To authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska.

Mr. Speaker, under Federal reclamation law, irrigation districts that receive water from a Bureau of Reclamation facility typically repay their portion of the capital costs of water projects under long-term contracts.

Under its current contract and current law, Northport Irrigation District is exempt from annual capital repayment if their carriage fee exceeds $8,000 per year. Given the carriage fee has greatly exceeded this amount every year since the 1950s, Northport's capital repayment debt has been stagnant at more than $923,000 since 1952. So long as the debt endures, landowners are subject to burdensome reporting requirements and acreage limitations, and no revenue is generated for the Federal Government.

I introduced this bill to provide members of the Northport Irrigation District early repayment authority under their dated reclamation contract. Allowing producers within the Northport Irrigation District to pay off their portion of the contract means the government will receive funds otherwise uncollected and landowners will be relieved of costly constraints that threaten family-owned operations.

For example, at a previous Water, Power and Oceans Subcommittee hearing, a member of the Northport district testified that acreage limitations will prohibit parents who own land in the district from passing down or selling farmland to sons and daughters who also own land in the same district.

Similar legislation has previously passed under bipartisan majorities and, according to past CBO projections, could generate as much as $440,000 in Federal revenue.

This is a very simple bill that would make a big difference to some family farmers in Nebraska.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4689) to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize Mr. Smith for his work on this bill, and I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4689 would authorize landowners served by the Northport Irrigation District to prepay the remaining portion of construction costs allocated to them for the North Platte project. In exchange, the landowners who pay will no longer be subject to Federal acreage limitations and other requirements associated with the Reclamation Reform Act.

Mr. Speaker, we do not object to this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 4689 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I further ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.