H.R. 7978

119 HR 7978 IH: Cooperative Watershed Management Program Reauthorization Act of 2026
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-03-18
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 7978  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   March 18, 2026   Mr. Ciscomani  (for himself and  Mr. Neguse ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Natural Resources    A BILL
To reauthorize the Cooperative Watershed Management Program, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Cooperative Watershed Management Program Reauthorization Act of 2026  .
2.
Cooperative watershed management program
(a)
Definitions
Section 6001 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( 16 U.S.C. 1015 ) is amended—
(1)
by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) as paragraphs (5) through (8), respectively;
(2)
by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
(4)
Indian tribe
The term  Indian tribe  has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5304 ).
 ; and
(3)
in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), in subparagraph (B)(v)—
(A)
in subclause (I), by striking  or  at the end;
(B)
in subclause (II), by inserting  or  after the semicolon; and
(C)
by adding at the end the following:
(III)
has ancestral lands within the watershed;
  .
(b)
Program
Section 6002 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 ( 16 U.S.C. 1015a ) is amended—
(1)
in subsection (c)—
(A)
in paragraph (1)(B)—
(i)
in clause (i), by striking  interests; or  and inserting  interests, including Indian tribes; ;
(ii)
by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii); and
(iii)
by inserting after clause (i) the following:
(ii)
demonstrate significant need due to drought, wildfire, or other natural disaster; or
 ;
(B)
in paragraph (2)—
(i)
in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking  $100,000  and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting  $150,000 each year for a period of not less than 3 years, subject to the sufficiency of applications submitted and the availability of appropriations. ;
(ii)
by striking clause (iii);
(iii)
by redesignating clauses (iv) and (v) as clauses (iii) and (iv), respectively; and
(iv)
by adding at the end the following:
(v)
Continuation and extension
(I)
In general
The Secretary may, at the discretion of the Secretary, issue a continuation of the first-phase grant for not more than 2 additional years if the recipient of the first-phase grant has demonstrated satisfactory performance with implementation of the proposal under the initial grant, as determined by the Secretary.
(II)
Amounts
A grant continued pursuant to subclause (I) shall be in an amount not greater than $150,000 each year, as determined to be appropriate by the Secretary.
 ;
(C)
in paragraph (3)(B)(ii), by striking  quantity.  and inserting the following: “quantity, including—
(I)
grant writing;
(II)
project management; and
(III)
technical assistance, such as feasibility, design, preliminary environmental review, and engineering.
  ; and
(D)
by adding at the end the following:
(4)
Continuous enrollment
The Secretary shall—
(A)
make funding opportunities for the program available on a regular basis; and
(B)
allow applications for grants under the program to be submitted and evaluated multiple times during a calendar year.
 ;
(2)
in subsection (f), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting  , and make available to the public,  after  House of Representatives ; and
(3)
by striking subsection (g) and inserting the following:
(g)
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
 .