Uniformed Services Health Professionals Special Pay Act of 1979
Latest action. Provisions of H. R. 5025 included as passed Senate.
(Measure indefinitely postponed in Senate, H. R. 5235 passed in lieu) Uniformed Services Health Professionals Special Pay Act - Revises the special pay provisions for medical officers, dental officers, and optometry officers in the uniformed services on active duty. Establishes special pay rates for podiatry officers. Makes permanent the special pay provisions in effect for veterinary officers. Specifies that retired veterans with service-connected disabilities shall not be denied medical care for which they are eligible under the CHAMPUS program solely because such care is available at a Veterans' Administration medical facility. Authorizes the Secretary of State to provide for private sector representation of the United States at international communications conferences or meetings for one year.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Indefinitely postponed in Senate" stage on December 20, 1979. 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 December 20, 1979: Provisions of H. R. 5025 included as passed 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: 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?
GARY HART (D-CO) introduced it on March 1, 1979, and 8 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 6 Democrats, 2 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 March 1, 1979, 17360 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17066 days ago, on December 20, 1979.
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