National Aquaculture Organic Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
National Aquaculture Organic Act of 1979 - Establishes a National Aquaculture Council consisting of the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, and the Interior, or the designee of any such Secretary. Directs the Council to: (1) establish and maintain an information service for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of scientific, technical, legal, and economic information relating to aquaculture; (2) conduct surveys, in coordination with other Federal departments and agencies, of public and private aquacultural activities; (3) arrange with foreign nations for the exchange of information relating to aquaculture; (4) conduct a continuing study to determine whether existing capture fisheries could be adversely affected by competition from products produced by commercial aquacultural enterprises; and (5) report such findings to Congress. Requires the Council to prepare and submit to Congress a biennial report on the status of aquaculture in the United States. Directs the Council to establish a National Aquaculture Development Plan. Requires that such plan identify each aquatic species which can be cultured on a commercial or other basis, and contain a program of aquaculture development for such species. Stipulates that each such program shall be implemented either individually, jointly, or collectively by the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture and the Interior according to responsibilities vested in the respective Secretaries by law, or on the basis of departmental expertise and resources. Directs the Council, and any Federal or State agency which has significant functions which relate to aquaculture, to make annual reviews of: (1) each aquatic species not identified as a priority aquatic species; and (2) the success of aquaculture development programs. Requires the Council to revise and amend the plan as necessary. Directs the Council to make a continuing assessment of aquaculture in the United States and to complete an initial assessment within six months after the enactment this Act. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of the Interior, or the Secretary of Agriculture, in implementing the aquaculture development programs, to: (1) provide advisory, educational, or technical assistance to interested persons; (2) consult and cooperate with persons, agencies, and regional commissions; (3) encourage the implementation of aquacultural technology; (4) prescribe such regulations as necessary to carry out such a program; and (5) produce and sell, at cost, seed stock for the priority aquatic species when privately produced seed stock is unavailable, unreliable, or not sufficient to meet production. Establishes the Interagency Committee on Aquaculture to insure that there is a continuing exchange of information relating to the aquaculture programs and projects of the various agencies and to review on a continuing basis the relevant programs and projects of all Federal agencies. Authorizes the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture, and the Interior, according to their powers under this Act, to carry out their functions through grants or contracts. Limits the amount of any such grant to one-half of the estimated cost of the project. Allows the Secretaries of Commerce, Agriculture, and the Interior to provide financial assistance for aquacultural demonstration projects in the form of grants in an amount not to exceed 50 percent of the estimated cost. Authorizes the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture to guarantee obligations issued for the financing of any aquaculture facility within the United States. Stipulates that the aggregate unpaid principal amount of all such guaranteed obligations shall not exceed $100,000,000. Authorizes the Secretary to collect a fee for guaranteed obligations not to exceed one-half of one percent per annum of the outstanding principal balance of the obligation. Sets forth the allowable interest rate, maturity date, and default procedures relating to such loans. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce or the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program to provide essential stock or liability insurance to owners of aquaculture facilities at reasonable rates upon a determination that the issuance of such insurance is necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act. Establishes a Federal Aquaculture Assistance Fund to enable the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture to guarantee obligations, make disaster loans, and implement the insurance program established under this Act. Authorizes the Secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture to issue notes or obligations to the Secretary of the Treasury if the monies in the loan fund are insufficient to pay such a loan in the event of default.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on June 25, 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 June 25, 1979: Referred to Senate 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 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?
LOWELL WEICKER (R-CT) introduced it on June 25, 1979, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Democrats.
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 25, 1979, 17244 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17244 days ago, on June 25, 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