Seabed Boundary Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries.
Seabed Boundary Act - Title I: Authorizes the Attorney General, in consultation with specified heads of departments and agencies, to agree with authorized officials of any State to the specific description of all or part of the boundary between the areas of the seabed and subsoil to control the exploration for and exploitation of nonliving natural resources. Requires the certification of such agreements to be deposited in the National Archives and published in the Federal Register. States that such agreement shall determine the location of such boundary. Title II: Authorizes the United States or the State to propose to immobilize an entire boundary which has been specifically described by one or more final decrees and agreements. Sets forth the procedures for the proposal and notification of such immobilization. Title III: Directs the Attorney General, whenever a State waives its right to the nonliving natural resources of the seabed or subsoil it would otherwise accrue as a result of changes in any portion of its coastline, to deposit such waiver in the National Archives and have it published in the Federal Register. Title IV: States that no boundary established pursuant to this Act will affect the territorial sea of the United States or the baseline from which the breadth of such sea is measured. Limits the applicability of the boundaries established pursuant to this Act to the exploration for and exploitation of nonliving natural resources of the seabed and subsoil.
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 20, 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 20, 1980: 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?
PETER RODINO (D-NJ) introduced it on August 20, 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 August 20, 1980, 16822 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16822 days ago, on August 20, 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