Plant Protection Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.
Plant Protection Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary) to restrict the importation, movement, and means of conveyance (including the mail) of plants, plant products, biological control organisms, plant pests, and noxious weeds, (articles) in order to prevent their U.S. introduction and interstate movement. (Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to notify the Secretary of such articles' arrival, and hold them at the port of entry until inspected and authorized for U.S. movement by the Secretary. Prohibits a person from moving unauthorized and uninspected articles from a port of entry or interstate. (Sec. 6) Authorizes: (1) the Secretary to take specified remedial measures, including treatment or disposal, to avoid dissemination of a plant pest or noxious weed; (2) the Secretary to make inspections and seizures; and (3) owner compensation for unauthorized disposals. (Sec. 9) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) make phytosanitary export certificates based upon foreign requirements; and (2) enter into reimbursable fee agreements for preclearance outside the United States. (Sec. 12) Sets forth penalty and enforcement provisions. (Sec. 16) Authorizes appropriations and fund transfers. (Sec. 17) Repeals specified Acts.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on January 19, 1999. 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 January 19, 1999: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.
- 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 106th Congress (1999-00), 580 of the 9,158 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 6.3 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?
DANIEL AKAKA (D-HI) introduced it on January 19, 1999. No cosponsors are recorded.
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 January 19, 1999, 10096 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 10096 days ago, on January 19, 1999.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 106th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2001 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