PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.
H.R.3866 / 105th Congress

Water Resources Development Act of 1998

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in House · May 14, 1998

Water Resources Development Act of 1998 - Authorizes projects for flood damage reduction, or flood damage reduction and recreation, in California, Louisiana, Minnesota and North Dakota, and Puerto Rico. (Sec. 4) Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to undertake a program to perform studies and carry out projects to reduce flood hazards and restore natural functions and values of riverine ecosystems throughout the United States. Outlines cost-sharing requirements. Requires the Secretary to notify the appropriate congressional committees before carrying out a project. Requires independent program review. Provides a per-project limit of $75 million. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1999 through 2004. (Sec. 5) Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 to provide the non-Federal share of the costs of periodic beach nourishment or shore protection projects. (Sec. 6) Amends the Flood Control Act of 1948 to increase to $7 million the maximum amount for small flood control projects. (Sec. 7) Amends the Flood Control Act of 1960 to state that a limitation on funding for the compilation and dissemination of information on floods and flood damage shall not apply to funds voluntarily contributed in order to expand the scope of such services. (Sec. 8) Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to: (1) extend through FY 2000 the Everglades and South Florida ecosystem restoration program; and (2) allow non-profit entities to enter into agreements to pay non-Federal shares of aquatic ecosystem restoration projects. (Sec. 10) Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 to allow non-profit entities to enter into agreements to pay non-Federal shares of the costs of projects for beneficial uses of dredged material. (Sec. 11) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with non-Federal and non-profit entities to facilitate collaborative efforts for environmental protection and restoration, natural resources, conservation, and recreation in connection with the development, operation, and management of water resources projects. (Sec. 12) Amends the Flood Control Act of 1936 to allow contributions by States and political subdivisions to be used for environmental restoration activities. (Sec. 13) Authorizes the Secretary during FY 1999 through 2002 to withhold a specified amount of recreation user fees for backlogged repair and maintenance projects, interpretation, signage, habitat or facility enhancement, resource preservation, annual operation, maintenance, and law enforcement related to public use at recreation sites. (Sec. 14) Directs the Secretary, within a year after enactment of this Act and every five years thereafter, to review the Shoreline Management Program administered by the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) at Army projects to determine Program costs. (Sec. 15) Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to permit studies undertaken by the Secretary concerning the Pacific region to include flood damage reduction and environmental restoration. (Sec. 16) Establishes the Water Resources Foundation, a nonprofit District of Columbia corporation, to: (1) encourage, accept, and administer gifts of money and property for Corps activities and services in managing natural resources at Army water resources development projects; and (2) undertake and conduct other activities to further the conservation and management of natural, scenic, historic, and recreational resources at such projects. Provides, with respect to the Foundation, for: (1) conflict of interest prohibitions; (2) tax-exempt status; (3) a Board of Directors; (4) corporate powers and obligations; and (5) an authorization of appropriations for FY 1999 through 2001. (Sec. 17) Directs the Secretary to establish and collect fees from applicants for the evaluation of commercial permit applications, the preparation of environmental impact statements in connection with such applications, and the delineation of wetlands for major developments affecting wetlands. Establishes in the Treasury the Army Civil Works Regulatory Program Account for the deposit and expenditure of such fees. (Sec. 18) Authorizes the Secretary to acquire from willing sellers land and property in the vicinity of Pierre, South Dakota, or to floodproof or relocate other property, in order to provide full operational capability for the Missouri River Main Stem dams that are part of the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Program. Requires non- Federal interests to pay 35 percent of such costs. (Sec. 19) Directs the Secretary to finalize a report, together with recommendations, identifying a general implementation strategy and overall plan for environmental restoration and protection along the Lower Missouri River between Gavins Point Dam and the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. (Sec. 20) Authorizes the Secretary to permit the non-Federal sponsor for the project for flood control, Moorefield, West Virginia, to pay without interest the remaining non-Federal project cost over a period to be determined by the Secretary, but not to exceed 30 years.

Read the summary on Congress.gov
PlainBill analysis is coming later. This page presents official source data. We have not yet published a PlainBill explanation for this bill.

Who introduced it

Rep. Shuster, Bud [R-PA-9] · R–PA

Committees

  • Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
3 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.

  1. Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

  2. Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

  3. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E857-858)

  4. Introduced in House

  5. Introduced in House

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

Explore the bill from different angles

Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.

Neutral evidence review

Objective

Analyze H.R.3866 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.

View full prompt & sources
Fairness and public impact

Progressive lens

Examine H.R.3866 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.

View full prompt & sources
Institutions and government scope

Conservative lens

Examine H.R.3866 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.

View full prompt & sources
Individual rights and government power

Liberty lens

Examine H.R.3866 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.

View full prompt & sources