[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4225 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4225

   To authorize drought assistance adjustments to provide immediate 
  funding for projects and activities that will help alleviate record 
  unemployment and diminished agricultural production related to the 
                         drought in California.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 8, 2009

Mr. Costa (for himself and Mr. Cardoza) introduced the following bill; 
        which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize drought assistance adjustments to provide immediate 
  funding for projects and activities that will help alleviate record 
  unemployment and diminished agricultural production related to the 
                         drought in California.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. DROUGHT ASSISTANCE AUTHORITY.

    (a) Authorization.--The Secretary of the Interior may use funds 
provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 or 
appropriation measures through fiscal year 2012 for any required non-
Federal share of the cost of projects that--
            (1) are funded by the Federal Government for the same 
        purpose;
            (2) are located in an area described in paragraph (1) or 
        (2) of subsection (b); and
            (3) have--
                    (A) been identified as a project that will--
                            (i) make progress towards achieving the co-
                        equal goals of providing a more reliable water 
                        supply for California and protecting, 
                        restoring, and enhancing the Sacramento-San 
                        Joaquin Delta ecosystem;
                            (ii) increase water management flexibility; 
                        or
                            (iii) reduce impacts on environmental 
                        resources from projects operated by the 
                        California State Department of Water Resources, 
                        the California State Department of Fish and 
                        Game, the Bureau of Reclamation, the United 
                        States Fish and Wildlife Service, or other 
                        relevant State and Federal agencies;
                    (B) show potential, as determined by relevant 
                Federal and State agencies, to restore agriculture 
                production or agricultural employment for an area 
                described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b); 
                and
                    (C) made significant progress in the completion of 
                any necessary environmental or public review if 
                applicable.
    (b) Eligible Areas.--An area referred to in subsection (a)(2) is 
any area that--
            (1) has been identified by the U.S. Drought Monitor as 
        experiencing Severe, Extreme, or Exceptional Drought within the 
        24 months prior to the date of the enactment of this Act; or
            (2) has been designated as a disaster area by the State of 
        California during calendar year 2009.
    (c) Drought Assistance Adjustment.--
            (1) In general.--The use of funds for the non-Federal share 
        of projects as authorized in this section shall be considered a 
        Drought Assistance Adjustment.
            (2) Criteria for calculating drought assistance 
        adjustments.--The Secretary shall, within 60 days after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, establish criteria for 
        calculating drought assistance adjustments utilizing existing 
        practices for adjustments in water service and repayment rates.
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