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H.R. 4970

U.S. HouseIntroduced

Summary

H.R. 4970, the Orland Project Water Management Act, was introduced in the House on Aug 15, 2025 by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R). It last saw action on Jul 16, 2026: ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Gallagher asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 4970, a bill originally introduced by Representative LaMalfa, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.


Record

Text

H.R. 4970 has no co-sponsors and has not gone to a roll call.

hb4970/introduced-in-house.txt
119 HR 4970 IH: Orland Project Water Management Act
U.S. House of Representatives
2025-08-15
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4970 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES August 15, 2025 Mr. LaMalfa introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources A BILL
To amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to facilitate the transfer of water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Orland Project Water Management Act .
2.
Amendment to Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991
Section 104 of the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 ( 43 U.S.C. 2214 ) is amended—
(1)
by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections (c) and (d) respectively;
(2)
by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
(b)
Exception
The Secretary may make available, upon the request of the Orland Unit Water Users Association and through the programs and authorities established under this title, water from the Orland Project to the Sacramento Canal Unit of the Central Valley Project at any time, without regard to water year type, if the Secretary determines that such action is consistent with the purposes of the Central Valley Project.
; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(e)
Rules of construction
Nothing in this section may be construed to—
(1)
be a new or supplemental benefit for the purposes of the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 ( 43 U.S.C. 390aa et seq. );
(2)
affect any valid or vested water right in existence as of the date of the enactment of this subsection;
(3)
affect any application for water rights pending before the date of the enactment of this subsection; or
(4)
result in any redirected impacts to the Orland Project from a temporary contract for the supply of water executed under this section.
.

Tracker

The tracker indicates the progress of this legislation as it moves through the legislative process.

  1. Introduced2025-08-15
  2. Passed House
  3. Passed Senate
  4. Conference
  5. To President
  6. Became Law

To amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to facilitate the transfer of water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project.

Sponsors

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R) sponsors H.R. 4970 alone.

Committees

H.R. 4970 went before 2 committees: Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee and Natural Resources.

Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
Hearings By (subcommittee) · Sep 3, 2025 · 24 Bills
Natural Resources
Natural Resources
Referred To · Aug 15, 2025 · 395 Bills

Actions

H.R. 4970 has taken 5 actions since Aug 15, 2025, the latest on Jul 16, 2026.

ChamberAction
Jul 16, 202611:22
House
ASSUMING FIRST SPONSORSHIP - Mr. Gallagher asked unanimous consent that he may hereafter be considered as the first sponsor of H.R. 4970, a bill originally introduced by Representative LaMalfa, for the purpose of adding cosponsors and requesting reprintings pursuant to clause 7 of rule XII. Agreed to without objection.
Sep 3, 2025
House
Aug 29, 2025
House
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries.Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee
Aug 15, 2025
House
Introduced in House
Aug 15, 2025
House
Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.Natural Resources Committee

Votes

H.R. 4970 has not gone to a roll call.

Titles

H.R. 4970 goes by 3 titles, 1 of them short titles.

  • Orland Project Water Management Act — Short Title(s) as Introduced
  • Orland Project Water Management Act — Display Title
  • To amend the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991 to facilitate the transfer of water from the Orland Project to the Central Valley Project. — Official Title as Introduced

Lobbying

2 clients hired 2 firms and 4 registered lobbyists who named H.R. 4970 in 2 quarterly filings, 2026. Reported under the Lobbying Disclosure Act; a filing’s income covers everything its registrant worked that quarter, so the amounts below are the filings’, not this bill’s.

Filed under Natural Resources.

Clients

Who paid to be heard, by how many filings named the bill.

ClientBusinessStateFirmsFilingsReported
TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL AUTHORITYAgrculture Water DistrictCalifornia11$20K
THE ORLAND UNIT WATER USERS ASSOCIATIONOperates and maintains the Orland Project, delivering irrigation water to Glenn County, CACalifornia11

Firms

Registrants who filed on the bill, by filings.

RegistrantClientsFilingsReported
NATURAL RESOURCE RESULTS LLC11$20K
THE FERGUSON GROUP, LLC11

Lobbyists

Named on the filings that cite the bill.

LobbyistFirmsClientsFilings
GARRETT DURST111
LANE DICKSON111
MARK LIMBAUGH111
WILLIAM GWINN111

Filings

The documents themselves, on the Senate’s Lobbying Disclosure site, largest reported first.

ClientRegistrantPeriodReportedDocument
TEHAMA-COLUSA CANAL AUTHORITYNATURAL RESOURCE RESULTS LLC2026 second_quarter$20K2nd Quarter - Report
THE ORLAND UNIT WATER USERS ASSOCIATIONTHE FERGUSON GROUP, LLC2026 second_quarter2nd Quarter - Report

Classification

The Congressional Research Service files H.R. 4970 under Water Resources Development, one of its 31 policy areas, and gives it 3 legislative subjects.

CRS Subjects

CRS assigns every bill one policy area from its 31; H.R. 4970’s is Water Resources Development.

hr4970/policy-areas.txt
Water Resources DevelopmentAgriculture and FoodAnimalsArmed Forces and National SecurityArts, Culture, ReligionCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCommerceCongressCrime and Law EnforcementEconomics and Public FinanceEducationEmergency ManagementEnergyEnvironmental ProtectionFamiliesFinance and Financial SectorForeign Trade and International FinanceGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthHousing and Community DevelopmentImmigrationInternational AffairsLabor and EmploymentLawNative AmericansPublic Lands and Natural ResourcesScience, Technology, CommunicationsSocial WelfareSports and RecreationTaxationTransportation and Public Works

Legislative Subjects

H.R. 4970 carries 3 of CRS’s legislative subjects, from California to Water use and supply.

hr4970/subjects.txt
CaliforniaWater resources fundingWater use and supply

Constitutional authority

The clause the sponsor cites as Congress’s power to enact H.R. 4970, as entered in the Congressional Record.

[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 138 (Friday, August 15, 2025)][House]From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]By Mr. LaMALFA:H.R. 4970.Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuantto the following:Article I, Section 8, Clause 14[Page H3699]

Source: congress.gov · legiscan.com