National Drought Policy Act of 1998
Public Law 105-199 · H.R. 3035 · 105th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Jul 16, 1998 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Rep. Joseph Skeen (R-NM-2)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Bill Barrett, Rep. Henry Bonilla
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.
National Drought Policy Act of 1998 - Establishes a National Drought Commission which shall: (1) review Federal, State, local, and tribal laws and programs and provide recommendations on a national drought policy; and (2) report to the President and the Congress. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of such report.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Agriculture Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Department Operations, Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee- Natural Resources Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Subcommittee
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · House · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Water Resources and 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. 21 actions.
- Jul 16, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-199.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Jul 8, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Jun 24, 1998FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jun 16, 1998FloorFloor · 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. Boehlert moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jun 5, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Agriculture Committee
- May 22, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- May 6, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Mar 26, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Jan 28, 1998CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Nov 24, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Nov 21, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Department Operations, Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee of the House Agriculture Committee
- Nov 19, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Nov 12, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Agriculture Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
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.