Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008
Latest action · May 21, 2008 Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 744.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMay 15, 2008
- Passed HouseMay 20, 2008
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008 - Title I: Amendment to Sherman Act - No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2008 or NOPEC - (Sec. 102) Amends the Sherman Act to make it illegal for any foreign state or instrumentality thereof to act collectively or in combination with any other foreign state or any other person, when such action has a direct, substantial, and reasonably foreseeable effect on the market, supply, price, or distribution of petroleum in the United States, to: (1) limit the production or distribution of oil, natural gas, or any other petroleum product (petroleum); (2) set or maintain the price of petroleum; or (3) otherwise take any action in restraint of trade for petroleum.
Denies a foreign state engaged in such conduct sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction or judgments of U.S. courts in any action brought to enforce this Act.
States that no U.S. court shall decline, based on the act of state doctrine, to make a determination on the merits in an action brought under this Act.
Authorizes the Attorney General to bring an action in U.S. district court to enforce this Act.
(Sec. 103) Makes an exception to the jurisdictional immunity of a foreign state in an action brought under this Act.
Title II: Creation of Department of Justice Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force - (Sec. 201) Directs the Attorney General to establish in the Department of Justice (DOJ) a Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force to: (1) develop, coordinate, and facilitate the implementation of DOJ investigative and enforcement policies related to petroleum industry antitrust issues under federal law; and (2) report annually to Congress on DOJ investigatory and enforcement efforts related to petroleum industry antitrust issues, and on issues related to the application of federal antitrust laws to the market for petroleum.
Title III: Study by the Government Accountability Office - (Sec. 301) Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) conduct a study evaluating the effects of mergers addressed in covered petroleum merger consent decrees on competition in the markets involved, including the effectiveness of divestitures required in such decrees in preserving competition in those markets; and (2) report study results to Congress and DOJ.
Directs the Attorney General to refer such report to the Task Force, which shall consider whether any further enforcement action is warranted to protect or restore competition in any market affected by a transaction to which any covered merger consent decree relates.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House 332 | On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass | Passed324–84 | May 20, 2008 |
Cosponsors 19
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 15, 2008 to May 20, 2008; 13 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-IN | André Carson | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-OH | Betty Sutton | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-IA | Bruce L. Braley | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-OH | Charles A. Wilson | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-NY | John J. Hall | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-MN | Keith Ellison | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-NY | Michael A. Arcuri | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-PA | Patrick J. Murphy | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-NH | Paul W. Hodes | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-MN | Timothy J. Walz | Original | May 15, 2008 |
| D-IL | Janice D. Schakowsky | May 19, 2008 | |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | May 19, 2008 | |
| D-NY | Maurice D. Hinchey | May 19, 2008 | |
| D-MA | Niki Tsongas | May 19, 2008 | |
| D-CA | Brad Sherman | May 20, 2008 | |
| D-FL | Kathy Castor | May 20, 2008 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 15, 2008 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- May 21, 2008Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 744.
- May 20, 2008Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H4189)
- May 20, 2008Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 324 - 84 (Roll no. 332). (text: CR 5/19/2008 H4104)
- May 20, 2008Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- May 19, 2008Mr. Scott (VA) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
In the Congressional Record 8
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H6005 | K. Michael Conaway R-TX | Jun 24, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H5586 | K. Michael Conaway R-TX | Jun 19, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H5113, H5117, H5118 | David Wu D-OR, Diane E. Watson D-CA, Peter A. DeFazio D-OR, Steve Kagen D-WI | Jun 10, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H4978, H4979 | Donald M. Payne D-NJ, Timothy J. Walz D-MN | Jun 5, 2008 |
| House | Debate and remarks H4879 | Hilda L. Solis D-CA | Jun 4, 2008 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 879 | NOPEC | Related bill | May 21, 2008 |
Titles 7
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Sherman Act to make oil-producing and exporting cartels illegal and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008
- Short Titles as Passed House
- Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act of 2008
- Short Titles as Introduced for portions of this bill
- No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2008
- NOPEC
- Short Titles as Passed House for portions of this bill
- No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act of 2008
- NOPEC
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Commerce.
- Antitrust law
- Cartels
- Civil actions and liability
- Commerce
- Competition
- Congress
- Congressional investigations
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Consent decrees
- Corporate mergers
- Crime and Law Enforcement
- Department of Justice
- District courts
- Energy
- Energy prices
- Energy supplies
- Executive reorganization
- Foreign Trade and International Finance
- Government liability (International law)
- Government Operations and Politics
- International Affairs
- Jurisdiction
- Law
- OPEC countries
- Petroleum industry
- Privileges and immunities
- Restrictive trade practices
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 21, 2008Placed on Calendar Senate
- May 20, 2008Engrossed in House
- May 15, 2008Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
