Finding ORE 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. 93.
Finding Opportunities for Resource Exploration Act or the Finding ORE Act
This bill allows the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to enter into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to partner with a foreign country in mapping the country's reserves of critical minerals and rare earth elements.
A critical mineral is any mineral, element, substance, or material designated as critical by USGS because it is essential to U.S. economic and national security, has a vulnerable supply chain, and serves an essential function in manufacturing a product. Rare earth elements have catalytic, magnetic, electrical, and luminescent properties vital for civilian and defense purposes.
In negotiating a MOU, USGS must seek to increase the security and resilience of international supply chains for critical minerals and rare earth elements by
committing to assisting the partner foreign country through cooperative activities that help it map reserves;
ensuring that private companies headquartered in the United States or an allied foreign country are offered the right of first refusal in the further development of critical minerals and rare earth elements in the partner foreign country;
facilitating private-sector investment in the exploration and development of critical minerals and rare earth elements; and
ensuring that the mapping data is protected against unauthorized access by, or disclosure to, governmental or private entities based in non-allied countries.
USGS must obtain the concurrence of the Department of State in
prioritizing and selecting partner foreign countries,
negotiating or implementing a MOU, and
notifying and reporting to Congress about issues related to a MOU.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on June 18, 2025. 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 18, 2025: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 93.
- 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 118th Congress (2023-24), 274 of the 16,565 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 1.7 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?
Christopher Coons (D-DE) introduced it on April 10, 2025, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 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 April 10, 2025, 565 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 496 days ago, on June 18, 2025.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 119th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2027 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