On October 23, the House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA), H.R. 3080, by a 417-3 vote.
The WRRDA bill authorizes approximately $10 billion for new construction projects - navigation, flood control, locks, dams, and environment restoration - —through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Civil Works program. To view the potential new projects, see pages 155 through 160 of the bill. Aside from authorizing new projects, the bill includes a host of other AGC contractor priorities, including project delivery and environmental streamlining, improving the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund and the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, a public-private partnership pilot program that leverages, but does not replace, government funding for water resources projects. You can also find a detailed, side-by-side analysis of the House and Senate bills.
Now, a conference committee comprised of members from both chambers will commence to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate WRRDA bills before final passage.
