North Pacific Fur Seal Protection Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
North Pacific Fur Seal Protection Act of 1980 - Title I: Termination of Convention - Expresses the sense of Congress that the Interim Convention on the Conservation of North Pacific Fur Seals should not be continued. Declares that the President should terminate such Convention and enter into negotiations for an international agreement banning all killing of such seals. Title II: Protection of Seals - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish the Pribilof Wildlife Refuge. Prohibits the taking of seals within such Refuge and that part of the fishery conservation zone extending seaward of the Pribilof Islands, Alaska. Prohibits the use of gill nets within such part of the fishery conservation zone from June through September. Permits Pribilof Islands natives to take seals for subsistence purposes. Sets forth sanctions for violations of these provisions. Directs the Secretary to employ, to the greatest extent possible, Pribilof Islands natives as rangers and guides. Directs the Marine Mammal Commission to monitor annually the fur seal population within the Refuge and report the results and any recommendations for fur seal conservation. Title III: Advisory Council; Social Services Programs - Provides for the establishment of an advisory committee to study and recommend to Congress alternative means of developing a livelihood for Pribilof Islands natives in lieu of the taking of seals, upon the termination of the Convention, including the making available of funds which would have been appropriated if the taking of seals had not been prohibited. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to assure that the income of Pribilof Islands natives engaged in the taking of seals be maintained, after the prohibition on the taking of seals takes effect. Title IV: Other Provisions of Law - Repeals title I (Conservation and Protection of North Pacific Fur Seals) of the Fur Seal Act of 1966. Stipulates that the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 shall not apply if the taking of seals is prohibited under this Act.
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 28, 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 April 28, 1980: Referred to Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 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?
CARL LEVIN (D-MI) introduced it on April 28, 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 April 28, 1980, 16936 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16936 days ago, on April 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers