A bill to provide that meetings of Government agencies shall be open to the public, and for other purposes.
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
Provides that all Government meetings, including meetings to conduct hearings, of any Government agency at which any official action is considered or discussed, shall be open to the public. Provides that this requirement shall not apply to that portion of any meeting in which the action or proposed action to be taken, considered, or discussed by an agency: (1) relates to a matter affecting the national security; (2) relates solely to the internal management of such agency; (3) might tend to reflect adversely on the character or reputation of any individual who is subject to any proposed or potential sanction by such agency; or (4) might divulge matters required to be kept confidential under specific statutory provisions. Requires such agency to give public notice of meetings which shall be open to the public under the provisions of this Act. Provides that the term "Government agency" means each authority of the Government of the United States having more than one member, but does not include: (1) the Congress; (2) the courts of the United States; or (3) military authorities.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 3, 1973. 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 January 3, 1973: Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
- 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 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 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?
CLAUDE PEPPER (D-FL) introduced it on January 3, 1973. 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 January 3, 1973, 19608 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19608 days ago, on January 3, 1973.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 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