Water Desalination Act of 1996
Public Law 104-298 · S. 811 · 104th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 11, 1996 · Water Resources Development
Sponsor: Sen. Paul Simon (D-IL)
Cosponsors (11): Sen. Harry Reid, Sen. Daniel Moynihan,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- 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.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Water Desalination Act of 1996 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award grants and contracts to conduct, encourage, and assist in the financing of research to develop processes for converting saline water into water suitable for beneficial uses. Provides appropriate research and study topics.
Requires the Secretary to recommend to the Congress desalination demonstration projects or full-scale desalination projects to carry out the purposes of this Act and to further evaluate and implement the results of the research and studies conducted.
(Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary to administer and conduct a demonstration and development program for water desalination and related activities, including desalination plants and modules, byproducts marketing, economic cost surveys, and desalination cooperative agreements.
(Sec. 5) Requires all information from studies sponsored or funded under this Act to be considered public information.
(Sec. 6) Authorizes the Secretary to accept technical and administrative assistance in carrying out this Act.
(Sec. 7) Provides Federal cost-sharing limitations for demonstration or development projects conducted under this Act.
(Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations for FY 1997 through 2002.
(Sec. 9) Requires the Secretary to consult with the heads of Federal agencies which have experience in conducting desalination research or operating desalination facilities.
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, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee
- Science, Space, and Technology Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Environment 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.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 24 actions.
- Oct 11, 1996Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 104-298.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 2, 1996PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Sep 27, 1996Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 24, 1996FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Doolittle moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Sep 16, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- Aug 1, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- May 28, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- May 20, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Environment Subcommittee of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- May 14, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Science, Space, and Technology Committee
- May 3, 1996FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 18, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- Mar 28, 1996CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- May 17, 1995CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
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.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.