Orland Project Water Management Act

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Gallagher asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 4970, a bill originally introduced by Representative LaMalfa, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.

2026-07-16

Source: Congress.gov

The bill addresses water management for the Orland Project, a water resource development area, likely involving how water is stored, distributed, or managed in that region. The specific details of what changes would be made are not yet clear from the current status, as the bill is still in the early stages of the legislative process. This would affect local communities, farmers, and water users who depend on the project's water supply.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 4970 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4970 To amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to facilitate the transfer of water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES August 15, 2025 Mr. LaMalfa introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to facilitate the transfer of water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Orland Project Water Management Act''. SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO RECLAMATION STATES EMERGENCY DROUGHT RELIEF ACT OF 1991. Section 104 of the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 (43 U.S.C. 2214) is amended-- (1) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections (c) and (d) respectively; (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following: ``(b) Exception.--The Secretary may make available, upon the request of the Orland Unit Water Users Association and through the programs and authorities established under this title, water from the Orland Project to the Sacramento Canal Unit of the Central Valley Project at any time, without regard to water year type, if the Secretary determines that such action is consistent with the purposes of the Central Valley Project.''; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(e) Rules of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed to-- ``(1) be a new or supplemental benefit for the purposes of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (43 U.S.C. 390aa et seq.); ``(2) affect any valid or vested water right in existence as of the date of the enactment of this subsection; ``(3) affect any application for water rights pending before the date of the enactment of this subsection; or ``(4) result in any redirected impacts to the Orland Project from a temporary contract for the supply of water executed under this section.''. <all>