National Emergencies Reform Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
National Emergencies Reform Act
This bill revises provisions of the National Emergencies Act relating to the termination of presidentially-declared national emergencies. Specifically, the bill provides that any national emergency declared by the President shall terminate if (1) no joint resolution has been enacted affirming the declaration of such emergency before the expiration of the 48-hour period beginning on the first day after such emergency is declared and on which both houses of Congress are in session, (2) a joint resolution is enacted terminating the emergency, or (3) the President issues a proclamation terminating the emergency.
The date on which a presidentially-declared emergency terminates is 60 days after the President transmits to Congress the proclamation declaring the emergency or Congress affirms a previous renewal unless the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to Congress an executive order renewing the emergency, and a joint resolution is enacted affirming the renewal of the declaration.
A national emergency declared before the enactment of this bill shall be unaffected by the amendments made by this bill except that such emergencies shall terminate 60 days after enactment unless renewed.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on December 21, 2020. 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 December 22, 2020: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
- 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 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 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?
Justin Amash (I-MI) introduced it on December 21, 2020. 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 December 21, 2020, 2089 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2088 days ago, on December 22, 2020.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 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