, 1979, 17207 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17207 days ago, on September 17, 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