Reclamation Safety of Dams Act Amendments of 1984
Public Law 98-404 · H.R. 1652 · 98th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Aug 28, 1984 · Water Resources Development
Sponsor: Rep. Abraham Kazen (D-TX-23)
Cosponsors (8): Rep. Morris Udall, Rep. Richard Cheney,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
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.
Reclamation Safety of Dams Act Amendments of 1984 - Amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to provide that a specified amount of funds appropriated by such Act to preserve the structural safety of Federal dams shall be nonreimbursable and nonreturnable.
Provides that, with respect to additional funds authorized by this Act, costs shall be reimbursed where they are incurred in the modification of structures because of new hydrologic or seismic data or changes in state-of-the-art criteria deemed necessary for dam safety.
Provides that 15 percent of such costs shall be allocated to the authorized purposes of the structure, except that in the case of Jackson Lake Dam, Minidoka Project, Idaho-Wyoming, such costs shall be allocated in accordance with the allocation of operation and maintenance charges.
Requires that costs allocated to irrigation water service and capable of being repaid by the irrigation water users be reimbursed within 50 years of the year in which the work is substantially complete. Provides that costs allocated to irrigation water service which are beyond the water users' ability to pay shall be reimbursed in accordance with existing law.
Requires that costs allocated to recreation and wildlife enhancement be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Water Project Recreation Act.
Requires that costs allocated to the purpose of municipal, industrial, and miscellaneous water service, commercial power, and the portion of recreation and fish and wildlife enhancement costs reimbursable under the Federal Water Project Recreation Act be repaid within 50 years with interest.
Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to negotiate appropriate contracts with project beneficiaries providing for the return of reimbursable costs under such Act.
Amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to authorize additional appropriations to preserve the structural safety of Federal dams.
Includes within the scope of such Act: Fish Lake, Four Mile, Ochoco, Savage Rapids Diversion, and Warm Springs Dams, Oregon; Como Dam, Montana; Little Wood River Dam, Idaho; and Coolidge Dam, San Carlos Irrigation Project, Arizona.
Requires that certain costs for work planned or underway at Twin Buttes, Texas, and Foss Dam, Oklahoma, be nonreimbursable and nonreturnable under Federal reclamation law.
Requires water project beneficiaries to pay for safety modifications that result in additional benefits to them.
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
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. 17 actions.
- Aug 28, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-404.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Aug 20, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Aug 10, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments by Unanimous Consent.
- Aug 9, 1984FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Mar 20, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · House Agreed to Amendments Adopted by the Committee of the Whole.
- FloorFloor · Rule Passed House.
- May 16, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
- May 10, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 26, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Apr 12, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Mar 7, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Feb 24, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources 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.