Motor Carrier Energy Conservation and Regulatory Reform Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Public Works and Transportation.
Motor Carrier Energy Conservation and Regulatory Reform Act of 1979 - Directs the Interstate Commerce Commission, in motor common carrier application proceedings, to: (1) require certificates to specify the transportation to be provided by the carrier; (2) consider the removal of restrictions on the list of commodities to be carried and the routes to be used; and (3) require protesting carriers to prove their own ability to handle the traffic in question. Permits intercorporate hauling to be conducted without a certificate or permit issued by the Commission when the Commission is notified of such operations and such notice contains a list of participating subsidiary companies. Requires vehicles used in such hauling to carry a Commission-receipted and returned copy of such notice. Directs the Commission, when considering applications for the approval of ratemaking agreements, to permit specified discussion and voting by representatives of motor carriers and/or shippers on matters pertaining to traffic or existing or proposed provisions. Directs the Commission to promulgate and maintain standards and procedures for the establishment of rate levels adequate to insure a fair and reasonable return with efficient management. Consolidates Commission action and appellate procedures for rail and motor carrier proceedings. Sets forth the procedures to be followed. Requires all actions against a carrier for loss and damage claims to be brought initially before the Commission. Makes the Commission's decision binding unless revised on judicial review. Permits carriers authorized to engage in one-way operations for specified commodities on a specified route to engage in operations in the reverse direction (backhauling) of the same or other commodities. Prohibits the Commission from regulating any lease, contract or other arrangement for the use of any motor vehicle for specified purposes including use by a farmer or cooperative association, for triplease, or movement in the general direction of the area where such vehicle is based. Requires certificates of motor and water common carriers to specify the service to be rendered and the territory within which such carrier is authorized to operate. Sets forth the terms, limitations, and conditions with respect to such authority. Permits the elimination of specified route and fixed termini restrictions.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on October 31, 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 October 31, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Public Works and Transportation.
- 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?
JOHN HAMMERSCHMIDT (R-AR) introduced it on October 31, 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 October 31, 1979, 17116 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17116 days ago, on October 31, 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