 National Association of Counties * Washington, D.C. Vol. 31, No. 9 * May 10, 1999 Previous story | Table of Contents | Next story House committee passes WRDA bill By Diane S. Shea
Following last month’s Senate passage of the Water Resources and Development Act (WRDA) bill for 1999, the House overwhelmingly passed its version of the bill on April 29. The biennial bill authorizes $4.3 billion in flood control and other environmental projects undertaken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The state-local cost share of the projects remains at 35 percent. Both the House and Senate bills include the NACo-supported "Flood Hazard Mitigation and Riverine Ecosystem Restoration Program," a new local cost-share program that encourages non-structural approaches to preventing or reducing flood damage and restoring watersheds. Several counties are listed in the bill as recipients of funds in the next fiscal year. The House bill, placed on a fast track by the leadership, encountered significant opposition from Democrats on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee because of a dispute over flood control structures in the Sacramento, Calif. area. A hoped-for compromise did not materialize in time for the committee markup, leading to a largely party-line 49-24 vote. After House sponsors of the bill agreed to drop the controversial language, the floor vote was 418-5. The bills now head to a House-Senate conference committee to work out the differences between the two bills, primarily on the funding issue. The Senate bill includes fewer projects, totaling only $3 billion. |