A bill to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to require broadcasting networks and licensees which broadcast certain information relating to the kidnapping or taking hostage of American citizens to submit reports to the Federal Communications Commission verifying the accuracy, balance, and fairness of such broadcasts, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require any broadcasting station licensee or any television broadcasting network which broadcasts any coverage of a news event relating to the kidnapping or taking hostage of any American citizen or any individual in the United States to submit a report to the Federal Communications Commission. Exempts broadcasts relating to information furnished by any officer or employee of any Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency. Requires such reports to contain such information as may be necessary to verify the accuracy, balance, and fairness of the broadcast involved and to include a transcript.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on April 23, 1980. 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 April 23, 1980: 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 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 COLLINS (R-TX) introduced it on April 23, 1980. 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 April 23, 1980, 16941 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16941 days ago, on April 23, 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
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers