Violent Content Research Act of 2013
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. 262.
Violent Content Research Act of 2013 - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS), jointly, to undertake to enter into appropriate arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct a comprehensive study and investigation of whether exposure to violent video games and programming has a harmful effect on children that is distinguishable from any other factors.
Requires such study and investigation to consider whether: (1) such exposure causes children to act aggressively or causes other measurable harm to children, has a disproportionately harmful effect on the behavior of children already prone to aggression or on the behavior of other identifiable groups of children, and has a harmful effect that is distinguishable from other types of media; (2) any identified harm has a direct and long-lasting impact on a child's well-being; and (3) current or emerging characteristics of violent video games have a uniquely harmful effect on the behavior of children, considering video games' concretely interactive nature.
Requires an identification of gaps in current research which, if closed, could provide information regarding any causal connection between such exposure and children's behavior.
Requires such agencies, in entering into any such arrangements, to request the NAS to report the results to Congress, FTC, FCC, and HSS.
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 December 17, 2013. 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 December 17, 2013: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 262.
- 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 113th Congress (2013-14), 296 of the 9,091 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.3 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?
JAY ROCKEFELLER (D-WV) introduced it on January 24, 2013, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 3 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 January 24, 2013, 4977 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 4650 days ago, on December 17, 2013.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 113th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2015 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