H.R. 5688House115th Congress (2017-2019)In Committee

Navigation Workers Protection Act of 2018

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 9:34 PM UTC

The Navigation Workers Protection Act of 2018 updates the 1990 Water Resources Development Act to explicitly include navigation facilities alongside hydroelectric facilities in the rules for operation and maintenance. It permits major maintenance contracts for these facilities while protecting existing contracts with non‑federal partners and preventing new contracts for commercial activities after the law takes effect. The bill also makes a clerical change to the act’s table of contents.

Key Provisions

Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1990 to add “navigation” to the heading and language describing operation and maintenance of navigation and hydroelectric facilities.
Allows major maintenance contracts for these facilities, clarifying that such contracts are permitted.
Creates an exclusion so that any navigation facility already under contract with a non‑federal party before the law takes effect is not affected, and the Secretary cannot contract out commercial activities at navigation facilities after enactment.
Updates the table of contents to reflect the new heading for Section 314.

Legislative Activity

Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action

2 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee

May 8, 2018

View full timeline

HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

May 7, 2018

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

May 7, 2018

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.

Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee

May 8, 2018

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

Reading Mode

Raw Text PDF XML

Introduced in HouseIssued May 7, 2018

115th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 5688

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 7, 2018

Mrs. Bustos (for herself and Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1990 relating to the operation and maintenance of navigation facilities, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Navigation Workers Protection Act of 2018.

Operation and maintenance of navigation and hydroelectric facilities

(a)

In general

Section 314 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1990 (33 U.S.C. 2321) is amended—

(1)

in the heading by inserting navigation and before hydroelectric facilities;

(2)

in the first sentence, by striking Activities currently performed and inserting the following:

(a)

In general

Activities currently performed

;

(3)

in subsection (a) (as designated by paragraph (2)), by inserting navigation or before hydroelectric;

(4)

in the second sentence, by striking This section and inserting the following:

(b)

Major maintenance contracts allowed

This section

; and

(5)

by adding at the end the following:

(c)

Exclusion

This section does not—

(1)

apply to a navigation facility that was under contract on or before the date of enactment of this subsection with a non-Federal interest to perform operations or maintenance; and

(2)

prohibit the Secretary from contracting out commercial activities after the date of enactment of this subsection at a navigation facility.

(b)

Clerical amendment

The table of contents contained in section 1(b) of the Water Resources Development Act of 1990 (104 Stat. 4604) is amended by striking the item relating to section 314 and inserting the following:

Sec. 314. Operation and maintenance of navigation and hydroelectric facilities.