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A bill entitled: "The Lower Colorado Water Supply Bill".

Public Law 99-655 · H.R. 5028 · 99th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Nov 14, 1986 · Water Resources Development

Sponsor: Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA-35)

Cosponsors (5): Rep. George Miller,

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.

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Summary

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

Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to construct, operate, and maintain the Lower Colorado water supply project to supply water for domestic, municipal, industrial, and recreational purposes. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with non-Federal interests for the care, operation, and maintenance of all or any part of the project works. Requires the project to be constructed in stages, as increases in demand warrant.

Authorizes the Secretary to enter into exchange contracts with non-Federal interests and facilitate a water exchange agreement in which such interests agree to exchange their rights to divert water from the Colorado River for groundwater in the Sand Hills area, Imperial County, California. Subjects such contracts to congressional review procedures for 90 days before implementation.

Provides for the repayment and allocation of costs for such project. Requires the Secretary to execute repayment contracts with the city of Needles, the town of Winterhaven, and other domestic, industrial, and recreational water users along the Colorado River in California.

Authorizes appropriations through September 30, 1993.

Authorizes the Secretary to accept monetary contributions from the City of Needles and other incorporated cities for the construction of project features allocated to the provision of water supplies to such cities. Requires that such contributions be credited toward reimbursable costs, be contributed during construction, and constitute 20 percent of project costs allocated for repayment.

Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter, repeal, modify, interpret, or conflict with specified laws, treaties, or Indian tribal rights or jurisdictions.

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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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.

  1. Nov 14, 1986Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 99-655.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Nov 5, 1986PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
  4. Oct 18, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate receded from its amendment no. 5 by Voice Vote.
  5. Oct 16, 1986FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and held at desk:. House disagrees to Senate amendment no. 5.
  6. Oct 15, 1986Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Disagreed to Senate Amendment 005 by Unanimous Consent.
  7. Resolving differencesResolving differences · House Agreed to Senate Amendments 001, 002, 003, 004, 006, 007, 008, 009, 010, 011 by Unanimous Consent.
  8. Oct 9, 1986FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
  9. FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
  10. Sep 27, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  11. Sep 24, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  12. Jul 22, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Water and Power Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  13. Jul 14, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  14. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Water and Power Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
  15. Jun 24, 1986FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
  16. Jun 23, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Natural Resources Committee
  17. Jun 18, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Markup by House Natural Resources Committee
  18. CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  19. CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from Water, Power and Offshore Energy Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
  20. Jun 12, 1986CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
  21. 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.

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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.