A bill to reauthorize Title I of the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act, and for other purposes.
Latest action. public lawWhat a bill becomes when enacted, numbered by Congress and order of enactment: Public Law 119-4 is the 4th law of the 119th Congress.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) 96-572.
(Senate agreed to House amendments with an amendment) Amends the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act of 1972 to authorize appropriations through fiscal year 1982 to carry out the provisions of such Act. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to end the dumping of industrial waste into ocean waters. Provides that after December 31, 1981, the Administrator may issue permits for the ocean dumping of industrial waste upon determination that such proposed dumping: (1) is necessary for research purposes; (2) will have minimal adverse impact upon human health, welfare, or amenities and the marine environment; or (3) will provide potential benefits outweighing any such adverse impact. States that such permits shall be effective for no more than six months. Authorizes the Administrator to impose conditions and restrictions on permits to minimize possible adverse impacts of such dumping. Authorizes the Administrator to issue emergency permits for the dumping of industrial wastes into ocean waters, or other specified waters, after December 31, 1981. Requires, for such issuance, that the Administrator determine that there exists an emergency which poses an unacceptable risk to human health and admits of no feasible solution except the dumping of such waste. Defines "sewage sludge", for specified purposes of such Act, as any solid, semisolid, or liquid waste generated by a municipal wastewater treatment plant the ocean dumping of which may unreasonably degrade or endanger human health, welfare, or amenities, the marine environment, ecological systems, or economic potentialities. Defines "industrial waste" as any solid, semisolid, or liquid waste generated by a manufacturer or processing plant which, if dumped in the ocean, may degrade or endanger human health or welfare or the marine environment. Makes provisions of such Act concerning foreign-state ocean-dumping permits applicable to transportation of material by an agency or instrumentality of the United States, with a proviso that the Administrator must concur in the filing of an application for such permit. Authorizes the Administrator to conduct a study to assist the City of New York in evaluating the technological options available for the removal of heavy metals and other toxic organic materials from the sewage of the City of New York. Requires that such study be completed by July 1, 1981.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Senate agreed to House amendment with amendment, 2nd occurrence" stage on December 12, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Public Law 96-572.
Civibrief does not map this action to a stage in the process. See the official record.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on December 22, 1980: Public Law 96-572.
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 has no outstanding steps 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?
EDMUND MUSKIE (D-ME) introduced it on May 15, 1979. 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 May 15, 1979, 17285 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16698 days ago, on December 22, 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
- SenatePublic Law 96-572.
- HouseNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action