H.R. 940: Bicameral Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2019

116th Congress · introduced 2019-01-31 · Foreign Trade and International Finance · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2019-01-31 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Gallagher, Mike [R-WI-8] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Bicameral Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2019

Plain summary

Bicameral Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2019 This bill requires congressional approval for a presidential import adjustment due to a national security threat from an import related to military equipment, energy resources, or critical infrastructure essential to national security. Specifically, the bill requires the President to submit a proposal to Congress, which Congress may approve by a joint resolution. Under current law, the President determines whether any adjustment of an import is necessary and must submit to Congress the reasons for any action taken or not taken. The Department of Defense (currently, the Department of Commerce) must investigate the effect of these imports on national security. The bill retroactively applies to any proposed action made four years before enactment of this bill. In general, any rate of duty modification occurring in the time period beginning four years before and ending the day before enactment of this bill must revert to the previous rate unless it receives congressional approval.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Bicameral Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2019

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Gallagher, Mike [R-WI-8] · 33 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Darin LaHood (R-IL), Tom Cole (R-OK), J. French Hill (R-AR), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Steve Cohen (D-TN), John R. Curtis (R-UT), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Don Bacon (R-NE), Ted Budd (R-NC), Andy Barr (R-KY), Thomas R. Suozzi (D-NY), Elise M. Stefanik (R-NY), Ralph Norman (R-SC), Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ), Susie Lee (D-NV), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Peter Welch (D-VT), Josh Harder (D-CA), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Joint resolution: In Texas, the type of measure the Legislature uses to propose a constitutional amendment (marked HJR or SJR). The governor does not sign or veto it; the voters decide. In Congress a joint resolution can also be used like a bill. In Florida, a joint resolution passed by three-fifths of the members of each chamber puts a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr940.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr940 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116