A bill to provide that an advisory referendum be conducted as part of each general election to give voters an opportunity to express their views on certain issues of national importance.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Rules.
Establishes advisory referendum procedures to provide voters with a means to express their views on certain issues of national importance and to provide the Government with a means to assess public opinion on such issues. Directs such referendum to be held as part of each general election. Establishes a Joint Committee on the National Advisory Referendum with political representation in approximately the same proportion as in each House. Directs the Committee, by January 1 of each general election year, to report a concurrent resolution to each House of Congress setting forth the text of not more than three issues for consideration in the next advisory referendum. Provides that any difference in the resolution as approved by each House shall be resolved by the Joint Committee rather than a conference committee. Requires the Joint Committee to certify the issues set forth in the approved concurrent resolution to the appropriate State election agencies and to the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. Authorizes the President, if Congress does not pass such resolution within 120 days preceding a general election, to certify to the State election agencies and the Service, within 90 days of such election, not more than three issues for voter consideration. Requires the Congressional Research Service, after receipt of the issues, to: (1) prepare a voters' guide with pro and con arguments and analyses of each issue; (2) keep available for public inspection any recommendation by any person relative to the preparation of such guide; and (3) provide the text of such issues to major newspapers and radio and television stations. Urges broadcast stations licensed under the Communications Act of 1934 to provide full and fair coverage of each issue to concur in their obligation to operate in the public interest. Requires the Joint Committee to determine, within 60 days after each general election, whether there has been a material failure to implement the will of the voters during the preceding four years. Directs the committee to include any such issue not implemented in the third general election in which an advisory referendum is held. Requires issues to be written so that they: (1) are understandable by the average voter; (2) are not advantageous to any political party; and (3) provide an opportunity for evaluation of voter sentiment. Declares that in the third general election the continuance of the advisory referendum procedure shall be an issue (notwithstanding the maximum limitation of three issues). Requires the results of each such referendum to be certified to the Clerk of the House and to the Secretary of the Senate. Makes this Act applicable to each general election held more than 12 months after its enactment.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on August 18, 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 August 18, 1980: Referred to House Committee on Rules.
- 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?
RICHARD GEPHARDT (D-MO) introduced it on August 18, 1980, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
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 August 18, 1980, 16824 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
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers