HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ACTIONS 10/23/2013

DAILY FLOOR WRAP UP

 

October 23, 2013

 

SUMMARY OF LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS

 

H.R. 3080 - Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2013

 

Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 385 — "Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3080) to provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, and for other purposes." – ADOPTED 225 – 194

 

H. Res. 385 — "Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3080) to provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, and for other purposes." – ADOPTED 271 – 147

 

Shuster (R-PA), Gibbs (R-OH), Rahall (D-WV), and Bishop (D-NY) Amendment No. 1 (Manager’s Amendment)  – Adds a new section that provides for expediting the completion of any on-going feasibility study for a project initiated prior to enactment and clarifies that the Corps of Engineers is authorized to move to preconstruction planning, engineering, and design activities immediately after completing a feasibility study. Amends Section 107 of H.R. 3080 to add a savings clause to ensure work carried out under an existing statute related to navigation that is repealed in H.R. 3080 can continue if initiated prior to enactment. Adds a new section providing non-Federal interests the ability to carry out work at their own expense for a project where a final feasibility report has been completed but has not received authorization from Congress. Requires the non-Federal interest to carry out work subject to any State or Federal permitting requirements and to carry out the project in accordance with the final feasibility report. Also amends Section 120 of H.R. 3080 to request the Corps of Engineers to review the uses and economic feasibility of non-structural alternatives in their review of existing authorities for carrying out work after a storm event. Moreover, amends Section 102 of H.R. 3080 to add natural gas companies to the entities eligible to contribute funds to Corps of Engineers to expedite the processing of permits within the regulatory program of the Corps of Engineers. The amendment makes other technical and conforming changes to H.R. 3080.  – ADOPTED BY VOICE

 

DeFazio (D-OR), Blumenauer (D-OR), Jackson Lee (D-TX), Pingree (D-ME), Edwards (D-MD), and Bonamici (D-OT) Amendment No. 2 – Delays the application of environmental “streamlining” provisions in the bill until the Secretary certifies that there is sufficient funding to reduce the current backlog of authorized Corps projects to less than $20 billion; more than $40 billion in projects have already been authorized using existing environmental review processes, but have yet to receive funding for construction. – REJECTED 183 – 236  

 

Flores (R-TX) Amendment No. 3 – Prohibits programs or actions authorized under this Act from further implementation of coastal and marine spatial planning and ecosystem-based management components under Executive Order 13547. Requires the Secretary of the Army to conduct and submit a study detailing all activities engaged in and resources expended in furtherance of Executive Order 13547. The study also should include any budget requests for fiscal year 2014 for support of implementation of Executive Order 13547, and be submitted to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. – ADOPTED 225 – 193

 

En Bloc 1 – Amendment Nos. 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, &23 – ADOPTED BY VOICE

 

Young (R-AK) and Petri (R-WI) Amendment No. 5 – Requires USACE to contract with private sector surveying and mapping firms, wherever practical, in performance of surveying and mapping services and activities for Corps projects. Requires the Secretary to issue agency guidance to encourage use of the private sector for surveying and mapping services, and requires a process to provide oversight of the performance of compliance with the guidance. – REJECTED BY VOICE

 

Hastings (D-FL) Amendment No. 6 – Includes operation and maintenance costs associated with sand transfer plants in the annual operations and maintenance budget of the Corps of Engineers. – REJECTED 133 – 287

 

Bentivolio (R-MI) Amendment No. 7 – Seeks to increase the amount of backlogged projects to be de-authorized, beyond what is initially de-authorized in the bill from $12,000,000,000 to $35,000,000,000. – REJECTED BY VOICE

 

Jones (R-NC) Amendment No. 8 – Exempts the disaster restriction on projects which non-federal interests may contribute to. – WITHDRAWN

 

Velázquez (D-NY) Amendment No. 13 – Establishes a national water-based freight policy to improve the movement of freight and cargo over waterways, canals, ports, and harbors. – REJECTED BY VOICE

 

Richmond (D-LA) and Scalise (R-LA) Amendment No. 16 – Directs the Corps to calculate the national benefits of proposed flood protection projects, including benefits from a reduction in national and regional economic losses, as well as the protection of evacuation routes. – ADOPTED 237 – 183

 

Gardner (R-CO) Amendment No. 24 – Establishes the Office of Water Storage at the Army Corp of Engineers to serve as an initial point of contact for the acquisition or satisfaction of a Federal permit for a water storage facility. – WITHDRAWN

 

Final Passage of H.R. 3080 — "To provide for improvements to the rivers and harbors of the United States, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, and for other purposes." – PASSED 417 – 3