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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="HBB0560B06F4C4808AD92D7B78AD7C2F4" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>119 HR 7978 IH: Cooperative Watershed Management Program Reauthorization Act of 2026</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2026-03-18</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">2d Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 7978</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20260318">March 18, 2026</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="C001133">Mr. Ciscomani</sponsor> (for himself and <cosponsor name-id="N000191">Mr. Neguse</cosponsor>) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HII00">Committee on Natural Resources</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To reauthorize the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="H6892622ECCDB4543B0E3C2879E519665" style="OLC"> 
<section id="HE1CFE83125604A2582AB54BCAC5EA882" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Cooperative Watershed Management Program Reauthorization Act of 2026</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <section id="HC82F8FA3CCBC46BE9A07CD63E85987BF"><enum>2.</enum><header>Cooperative watershed management program</header> <subsection id="H00667A53B8B24A21B44883A429B3E131"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text>Section 6001 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1015">16 U.S.C. 1015</external-xref>) is amended—</text>
<paragraph id="HAB8C62CBE3E74ACDBDF5ED80C4CCE8C2"><enum>(1)</enum><text>by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) as paragraphs (5) through (8), respectively;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HC4EF9B582DB84BABAAB8D55FD096AA33"><enum>(2)</enum><text>by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H19D3003E64204F83A69E13A0803326F6">
<paragraph id="H08DE160DD5554190918941ADB472B60E"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Indian tribe</header><text>The term <term>Indian tribe</term> has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/25/5304">25 U.S.C. 5304</external-xref>).</text></paragraph><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph> <paragraph id="HEEA85D99588D4FBDA28488A32AAD0F6D"><enum>(3)</enum><text>in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), in subparagraph (B)(v)—</text>
<subparagraph id="H9C0A58EEC09C4185A2F6F3A72403C89A"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in subclause (I), by striking <quote>or</quote> at the end;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HBD5094C5505D478B9BA28D01B38AB6EC"><enum>(B)</enum><text>in subclause (II), by inserting <quote>or</quote> after the semicolon; and</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="H4A500FC83B86416A95A4936E54966AE0"><enum>(C)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text> <quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H17AECF5CA6AF4A1187527B49C0FDB783"> <subclause id="H0889DF0B2FDB4C75B7DC06ACD5268C15"><enum>(III)</enum><text>has ancestral lands within the watershed;</text></subclause><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H9FE07FFDCBAA458AA8507AAA85DDD472"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Program</header><text>Section 6002 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1015a">16 U.S.C. 1015a</external-xref>) is amended—</text> <paragraph id="H01EC070562B44060833013F42C0AEE84"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in subsection (c)—</text>
<subparagraph id="HFC9B3C1DD7564FC0907F35228A6138E8"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in paragraph (1)(B)—</text> <clause id="HD0B2D3BA4AD84DE195E998BD5CDCA68B"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in clause (i), by striking <quote>interests; or</quote> and inserting <quote>interests, including Indian tribes;</quote>;</text></clause>
<clause id="H1374030357834AB4AA6A103FCDDA6F26"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); and</text></clause> <clause id="H823CFC7A07C34F049154FF207E76FCEB"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>by inserting after clause (i) the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HE5085278D76D4AD1888A2FF8CD01F7BD">
<clause id="H68309957465C485E926D5881D4AC4A78"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>demonstrate significant need due to drought, wildfire, or other natural disaster; or</text></clause><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H52CF6E568B434765AE656752BD746F53"><enum>(B)</enum><text>in paragraph (2)—</text>
<clause id="H880342A3CEA14EBCB79BE7FDB120F3E7"><enum>(i)</enum><text>in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking <quote>$100,000</quote> and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting <quote>$150,000 each year for a period of not less than 3 years, subject to the sufficiency of applications submitted and the availability of appropriations.</quote>;</text></clause> <clause id="HE05D50BDA6D043E488ECE1605452AF3C"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>by striking clause (iii);</text></clause>
<clause id="HE80FE27CE0E948938C5086D06942C43F"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>by redesignating clauses (iv) and (v) as clauses (iii) and (iv), respectively; and</text></clause> <clause id="HC0C74D7AE50F4E94B8166A460E968049"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HA5C779172A6848228A352E4B9AAEB92A">
<clause id="HD254F3FB0EED4BF5A1B5AE9341E16461"><enum>(v)</enum><header>Continuation and extension</header>
<subclause id="H230915CDCBA74B049456DBF29930270C"><enum>(I)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretary may, at the discretion of the Secretary, issue a continuation of the first-phase grant for not more than 2 additional years if the recipient of the first-phase grant has demonstrated satisfactory performance with implementation of the proposal under the initial grant, as determined by the Secretary.</text></subclause> <subclause id="H00535D00889143B1B4A210F7A9625DF2"><enum>(II)</enum><header>Amounts</header><text>A grant continued pursuant to subclause (I) shall be in an amount not greater than $150,000 each year, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.</text></subclause></clause><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></clause></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HB2774416DC3046BCA9832562C25B8532"><enum>(C)</enum><text>in paragraph (3)(B)(ii), by striking <quote>quantity.</quote> and inserting the following: “quantity, including—</text> <quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HC800871C23F84C26B83D3D1F7D3DB82E"> <subclause id="H5FBEBA10A12E4FEBA574CEA045F070AF"><enum>(I)</enum><text>grant writing;</text></subclause>
<subclause id="H095E75AB207540DD91FFE89205B23F10"><enum>(II)</enum><text>project management; and</text></subclause> <subclause id="H4FA1CBCCA01B45ECB78D97D9ABB13A00"><enum>(III)</enum><text>technical assistance, such as feasibility, design, preliminary environmental review, and engineering.</text></subclause><after-quoted-block>; and</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HE074CB96FD3E414E999EEE48A6176893"><enum>(D)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text> <quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HA069E0F622704C71A2DB54673DECAF24"> <paragraph id="H0C69FEA2D3E04193BD6A7CE6864BC944"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Continuous enrollment</header><text>The Secretary shall—</text>
<subparagraph id="HFE35627DC7474B1491FBC4E283DC6E9B"><enum>(A)</enum><text>make funding opportunities for the program available on a regular basis; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HCBE5262CDCBC4B3DA79FEA6F141DDFD0"><enum>(B)</enum><text>allow applications for grants under the program to be submitted and evaluated multiple times during a calendar year.</text></subparagraph></paragraph><after-quoted-block>;</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HD572F347B13A43008381D62231231BC3"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in subsection (f), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting <quote>, and make available to the public,</quote> after <quote>House of Representatives</quote>; and</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HE3AF841DC002465E8093F1F18FD4BB39"><enum>(3)</enum><text>by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="OLC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HA7BA89BE6BDD412AA8E83B1B3CDE5955">
<subsection id="H398ABB6AE1214192A9FE69A3023BCB0F"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Authorization of appropriations</header><text>There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.</text></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection></section> </legis-body></bill>

