Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act of 2011
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 54.
Implementation of National Consensus Appliance Agreements Act of 2011 - (Sec. 2) Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) to expand the definition of "energy conservation standard" under such Act to mean one or more performance or design requirements relating to energy and water efficiency.
Establishes energy conservation standards for: (1) central air conditioners and heat pumps; (2) through-the-wall central air conditioners; (3) through-the-wall central air conditiioning heat pumps; (4) small duct, high velocity systems; and (5) non-weatherized furnaces.
(Sec. 3) Establishes energy conservation standards for: (1) heat pump pool heaters, and (2) GU-24 lamps, lamp sockets, and adaptors.
(Sec. 5) Establishes energy conservation standards and test procedures for bottle-type water dispensers, commercial hot food holding cabinets, and portable electric spas.
(Sec. 6) Allows any person to petition the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to prescribe or amend test procedures for covered products and equipment. Establishes deadlines for responding to such petitions.
(Sec. 7) Requires the Secretary to publish amended test procedures for refrigerators and freezers, residential clothes washers, and clothes dryers.
(Sec. 8) Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine whether to update the Energy Star criteria for residential refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, freezers, dishwashers, clothes washers, and room air conditioners to incorporate smart grid and demand response features.
(Sec. 9) Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of video game console energy use and opportunities for energy savings for such use, (2) determine whether to establish minimum energy efficiency standards for such use after completing such study, and (3) conduct a follow-up study if an energy efficiency standard is not established.
(Sec. 10) Revises energy conservation standards for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers manufactured as of January 1, 2014.
(Sec. 11) Establishes energy conservation standards for room air conditioners manufactured on or after June 1, 2014.
(Sec. 12) Requires the Secretary to publish a final rule that establishes a uniform energy descriptor and test methods for covered water heaters (i.e., a water heater, a storage water heater, an instantaneous water heater, or an unfired water storage tank).
The summary continues for 7 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on May 18, 2011. 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 May 18, 2011: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 54.
- 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 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 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?
JESSE BINGAMAN (D-NM) introduced it on February 17, 2011, and 31 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 27 Democrats, 3 Republicans, 1 independent.
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 17, 2011, 5731 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5641 days ago, on May 18, 2011.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 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