Trade Suspension Commodity Reserves Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
Trade Suspension Commodity Reserves Act of 1980 - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to establish trade suspension reserves of wheat, corn, grain sorghums, oats, barley, rye, and such other grains as the Secretary deems appropriate, whenever: (1) the President or other member of the executive branch causes the commercial sales of such commodities to any country or area of the world to be suspended for reasons of national security or foreign policy under any provision of law; and (2) the prices producers receive for such commodities are, or will be, adversely affected by such action. Directs the Secretary to announce, within 30 days after such suspension: (1) whether trade suspension grain reserves under this Act will be established; and (2) the amount of the commodity to be placed in such reserves. Requires that such amount be that portion of the suspended commercial exports which should be removed from the market to maintain producer prices at the levels immediately prior to the suspension. Authorizes the Secretary to establish reserves necessary to stabilize prices under this Act by: (1) purchasing, through the Commodity Credit Corporation, commodities suitable for use in the production of alcohol for fuel and paying reserve maintenance and disposition costs; and (2) increasing the stocks held under the producer storage program of the Agricultural Act of 1949 by making additional nonrecourse loans available to producers under such program, if the export sales of wheat or feed grains are suspended. Permits the Secretary to dispose of such commodities, acquired by the Corporation under this Act, only through sale, at not less than the fuel conversion price for the commodity involved, for use in the production of alcohol as motor fuel at facilities which: (1) begin operation after January 4, 1980; and (2) can produce alcohol from agricultural or forestry biomass feedstocks other than the commodity involved. Authorizes the Secretary to facilitate the use for fuel production purposes of commodities held in reserve under this Act by producers under the producer storage program by requiring such producers to repay nonrecourse loans under such program whenever the then current market price for the commodity involved is not less than the fuel conversion price. Directs the Secretary to announce such fuel conversion prices, whenever nonrecourse loans are announced available under this Act and every three months thereafter while such loans are available or outstanding. Requires that such fuel conversion price: (1) be determined by the Secretary according to specified considerations; and (2) permit gasoline-alcohol mixtures using alcohol produced from the commodity to be competitive in price with nonlead gasoline priced at the point it leaves the refinery, adjusted for differences in octane rating. Directs the Secretary to establish safeguards to assure that commodities held in trade suspension grain reserves under this Act shall not be used in any manner to unduly depress, manipulate, or curtail the free market. Requires that all producers of a commodity be eligible for nonrecourse loans under the producer storage program made available under this Act. Declares this Act to be effective only with respect to suspensions implemented after December 31, 1979.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on February 20, 1980. 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 February 20, 1980: 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?
WALTER HUDDLESTON (D-KY) introduced it on February 20, 1980, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 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 February 20, 1980, 17004 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17004 days ago, on February 20, 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers