A bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to charter the nuclear ship Savannah to Patriots Point Development Authority, an agency of the State of South Carolina.
Latest action. Measure laid on table in House (See S. 1863 as passed House for similar provisions).
(Reported to House from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, H. Rept. 96-1220) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to charter the nuclear ship Savannah to the Patriots Point Development Authority, an agency of the State of South Carolina, for a specified period as a museum ship. Makes the Secretary of Commerce responsible for inspection and maintenance of the hull below the waterline. Makes the Development Authority responsible for all other maintenance. Sets forth other conditions to be included in the charter. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting for the United States Government as owner of the vessel, and the Development Authority to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to possess the nuclear utilization facility. Directs that the sole liability of the Secretary shall be the financial responsibility for the disposal of the reactor and other nuclear systems and radioactive contaminated components in the vessel. Makes the Authority responsible for the monitoring and security of the reactor and all nuclear systems and radioactive components in the vessel and for filing all reports that may be required. Authorizes the use of specified appropriated funds for preservation work on such ship. Authorizes appropriations to tow the Savannah to a site at Patriots Point at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and for hull inspection and maintenance purposes.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to House with amendment(s)" stage on August 8, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
2 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on August 18, 1980: Measure laid on table in House (See S. 1863 as passed House for similar provisions).
- 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: 2 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?
MENDEL DAVIS (D-SC) introduced it on November 13, 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 November 13, 1979, 17103 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16824 days ago, on August 18, 1980.
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
- HousePassed
- SenateAwaiting Senate vote
- PresidentAwaits both chambers