Agricultural Market Expansion Act of 1983
Latest action. Committee on Agriculture. Ordered reported an original bill (S.822) in lieu of this measure.
Agricultural Market Expansion Act of 1983 - Amends the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to give away excess Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) stocks to U.S. processors and exporters and to foreign nations to encourage U.S. commodity exports. Directs the Secretary to: (1) aid domestic industries hurt by imports made in whole or in part from such commodities; (2) use such commodities to increase use and to avoid displacing existing U.S. overseas markets; and (3) prevent the resale or transshipment of such commodities. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to permit the donation abroad of CCC commodity and dairy stocks through foreign governments and humanitarian organizations. Coordinates such donations through the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (P.L. 480). Permits the use of such stocks to expand foreign exports under such Act. Directs the Secretary to donate abroad at least 50,000 metric tons of CCC dairy stocks during each of the fiscal years 1983 through 1985. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress semiannually during such period. Permits the Secretary to sell CCC stocks of long staple cotton for unrestricted use at appropriate price levels. Amends the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to provide that whenever a commodity is made available without charge or credit, the Secretary shall encourage its consumption through agreements with private companies under which the commodity is processed into end products for use by eligible recipients, with the expense to be borne by the recipients.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on January 26, 1983. 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 3, 1983: Committee on Agriculture. Ordered reported an original bill (S.822) in lieu of this measure.
- 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 98th Congress (1983-84), 623 of the 10,560 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 5.9 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?
Thad Cochran (R-MS) introduced it on January 26, 1983, and 11 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 8 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 26, 1983, 15981 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 15945 days ago, on March 3, 1983.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 98th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1985 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