[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 407]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      CALIFORNIA WATER LEGISLATION

  (Mr. COSTA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to inform that even if the El 
Nino rains and snows continue, the drought crisis in California is not 
over. The need to get California water legislation passed and signed 
into law in Washington and Sacramento is more urgent now than ever.
  While the people I represent are hurting and over 1 million acres of 
some of the most productive farmland in the world goes unplanted, 
people in our country and around the world, sadly, go hungry. If this 
El Nino effect continues, there will be an opportunity to move water to 
arguably the driest part of California, which I represent a part of. 
Therefore, Congress must pass legislation that can provide short-term 
relief so water can be delivered to the San Joaquin Valley, because the 
livelihood of our farmers, farm workers, and farm communities depend on 
it. There still is time.
  We have a broken water system in California. It is time we fix it. 
Failing to pass legislation to fix our broken water system is 
irresponsible and a disservice to all Californians, including the 
people who I represent.

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