Defense Officer Personnel Management Act
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Armed Services.
Defense Officer Personnel Management Act - Revises the standards and procedures relating to the appointment, promotion, separation and retirement of officers in the armed forces. Sets forth the authorized number of commissioned officers in each armed force below the rank of brigadier general or commodore. Establishes basic qualifications for commissioned officers. Authorizes the President to appoint temporary commissioned officers in time of war or national emergency. Sets forth procedures for the establishment and membership of promotion boards and factors in determining eligibility for promotion. Authorizes the President or the Senate to remove the name of any officer from the list of selectees for promotion. Sets forth formulae for computing separation pay for involuntary discharge or release from active duty. Sets forth procedures for the establishment of boards of officers to review the record of any commissioned officer to determine whether such individual should be required to show cause for retention on active duty because of substandard performance, dereliction of duty, or misconduct. Sets forth the rights of the officer involved and procedures to be followed during such inquiry. Abolishes the present rank of rear admiral (lower half) within the Navy and creates the rank of commodore. Establishes procedures and time in service requirements for promotions and retirement for individuals holding such rank.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on May 21, 1979. 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 May 21, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Armed Services.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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?
SAMUEL NUNN (D-GA) introduced it on May 21, 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 21, 1979, 17279 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17279 days ago, on May 21, 1979.
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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers