Department of International Trade Act
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
Department of International Trade Act - Establishes a Department of International Trade to promote U.S. exports, direct trade negotiations, collect and analyze information on trends, coordinate U.S. trade law and policy, administer export controls and customs laws, and gather information on imports. Provides for the appointments of principal officers, including a Secretary of International Trade, a Deputy Secretary for Trade Negotiations, and a Director of Long-Range Policy Planning. Transfers to the Department specified functions of the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, State, and Treasury, and the Export-Import Bank. Transfers to the Department all the functions of the U.S. Customs Service and the Office of the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations. Sets forth the administrative provisions applicable to the Department and the Secretary of International Trade, including reorganization and the transfer of personnel. Requires the Secretary to report annually to the President for submission to Congress concerning the Department's activities. Authorizes appropriations as necessary to carry out the functions of this Act.
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 5, 1979. 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 5, 1979: Referred to Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs.
- 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 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: 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?
ROBERT BYRD (D-WV) introduced it on April 5, 1979. 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 April 5, 1979, 17325 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17325 days ago, on April 5, 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers