[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 152 (Wednesday, September 12, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8144-H8145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AUTHORIZING EARLY REPAYMENT OF OBLIGATIONS TO BUREAU OF RECLAMATION
WITHIN NORTHPORT IRRIGATION DISTRICT
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4689) to authorize early repayment of obligations to the
Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the
State of Nebraska.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4689
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. EARLY REPAYMENT OF CONSTRUCTION COSTS.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 213 of the
Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (43 U.S.C. 390mm), any
landowner within the Northport Irrigation District in the
State of Nebraska (referred to in this section as the
``District'') may repay, at any time, the construction costs
of project facilities allocated to the landowner's land
within the District.
(b) Applicability of Full-Cost Pricing Limitations.--On
discharge, in full, of the obligation for repayment of all
construction costs described in subsection (a) that are
allocated to all land the landowner owns in the District in
question, the parcels of land shall not be subject to the
ownership and full-cost pricing limitations under Federal
reclamation law (the Act of June 17, 1902, 32 Stat. 388,
chapter 1093), and Acts supplemental to and amendatory of
that Act (43 U.S.C. 371 et seq.), including the Reclamation
Reform Act of 1982 (13 U.S.C. 390aa et seq.).
(c) Certification.--On request of a landowner that has
repaid, in full, the construction costs described in
subsection (a), the Secretary of the Interior shall provide
to the landowner a certificate described in section 213(b)(1)
of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (43 U.S.C.
390mm(b)(1)).
(d) Effect.--Nothing in this section--
(1) modifies any contractual rights under, or amends or
reopens, the reclamation contract between the District and
the United States; or
(2) modifies any rights, obligations, or relationships
between the District and landowners in the District under
Nebraska State law.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Montana (Mr. Gianforte) and the gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms.
Tsongas) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Montana.
General Leave
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Montana?
There was no objection.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Nebraska (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. Mr. Speaker, under Federal reclamation law,
irrigation districts that receive water from a Bureau of Reclamation
facility typically repay their portion of the capital costs of water
projects under long-term contracts.
Under its current contract and current law, Northport Irrigation
District is exempt from annual capital repayment if their carriage fee
exceeds $8,000 per year. Given the carriage fee has greatly exceeded
this amount every year since the 1950s, Northport's capital repayment
debt has been stagnant at more than $923,000 since 1952. So long as the
debt endures, landowners are subject to burdensome reporting
requirements and acreage limitations, and no revenue is generated for
the Federal Government.
I introduced this bill to provide members of the Northport Irrigation
District early repayment authority under their dated reclamation
contract. Allowing producers within the Northport Irrigation District
to pay off their portion of the contract means the government will
receive funds otherwise uncollected and landowners will be relieved of
costly constraints that threaten family-owned operations.
For example, at a previous Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee
hearing, a member of the Northport district testified that acreage
limitations will prohibit parents who own land in the district from
passing down or selling farmland to sons and daughters who also own
land in the same district.
Similar legislation has previously passed under bipartisan majorities
and, according to past CBO projections, could generate as much as
$440,000 in Federal revenue.
This is a very simple bill that would make a big difference to some
family farmers in Nebraska.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4689 would authorize landowners served by the
Northport Irrigation District to prepay the remaining portion of
construction costs allocated to them for the North Platte project. In
exchange, the landowners who pay will no longer be subject to Federal
acreage limitations and other requirements associated with the
Reclamation Reform Act.
Mr. Speaker, we do not object to this legislation, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize Mr. Smith for his
work on this bill, and I yield back the remainder of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Montana (Mr. Gianforte) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4689.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
[[Page H8145]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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