New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an extension through 2016 of the tax credit for alternative fuel motor vehicles powered by compressed or liquefied natural gas and make Indian tribal governments eligible for such credit, (2) allow an offset against regular and alternative minimum tax (AMT) liabilities of tax credits for such vehicles and allow the transferability of such credits, (3) increase the tax credit for the purchase of such vehicles, (4) allow a new business-related tax credit for the production of such vehicles, and (5) extend through 2016 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures for property servicing such vehicles and allow an increased tax credit rate for such property.
Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to provide funding to improve the performance and efficiency and integration of natural gas-powered motor vehicles and heavy-duty on-road vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to manufacturers of light and heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the development of engines that reduce emissions, improve performance and efficiency, and lower cost.
Expresses the sense of Congress the the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should further streamline the process for certification of natural gas vehicle retrofit kits to promote energy security while still fulfilling the mission of the Clean Air Act.
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to allocate funds for vehicles that are repowered or converted to operate on an alternative fuel.
Allocates a federal share for the cost of acquiring vehicle-related equipment or facilities for complying with the Clean Air Act.
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish and administer a program to encourage the development of natural gas fueling infrastructure to be used by transit agencies.
Replaces excise tax rates for liquefied natural gas and compressed natural gas with the sum of the Highway Trust Fund and the Natural Gas Transportation Incentives financing rates.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on November 15, 2011. 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 November 15, 2011: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
- 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 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 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?
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced it on November 15, 2011, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 2 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 November 15, 2011, 5413 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5413 days ago, on November 15, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 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