A bill to amend the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 in order to establish a fishing area within the fishery conservation zone for the exclusive use of United States fishermen, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
Amends the Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to establish an exclusive domestic fishing areas within the fishery conservation zone of the United States. Prohibits any foreign nation, and the owners or operators of its fishing vessels, from fishing within such area. Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to take any necessary action to ensure that at least one United States observer is aboard each foreign fishing vessel during the time such vessel is within the conservation zone. Requires such foreign vessel to display an insignia, in such form and manner as established by the Secretary, to indicate the presence of such observer. Requires observers to collect such scientific data, and perform such management and enforcement activities as are deemed necessary by the Secretary. Authorizes the Secretary to allow observer assistants, representing various segments of the United States fishing industry, to accompany and assist United States observers in carrying out their duties. Specifies that such assistants are not to be considered employees or officers of the United States for any purpose. Directs the Secretary to provide necessary training to observers and observer assistants, and the Coast Guard to provide transportation to and from foreign vessels for such individuals. Provides that the United States be reimbursed for the cost of such observers and observer assistants on board any foreign vessel by the appropriate foreign nation.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on November 20, 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 November 20, 1979: Referred to House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
- 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?
JAMES WEAVER (D-OR) introduced it on November 20, 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 20, 1979, 17096 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17096 days ago, on November 20, 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