A bill to amend the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to establish a new ship construction and reconstruction program to ensure adequate national defense capabilities, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Referred to 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 Seapower and Strategic and Critical Materials.
Amends the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, to establish a new shipbuilding program with respect to private charter operations. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to order the construction of new vessels, and the reconstruction of older U.S.-built vessels, when it is determined necessary to achieve and maintain sealift capability sufficient to meet the requirements of national emergency military mobilization. Directs the Secretary to develop the basic design requirements for such vessels, including suitability for commercial uses and features which maximize military utility. Provides for the advice of and coordination with the Secretary of Defense in meeting such directives. Requires that such shipbuilding only be undertaken at private shipyards in one of the States, Puerto Rico, or the District of Columbia. Requires the Secretary to award construction or reconstruction contracts in accordance with the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act. Declares that funding for such shipbuilding shall be provided from the budget of the Department of Defense. Sets forth provisions for the Secretary to charter or sell vessels built under this Act. Directs the Secretary, in the event a vessel is not chartered or sold, to place such vessel in the Ready Reserve Force of the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Creates a revolving fund for the Secretary of Defense, for the deposit of appropriated sums and monies received from charter or sale, to carry out the purposes of this Act. Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Defense as necessary.
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 13, 1984. 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 21, 1984: Referred to Subcommittee on Seapower and Strategic and Critical Materials.
- 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 98th Congress (1983-84), 623 of the 10,560 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 5.9 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 MCKERNAN (R-ME) introduced it on September 13, 1984. 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 September 13, 1984, 15338 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 15330 days ago, on September 21, 1984.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 98th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1985 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