Federal Water Policy Act of 1979
Latest action. Referred to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Federal Water Policy Act of 1979 - Authorizes the Secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture, and Army to investigate water resource development projects at the request of any State. Authorizes the Secretaries to provide technical assistance to State water resource investigations. Requires the State to repay 25 percent of the cost of such investigation or assistance. Sets forth the requirements for feasibility reports, describing water resource problems and proposed solutions, prepared after such investigations. Permits the Secretaries to construct intrastate water resource development projects after submitting such feasibility reports upon: (1) State request; (2) a State agreement to repay the entire Federal costs; and (3) congressional authorization. Requires non-Federal entities to reimburse the United States for interstate water resource development projects according to specified formulas. Stipulates that: (1) authorizations for water resource development projects shall be based on the feasibility reports; (2) a single Act shall authorize the appropriations for both the engineering and design and construction phases; and (3) Congress will review the authorization of appropriations after such phases are completed only if the engineering and design studies reveal significant differences from the project described in the feasibility report.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on October 4, 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 October 4, 1979: Referred to Senate 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 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?
MARK HATFIELD (R-OR) introduced it on October 4, 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 October 4, 1979, 17143 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 17143 days ago, on October 4, 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