Rural Energy Independence Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Rural Energy Independence Act of 1979 - Amends the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 to add a new title XX "Rural Energy Production and Use". Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish projects for the production of energy from agricultural commodities and forest products through direct, insured, or guaranteed loans, and grants. Specifies annual ceilings on the amounts of such loans and grants. Requires coordination with other energy loan and grant programs. Authorizes the Administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration to make loans to specified classes of persons, corporations, and associations to finance projects for the generation and transmission of electricity using previously abandoned hydropower energy production facilities located adjacent to small streams and rivers in rural areas, or for the construction of new plants for electricity produced from biomass energy. Specifies the general terms of such loans. Directs the Secretary to establish a Rural Energy Council: (1) to advise the Secretary on rural energy needs and production potential; and (2) to establish and operate wood and biomass energy demonstration centers in each Forest Service region. Directs the Secretary to develop and implement a national rural energy research program as a separate and distinct mission of the Department of Agriculture. Requires the Secretary to conduct a study on the feasibility of alternative crop-livestock systems specifically designed to produce both foodstuffs for domestic and export markets and biomass for energy production use. Directs the Secretary to establish a national rural energy extension program: (1) to disseminate the results of rural energy research; and (2) to encourage farmers and rural organizations to adopt projects for the production of energy from agricultural commodities. Requires the Secretary to submit annual reports to Congress on the activities of the Department pursuant to this Act.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on August 1, 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 August 1, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
- 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?
DONALD STEWART (D-AL) introduced it on August 1, 1979, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 1 Republican.
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 August 1, 1979, 17207 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17207 days ago, on August 1, 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