National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2005
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
National Aquatic Invasive Species Act of 2005 - Amends the Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance Prevention and Control Act of 1990 to establish aquatic invasive species reduction and prevention requirements for vessels (including towed vessels and structures) operating in U.S. waters. Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to promulgate ballast water management regulations and certification procedures.
Directs the Aquatic Invasive Species Task Force to establish a priority pathway management program that identifies those pathways that pose the highest risk for the introduction of aquatic invasive species. Prohibits the importation of a live aquatic organism of a species not in trade without specified screening and approval. Requires the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to implement a national system of ecological surveys for rapid early detection and monitoring of invasive species. Establishes the Emergency Rapid Response Fund to assist States in implementing rapid response measures for aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force to review and approve State rapid response contingency strategies. Requires the Invasive Species Council to establish a Federal rapid response team for each of the ten Federal regions. Requires the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) to upgrade and make permanent the existing Chicago sanitary and ship canal dispersal barrier in Chicago, Illinois, constructed as a demonstration project to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in U.S. waterways. Directs the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to construct, at full Federal expense, the Chicago sanitary and ship canal dispersal barrier authorized by the Water Resources Development Act of 1986. Requires NOAA, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, and the U.S. Geological Survey (Administering Agencies) to develop and conduct a marine and freshwater research program to assess rates of, patterns of, and conditions surrounding introductions of nonindigenous aquatic species in aquatic ecosystems and efforts to prevent the introduction of, and detect and eradicate, such species. Requires the EPA Administrator to develop an environmentally sound, cost-effective technology development, demonstration and verification grant program. Requires the Secretary and the EPA to develop a vessel pathway standards research program. Requires the National Science Foundation to establish a grant program for researchers at institutions of higher education and museums to carry out research in systematics and taxonomy. Requires the Invasive Species Council to coordinate with the Task Force to combat aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force to recommend to appropriate Federal agencies additions to the list of aquatic invasive species. Requires the Task Force, the Council, and the Secretary of State to ensure that international efforts to prevent and manage aquatic invasive species are coordinated with U.S. policies.
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 13, 2005. 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 13, 2005: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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 13, 2005, and 21 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 17 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 April 13, 2005, 7820 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7820 days ago, on April 13, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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