Urban Canal Modernization Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 6279
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Transportation and Public Works
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-11-21: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-10T12:12:27Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to allow federal support for major repairs and upgrades on certain high-risk urban canals managed under Bureau of Reclamation programs. The goal is to address safety and maintenance needs for canals where failure could affect populated areas.
Key Provisions
- Defines an "urban canal of concern" as a transferred works (or segment) where failure could endanger more than 100 people or cause over $5 million in property damage, or that is otherwise classified as urban by the Bureau of Reclamation; the Secretary of the Interior must also confirm that failure would likely result in loss of life and property.
- Authorizes the Secretary or the canal's operating entity to perform extraordinary operation and maintenance work on these canals when determined necessary.
- Provides that the federal government covers 35 percent of the operating entity's share of costs on a nonreimbursable basis, with any additional federal advances to be repaid.
- Treats any reimbursable federal funds as non-federal sources for meeting cost-sharing requirements in other federal grants.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill adds new definitions and authority to sections 9601 and 9603 of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. It introduces a specific funding split for urban canals of concern and clarifies that certain federal contributions can count toward non-federal matching requirements, expanding beyond the prior framework for extraordinary maintenance on transferred works.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: Increases Bureau of Reclamation involvement in funding and oversight of urban canal repairs.
- Citizens: May improve safety for communities near high-risk canals by enabling faster major maintenance.
- No direct effects on international relations are addressed in the bill.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Transferred works operating entities (local irrigation or water districts).
- Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior.
- Residents and property owners near urban canals.
- Local governments in areas with at-risk canal segments.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The measure expands federal financial participation in infrastructure maintenance previously handled more locally, while maintaining repayment requirements for most costs. It does not alter constitutional structures or introduce new regulatory mandates.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Simpson, Michael K. [R-ID-2]
Cosponsors (3)
Rep. Fulcher, Russ [R-ID-1], Rep. Newhouse, Dan [R-WA-4], Rep. Gray, Adam [D-CA-13]
Recent Actions
- 2025-11-21: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
- 2025-11-21: Introduced in House
- 2025-11-21: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Urban Canal Modernization Act — issued 2025-11-21 — PDF (4 pages)