Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Improvement Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Improvement Act of 1979 - Amends the Federal Boat Safety Act of 1971 to include in the definitions of the terms "United States" and "State" the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and any other territory or possession over which the United States has jurisdiction. Directs the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to implement and administer a national recreational boating safety and facilities improvement program. Authorizes the Secretary to allocate funds to States for accepted State recreational boating safety and facilities improvement programs if sufficient State matching funds are available. Directs the Secretary to accept State programs that include: (1) an approved vessel numbering system; (2) a cooperative boating safety assistance program with the Coast Guard; (3) sufficient patrol to enforce applicable State laws; (4) boating safety education; (5) a State agency to implement or coordinate the program and report to the Secretary; and (6) facilities improvement. Sets forth formulas for the allocation of funds among the States. Establishes in the Treasury a National Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Improvement Fund from which the Secretary may allocate funds for accepted State programs. Requires that revenues attributable to the taxes on special motor fuels and gasoline used in motorboats be covered into such Fund. Authorizes appropriations for such State programs of $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1981 through 1984. Amends the Highway Revenue Act of 1956 to direct the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer certain amounts from the taxes received from special motor fuels and gasoline used in motorboats to the National Recreational Boating Safety and Facilities Improvement Fund.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on October 30, 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 October 30, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 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?
THOMAS EAGLETON (D-MO) introduced it on October 30, 1979, and 6 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 4 Republicans.
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 30, 1979, 17117 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17117 days ago, on October 30, 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