BEST 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. 255.
Better Energy Storage Technology Act or the BEST Act
This bill addresses research, development, and demonstration programs relating to energy storage systems.
Among other requirements, the Department of Energy must
establish a research, development, and deployment program for energy storage systems, including distributed and transportation energy storage technologies and applications;
enter into agreements to carry out at least five demonstration projects and develop a 10-year strategic plan for energy storage systems;
establish a competitive grant program to assist certain states and tribal governments, institutions of higher education, utilities, and private energy storage companies carry out demonstration projects for pilot energy storage systems;
provide technical and planning assistance to help certain electric cooperatives, political subdivisions of states, nonprofit entities, and utilities procure energy storage systems; and
award competitive prizes for advancing the recycling of critical energy storage materials such as lithium and cobalt.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate" stage on October 22, 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 October 22, 2019: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 255.
- 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?
Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced it on May 22, 2019, and 23 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 15 Democrats, 7 Republicans, 1 independent.
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 22, 2019, 2668 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2515 days ago, on October 22, 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