Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Agriculture.
Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1980 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to formulate and implement a program for furthering the conservation of soil, water, and related resources through annual grants to conservation districts. Requires such districts to be eligible for such grants to have in effect both a long-range program and an annual work plan and provide equal matching funds or in-kind services. Alters the matching fund formula whenever a component of the long-range program or annual work plan of a conservation district involves a national objective. Requires such plans and programs to be formulated in consultation with and approved by the Secretary and the State soil conservation agency. Requires such programs and work plans to include one or more of the following objectives: (1) soil erosion prevention and control; (2) cropland, forest, woodland, pasture, or rangeland improvement; (3) water conservation, development and management, and water quality improvement; (4) agricultural land retention or preservation; and (5) demonstration projects to test and publicize the effectiveness of natural resource management systems adapted to local conditions. Sets forth optional objectives. Permits the Secretary to enter into long-term agreements of not more than ten years. Sets forth recordkeeping requirements for each conservation district receiving assistance under this Act. Directs the Secretary to require the landowner or operator of land with a specified, large amount of soil loss or with unhealthy land or water management practices to develop and implement a soil and water conservation plan approved by the conservation district as a condition of eligibility to receive any benefit under all but specified Department of Agriculture programs. Requires the Secretary to provide cost-sharing and/or loan assistance for such plan. Requires the Secretary to report biennially to specified congressional committees on the program's progress.
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 19, 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 September 19, 1980: Referred to House Committee on Agriculture.
- 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 JEFFORDS (R-VT) introduced it on September 19, 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 September 19, 1980, 16792 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16792 days ago, on September 19, 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