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Drought Preparedness Act

Public Law 118-170 · H.R. 4385 · 118th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Dec 23, 2024 · Water Resources Development

Sponsor: Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-2)

Cosponsors (2): Rep. Juan Ciscomani,

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.

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Summary

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

This act reauthorizes through FY2028 the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, which allows the Bureau of Reclamation to provide drought assistance to Hawaii or certain western states.

Committees

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

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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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • S. 4242Identical billRelated bill

    Drought Preparedness Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 24 actions.

  1. Dec 23, 2024Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-170.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 18, 2024FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  6. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Sep 11, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power. Hearings held.
  8. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Water and Power Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  9. Feb 6, 2024CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  10. Feb 5, 2024FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  11. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  12. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4385.
  13. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  14. FloorFloor · Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  15. Jan 30, 2024CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 298.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 118-365.
  17. Nov 8, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported by Unanimous Consent.
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Discharged
  20. Sep 28, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee Hearings Held
  21. CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  22. Sep 26, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries.
  23. Jun 27, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
  24. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.