S.Amdt. 818

SA 818. Mr. SESSIONS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 601, to provide for the conservation and development of water and related resources, to authorize the Secretary of the Army to construct various projects for improvements to rivers and harbors of the United States, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

Strike section 1001 and insert the following:

SEC. 1001. PURPOSES; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this title are--

(1) to authorize projects that--

(A) are the subject of a completed report of the Chief of Engineers containing a determination that the relevant project--

(i) is in the Federal interest;

(ii) results in benefits that exceed the costs of the project;

(iii) is environmentally acceptable; and

(iv) is technically feasible; and

(B) have been recommended to Congress for authorization by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works;

(2) to authorize the Secretary--

(A) to review projects that require increased authorization; and

(B) to request an increase of those authorizations after--

(i) certifying that the increases are necessary; and

(ii) submitting to Congress reports on the proposed increases; and

(3) not to establish new precedent or congressional practices concerning the delegation of authority from Congress to the Executive Branch with respect to the authorization of water resources projects or funding amounts for projects.

(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--

(1) Congress should enact legislation to reduce wasteful spending, reform the earmark and project authorization processes under law, and address the long-term fiscal challenges in the United States; and

(2) on enactment of the legislation described in paragraph (1), Congress should resume the prudent authorization of projects consistent with law.