NWC News Alert (December 16, 2022)

Good afternoon NWC,

First, an apology. After dodging the COVID-19 bullet for over two years, it took me down with a vengeance this week, and I am still trying to shake off the Covid haze. Alas, the nation’s Capital does not stop for sickness, especially as we head toward the end of the 117th Congress.

The biggest bit of news—yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed the revised Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022) as part of the must-pass annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). It now heads to the president’s desk for enactment. Be sure to check out NWC’s section-by-section summary of the final WRDA 2022 language. Also, there is finally movement on FY2023 appropriations. More on both below.

As always, if you have any questions, comments or ideas, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Best,
Julie Ufner, NWC

*Please excuse any typos or errors.

CONGRESSIONAL SPOTLIGHT

OVERVIEW. Both the U.S. Senate and House were in session this week. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA 2022) by a vote of 83-11 as part of this’s year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The measure now heads to the president for his signature. President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law. NWC previously reported on relevant provisions in NDAA, including WRDA 2022, Coast Guard reauthorization, and more, here and here.  Hint, there is a lot in NDAA that benefits and/or impacts water/waterways entities beyond WRDA 2022. Additionally, appropriators came to an agreement on FY2023 appropriations.

WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ACT (WRDA). Passed as part of NDAA included the Water Resources Development Act bill, a biennial bill that authorizes studies, projects and policy changes for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. WRDA is only the FIRST STEP of a TWO STEP process to get studies and projects funded. Both the House and the Senate passed their versions earlier this year and, in July, the chambers moved to an informal conference committee to work out the differences between the two bills. NDAA with the WRDA provisions now heads to the President’s desk.

If you are interested in reading NWC’s chart on the final WRDA 2022 language, including original House and Senate provisions, click here. The chart will be a good starting point when USACE moves toward implementation language. A huge thanks to Jon Pawlow for creating this chart for NWC!

Resources:

  • To view the WRDA 2022 bill text, click here.
  • To view the section-by-section WRDA 2022 summary, click here.
  • To view NWC’s section-by-section final bill language chart, click here.

FY2023 APPROPRIATIONS. Since none of the 12 FY2023 appropriations bills to keep the federal government open had been signed into law by October 1, Congress had to pass a continuing resolution to keep the federal government open. The current CR was slated to end today. However, yesterday Congress passed another CR to Dec. 23 to give themselves time to negotiate top-line defense and domestic spending numbers for the expected $1.7 trillion omnibus package. The House passed the Dec. 23 CR by a vote of 224-201 and the Senate passed by 71-19. According to appropriators, an agreement has been reached for all of the appropriations bills. While details have not been released, the text for the omnibus bill is expected to be released on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

NWC SPOTLIGHT

 PL 84-99 NWC WORKING GROUP MEETING (RESCHEDULED: Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022, at 12pm EST). NWC will be holding an initial working call on USACE’s proposed rule to rewrite P.L. 84-99 on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at 3pm EST. Any NWC member who has interest in the issue is welcome to participate in the working group. If you are interested in receiving the zoom link for the meeting, please let Julie Ufner know.

 NWC 2023 LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT (IN-PERSON, MARCH 6-8, 2023). NWC will be holding their 2023 Legislative Summit in Washington, DC, March 6-8, 2023, at the Hotel Washington. Primarily programming will occur on March 6-7 with a hill/agency day potentially scheduled the morning of March 8. Check the NWC website for the latest information.

NWC LEGISLATIVE POLICY COMMITTEE (FIRST THURSDAY OF THE MONTH, 4PM EST).The Legislative Policy Committee (LPC) serves as the primary advisor on NWC federal policy positions and decisions. Comprised of a broad scope of NWC membership, LPC is a consensus-based committee that is tasked with studying issues, recommending new federal policy positions, and drafting and signing off on NWC letters.

LPC holds monthly video conference calls (normally) on the first Thursday of the month where they receive a federal overview of pending legislative and regulatory issues. LPC is open to all interested NWC members. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please let Julie Ufner know.

2023 REGIONAL SPOTLIGHT? NWC is looking for a partner for our next Regional Spotlight in 2023. Interested? Want to learn more? Contact Julie Ufner at julie@waterways.org.