Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Nondiscrimination in Insurance Act - Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin with respect to the issuance or terms of insurance contracts. Permits insurers who regularly provide insurance solely to persons of a single religious affiliation to continue to do so. Allows any person who is aggrieved by any violation of this Act to maintain a civil action in an appropriate State or Federal court. Sets forth the recovery allowed in such an action, including injunctive relief and punitive damages. Authorizes the Commissioner and Attorney General of each State to enforce the discriminatory prohibitions established by this Act. Permits the Commissioner to issue cease and desist orders and the Attorney General to intervene in administrative proceedings, seek injunctive relief, order restitution, and impose fines. Stipulates that no action may be maintained in Federal court if a State has enacted into law the provisions of this Act and has established administrative procedures to consider violations. Authorizes the Attorney General of the United States, whenever there is reasonable cause to believe that any insurer or other person is engaged in a pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of the rights granted by this Act or that any group has been denied such rights and an issue of general public importance is raised, to bring a civil action in Federal court to seek injunctive or other appropriate relief.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on March 25, 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 March 25, 1980: Referred to Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
- 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?
MARK HATFIELD (R-OR) introduced it on March 25, 1980, and 5 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 5 Democrats.
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 March 25, 1980, 16970 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16970 days ago, on March 25, 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