Federal Grants Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Government Operations.
Federal Grants Act - Expresses the finding of Congress that there is a need to distinguish between procurement and grant-type assistance transactions and to standardize usage of the legal instruments reflecting such transactions. Sets forth the definitions of terms used in this Act. Provides that executive agencies shall use a contract as the legal instrument reflecting an agreement between the Federal Government and one or more States, political subdivisions, or persons, the principal purpose of which is the acquisition of property or services by purchase, lease, or barter for the direct use or benefit of the Government. Prescribes the circumstances under which grants shall be used as the legal instrument. States that each executive agency authorized to enter into arrangements to accomplish a public purpose under a Federal statute is authorized in lieu of the instrument specified by any other provision of law, to enter into contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements as required by this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 28, 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 June 28, 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?
CHET HOLIFIELD (D-CA) introduced it on June 28, 1973, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Republican.
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 June 28, 1973, 19432 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19432 days ago, on June 28, 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