A bill to require automobile manufacturers to meet mandatory fuel economy standards.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
Requires all passenger automobiles manufactured after model year 1977 to meet specified fuel consumption rates. Permits the Secretary of Transportation to exempt small manufacturers from such requirements if such exemption is necessary to avoid an unreasonable burden on such manufacturer. Directs the Secretary to prescribe fuel economy standards for all light duty trucks and multi-purpose passenger vehicles manufactured after model year 1977. Directs the Secretary, not later than July 1, 1977, to prescribe average fuel economy standards for new automobiles manufactured from model year 1981 through model year 1984. Permits the Secretary to revise such standards. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to determine if the fuel economy standards established by to this Act are being complied with. Provides that test procedures to determine compliance shall be those utilized by the Administrator for model year 1975. Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations requiring each manufacturer to submit a report to the Secretary during the 30-day period preceding the beginning of each model year, and during the 30- day period beginning on the 180th day of each model year. Provides that each such report shall contain a statement as to whether such manufacturer will comply with applicable fuel economy requirements; a plan which describes the steps the manufacturer intends to take in order to comply with such requirements; and such other matter as the Secretary may require. Provides that beginning no later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, each manufacturer shall cause to be affixed and each dealer shall cause to be maintained on each new automobile, in a prominent place, a sticker indicating the fuel economy which a prospective purchaser can expect from such automobile, representative average annual fuel costs associated with the operation of such automobile, and the range of fuel economy performance of automobiles of similar size and weight (as determined by the Administrator). Provides for the imposition of civil penalties for violations of the provisions of this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on May 20, 1975. 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 May 20, 1975: Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
- 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 94th Congress (1975-76), 588 of the 21,097 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 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?
PHILIP SHARP (D-IN) introduced it on May 20, 1975, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 4 Democrats.
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 May 20, 1975, 18741 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 18741 days ago, on May 20, 1975.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 94th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1977 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