A bill to provide for the settlement and payment of claims of civilian and military personnel against the United States for losses in connection with the evacuation of such personnel from a foreign country.
Latest action. Measure indefinitely postponed in Senate (See H. R. 6086 as passed Senate for similar provisions).
Amends the Military Personnel and Civilian Employees' Claims Act of 1964 to provide for maximum payment by the United States of $40,000 in personal property claims by members of the uniformed services or civilian employees of the U.S. incident to evacuations from a foreign country after December 31, 1978. Requires: (1) that the evacuation after December 31, 1978, was authorized by competent authority which was in response to political unrest or hostile acts, and that damage or loss resulted from such evacuation; or (2) that damage or loss resulted from acts of mob violence, terrorist attacks, or other hostile acts directed against the United States government or its officers or employees. Sets forth the order and priority of payment in the event the claimant is deceased. States that such claim must be submitted in writing within two years after it accrues, or within one year after enactment of this Act, whichever is later. Requires each agency to issue regulations governing claims settlements. Prohibits further adjudication of specified claims settled under this Act, unless such claims have not been paid. Subrogates the United States to any rights or claims the claimant may have against the foreign country in which the damage or loss occurred, upon payment of such claim.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on April 17, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
2 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 1, 1980: Measure indefinitely postponed in Senate (See H. R. 6086 as passed Senate for similar provisions).
- 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: 2 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?
FRANK CHURCH (D-ID) introduced it on April 17, 1980, and 10 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 7 Democrats, 3 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 April 17, 1980, 16947 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16780 days ago, on October 1, 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
- SenatePassed
- HouseAwaiting House vote
- PresidentAwaits both chambers