A bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to charter the NS SAVANNAH to Patriots Point Development Authority, an agency of the State of South Carolina.
Latest action. public lawWhat a bill becomes when enacted, numbered by Congress and order of enactment: Public Law 119-4 is the 4th law of the 119th Congress.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) 96-331.
(Measure passed Senate, amended) Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to charter the nuclear ship Savannah to the Patriots Point Development Authority, an agency of the State of South Carolina, for a specified period as a museum ship. Makes the Secretary of Commerce responsible for inspection and maintenance of the hull below the waterline. Makes the Development Authority responsible for all other maintenance. Sets forth other conditions to be included in the charter. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting for the United States Government as owner of the vessel, and the Development Authority to apply to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license to process the nuclear utilization facility. Provides that the sole liability of the Secretary shall be the financial responsibility for the disposal of the reactor and other nuclear systems and radioactive contaminated components in the vessel. Makes the Authority responsible for the monitoring and security of the reactor and all nuclear systems and radioactive components in the vessel and for filing all reports that may be required. Authorizes the use of specified appropriated funds for preservation work on such ship. Authorizes the expenditure of already appropriated funds to tow the Savannah to a site at Patriots Point at Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Authorizes appropriations beginning in fiscal year 1981 for hull inspection and maintenance purposes.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed Senate amended" stage on December 18, 1979. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Public Law 96-331.
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Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
The latest action on file does not map to a stage Civibrief recognizes, so the page will not name one. The record's own words are the reliable fact here.
The record's latest action, on August 28, 1980: Public Law 96-331.
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 has no outstanding steps 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?
ERNEST HOLLINGS (D-SC) introduced it on October 5, 1979, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 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 October 5, 1979, 17142 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16814 days ago, on August 28, 1980.
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
- SenatePublic Law 96-331.
- HouseNot stated in the latest action
- PresidentNot stated in the latest action