Bottom Trawl and Deep Sea Coral Habitat Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: continuing resolutionA stopgap law funding the government at existing levels when the annual appropriations bills are not done by October 1.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) S9835-9838)
Bottom Trawl and Deep Sea Coral Habitat Act - Requires the Secretary of Commerce to direct the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere to explore, identify, research, and map the locations of deep sea corals and deep sea sponges.
Directs the Secretary to develop a cooperative research program to identify: (1) the ideal areas for the use of bottom trawls; and (2) the locations of deep sea corals and deep sea sponges.
Requires each Regional Fishery Management Council to submit to the Secretary a list of areas that were fished using bottom trawls during the seven-year period ending on December 31, 2004, including recommendations of which areas should be designated as Bottom Trawl Zones. Requires the Secretary to designate each area that does not contain a deep sea coral and sponge ecosystem as a Bottom Trawl Zone. Prohibits the use of bottom trawls in an area not designated as a Bottom Trawl Zone.
Directs the Secretary to designate as a Coral Habitat Conservation Zone each area that a Council has designated as an area in which the use of bottom trawls is prohibited for the protection of seafloor habitat, or for which a map and best available data has detected the presence of deep sea corals or deep sea sponges.
Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for persons who violate the requirements under this Act.
Authorizes the President to permit the Secretary to work with appropriate international organizations and foreign nations to develop data to identify areas in international waters that contain deep sea corals or deep sea sponges and to protect such deep sea corals or deep sea sponges.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on September 8, 2005. 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 September 8, 2005: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9835-9838)
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
FRANK LAUTENBERG (D-NJ) introduced it on September 8, 2005, 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 September 8, 2005, 7672 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7672 days ago, on September 8, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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
- SenateIntroduced, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers