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Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991

Public Law 102-250 · H.R. 355 · 102nd Congress · began in the House

Signed by George H. W. Bush (R) on Mar 5, 1992 · Water Resources Development

Sponsor: Rep. Richard Lehman (D-CA-18)

Cosponsors (6): Rep. Victor Fazio,

Passage votes

  • HouseUnanimous consent
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 - Title I: Drought Program - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to undertake construction and other activities, including drilling wells, to minimize drought losses. Limits construction activities to temporary facilities. Allows wells drilled under this title to be permanent facilities.

Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide non-financial assistance to buyers for purchasing available water supplies from willing sellers; (2) purchase water from willing sellers; and (3) participate in water banks set up by States.

Permits the Secretary to make water available on a temporary basis and to use Federal Reclamation water project facilities to store and convey project and non-project water for use outside the authorized service area. Outlines provisions governing the repayment obligations of the purchasers of such water provided on a temporary basis.

Authorizes the Secretary to make water available for protecting fish and wildlife resources outside the authorized project service area on a nonreimbursable basis. Provides that water made available for such purposes from the Central Valley Project in California to the Grasslands Water District in 1991 shall be nonreimbursable.

Requires the Secretary to charge recipients for the use of nonproject water for municipal, industrial, and agricultural uses.

Requires the payment of capital costs attributable to the sale of water or the use of Federal Reclamation project facilities to be covered into the Reclamation Fund and credited to the project from which the water or facility is supplied.

Authorizes the Secretary to make loans to water users for undertaking construction, management, or conservation activities or the acquisition and transportation of water to mitigate drought losses. Sets forth repayment obligations.

Terminates the authorities under this title ten years after the enactment of this Act.

Title II: Drought Contingency Planning - Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) conduct studies to identify opportunities for the conservation, augmentation, and more efficient use of the water supplies available to Federal Reclamation projects and Indian water resource developments; and (2) provide technical assistance to State, local, and tribal governments for the development, construction, and operation of water desalinization projects.

Permits the Secretary to prepare cooperative drought contingency plans to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of drought conditions. Outlines the elements which may be included in such plans and those related to Federal Reclamation projects which each such plan must identify.

Authorizes the Secretary to work with other Federal and State agencies to improve hydrologic data collection systems and water supply forecasting techniques to provide more accurate and timely drought warnings that would trigger such an implementation.

Requires the plans to comply with all applicable State and Federal law and provide for periodic review.

Sets forth provisions providing for the submission of such plans to the Congress for review.

Requires the Secretary to study whether a Reclamation Drought Response Fund is needed to defray drought contingency plan implementation expenses and to make loans for activities to prevent or mitigate adverse drought effects.

Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical drought contingency planning assistance to all the States and U.S. Territories (not just those traditional western States identified in the Reclamation Act of 1902).

Permits the Secretary to conduct a Precipitation Management Technology Transfer Program to help augment water supplies in the West.

Title III: General and Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes appropriations for devices to control the temperature of water releases at Shasta Dam, California. Permits the Secretary to complete the design and specification of such devices.

Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with municipalities, public water districts and agencies, State and Federal agencies, and private entities, pursuant to the Warren Act, for beneficial purposes from any facilities associated with the Central Valley Project, Cachuma Project, and the Ventura River Project in California and the Truckee Storage Project and the Washoe Project in California and Nevada. Permits the Secretary to enter into contracts for the exchange of water for such purposes, using facilities associated with the Cachuma Project.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

  • Natural Resources Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources Subcommittee
  • Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation and the Environment Subcommittee
  • Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee
Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 42 actions.

  1. Mar 5, 1992Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 102-250.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Feb 26, 1992PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Feb 19, 1992Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
  6. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Miller (CA) asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
  7. Nov 27, 1991FloorFloor · Amendment SP 1451 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
  8. FloorFloor · Senate receded from its earlier amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  9. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  10. Nov 21, 1991Resolving differencesResolving differences · The chair appointed additional conferees from the Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, for consideration of secs. 102(d), 104(a), 203(a)(4), and 303(6) of the House bill, and secs. 102(d), 203(a)(4), 203(c), and 302 of the Senate amendment and modifications committed to c…
  11. Resolving differencesResolving differences · The chair appointed conferees from the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, for consideration of the House bill, and the Senate amendment, and modifications committed to conference: Miller (CA), Markey, Rahall, Vento, de Lugo, Gejdenson, Kostmayer, Lehman (CA), Young (AK),…
  12. FloorFloor · By unanimous consent, the Speaker reserved the right to make future appointments of conferees.
  13. Nov 20, 1991Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  14. Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and request a conference Agreed to by voice vote.
  15. Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Miller (CA) moved that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and request a conference.
  16. Nov 18, 1991FloorFloor · House failed to agree to House amendment to Senate amendment
  17. Oct 31, 1991FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
  18. FloorFloor · The committee substitute as amended agreed to by Voice Vote.
  19. FloorFloor · Amendment SP 1301 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote.
  20. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  21. Oct 8, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  22. Sep 26, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  23. May 15, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  24. Apr 12, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  25. Apr 11, 1991CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  26. Mar 21, 1991FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  27. FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  28. FloorFloor · On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 387 - 23 (Roll no. 55).House roll call 55
  29. FloorFloor · The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.
  30. FloorFloor · Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 355 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be read by title. Bill is open to amendments. It shall be in order to consider the ame…
Data notes

Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.

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Official record

The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.