Maritime SAFE Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Maritime Security And Fisheries Enforcement Act or the Maritime SAFE Act
This bill addresses illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) and maritime security.
Among other things, the bill
establishes an interagency working group on maritime security, IUU fishing, and seafood fraud;
increases the capacity of IUU fishing enforcement and customs and border security officers at U.S. ports;
requires collaboration with other countries to improve transparency and traceability in the seafood supply chain;
promotes the use of technology to combat IUU fishing;
establishes a sub-working group to address IUU fishing within the U.S. exclusive economic zone in the Gulf of Mexico; and
addresses human trafficking in connection with the catching and processing of seafood products.
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 1, 2019. 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 1, 2019: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 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 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?
Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced it on May 1, 2019, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
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 1, 2019, 2689 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2689 days ago, on May 1, 2019.
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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers