PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to Subcommittee on Water and Power.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 28, 1999
Irrigation Subsidy Reduction Act of 1999 - Amends the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 to define the terms "legal entity," "operator," and "single farm operation." Directs the Secretary of the Interior, for each parcel of land to which irrigation water is delivered or proposed to be delivered, to identify a single individual or legal entity as the owner, lessee, or operator. Allows irrigation water to be delivered at less than the normal per-acre cost to either: (1) a qualified recipient that reports gross farm income from a single farm operation in excess of $500,000 per taxable year; or (2) a limited recipient that received such water on or before October 1, 1981, and that reports gross farm income in excess of such amount. Provides an inflation adjustment for calendar years after 1998. Requires lessees (currently, only owners and operators) of an irrigation district to furnish such district a certification of compliance with the Act. Allows the Secretary to require a lessee or operator to submit for examination a copy of a tax return for any taxable year in which the single farm operation of the lessee or operator received irrigation water at less than full cost. Repeals a provision exempting district lands held in trust from Federal reclamation ownership and cost pricing limitations. Directs the Secretary to establish penalties for failure to comply with provisions of the Act. Directs the Secretaries of the Interior, the Treasury, and Agriculture to enter into a memorandum of understanding to permit the Secretary of the Interior to have access to and use available information collected or maintained by either the Department of the Treasury or Agriculture that would aid in enforcement of the ownership and pricing limitations of Federal reclamation law.
People & committees
Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI] · D–WI
Legislative record
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Referred to Subcommittee on Water and Power.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1079-1080)
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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