National Emergencies Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
(LATEST SUMMARY) National Emergencies Act - =Title I: Terminating Existing Declared Emergencies= - States that all powers and authorities possessed by the President, any other officer or employee of the Federal Government, or upon any department, or agency as a result of the existence of any national emergency in effect immediately prior to one year after the date of enactment of this Act, are terminated one year from the date of such enactment. =Title II: Declaration of Future National Emergencies= - Provides that in the event the President finds that the proclamation of a national emergency is essential to the preservation, protection, and defense of the Constitution, and is essential to the common defense, safety, or well-being of the territory and people of the United States, the President is authorized to proclaim the existence of a national emergency. Provides that not later than six months after a national emergency is declared, and not later than the end of each six-month period thereafter that such emergency continues, each House of Congress shall meet to consider a vote on a concurrent resolution to determine whether that emergency shall be terminated. =Title III: Declarations of War by Congress= - Stipulates that whenever Congress declares war, any provisions of law conferring powers and authorities to be exercised during time of war shall be effective from the date of such declaration. =Title IV: Exercise of Emergency Powers and Authorities= - Requires that when the President declares a national emergency no powers or authorities made available by statute for use in the event of an emergency shall be exercised unless and until the President specifies the provisions of law under which he proposes that he, or other officers will act. =Title V: Accountability and Reporting Requirements of the President= - States that when the President declares a national emergency, or Congress declares war, the President shall be responsible for maintaining a file and index of all significant orders of the President, including Executive orders and proclamations. Requires that all such significant orders of the President, including Executive orders, and such rules and regulations shall be transmitted to the Congress promptly under means to assure confidentiality where appropriate. =Title VI: Repeal and Continuation of Certain Emergency Power and Other Statutes= - Repeals and continues specified provisions of law relating to emergency powers.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed Senate amended" stage on October 7, 1974. 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 8, 1974: Referred to House 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 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 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?
FRANK CHURCH (D-ID) introduced it on August 22, 1974, and 14 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 8 Democrats, 6 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 August 22, 1974, 19012 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 18965 days ago, on October 8, 1974.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 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