[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4981. Mr. HELLER (for himself and Mr. Heinrich) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2848, to 
provide for the conservation and development of water and related 
resources, to authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various 
projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States, 
and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:

       At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. ____. RURAL WESTERN WATER.

       Section 595 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1999 
     (Public Law 106-53; 113 Stat. 383; 128 Stat. 1316) is 
     amended--
       (1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (i);
       (2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
       ``(h) Eligibility.--
       ``(1) In general.--Assistance under this section shall be 
     made available to all eligible States and locales described 
     in subsection (b) consistent with program priorities 
     determined by the Secretary in accordance with criteria 
     developed by the Secretary to establish the program 
     priorities, with priority given to projects in any applicable 
     State that--
       ``(A) execute new or amended project cooperation 
     agreements; and
       ``(B) commence promptly after the date of enactment of the 
     Water Resources Development Act of 2016.
       ``(2) Rural projects.--The Secretary shall consider a rural 
     project authorized under this section and environmental 
     infrastructure projects authorized under section 219 of the 
     Water Resources Development Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-580; 
     106 Stat. 4835) for new starts on the same basis as any other 
     program funded from the construction account.''; and
       (3) in subsection (i) (as redesignated by paragraph (1)), 
     by striking ``which shall--,'' and all that follows through 
     ``remain'' and inserting ``to remain''.
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