Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 378.
Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a Coastal and Estuarine Land Protection program to protect the environmental integrity of undeveloped coastal and estuarine areas that: (1) have significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, or aesthetic values; and (2) are threatened by conversion from their natural, undeveloped, or recreational state to other uses. Directs the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to administer the program.
Authorizes the Secretary to make program grants competitively to coastal states with approved coastal zone management plans or National Estuarine Research Reserve units for acquiring property in such areas from willing sellers.
Prohibits more than 75% of the funding for any project from being derived from federal sources. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such prohibition for underserved communities, for communities unable to draw on other funding because of small populations or low income, or for other appropriate reasons. Permits appraised land value and costs associated with land acquisition, land management planning, remediation, restoration, and enhancement to be used for the non-federal cost share of a project.
Authorizes the Secretary to provide specified funding for a regional watershed protection demonstration project that: (1) leverages land acquisition funding from other federal conservation or acquisition programs; (2) involves funding from and participation by multiple federal, state, and nongovernmental entities; (3) creates conservation corridors and preserves unique coastal habitat; (4) protects unfragmented habitats under imminent threat of development or conversion; (5) provides water quality protection for areas under the National Estuarine Research Reserve program; and (6) provides a model for future regional watershed protection projects. Reserves funds for acquisitions benefiting the National Estuarine Research Reserve. Requires a grant recipient to provide assurances that: (1) acquired property will be held in perpetuity and managed for the purposes for which the property entered the program; or (2) if such property is divested, funds equal to its correct value will be returned to the Secretary for redistribution in the grant process. Authorizes appropriations.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on March 27, 2006. 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 March 27, 2006: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 378.
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
Judd Gregg (R-NH) introduced it on June 9, 2005, and 23 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 15 Democrats, 8 Republicans.
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 9, 2005, 7763 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7472 days ago, on March 27, 2006.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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