I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9960 

To require the United States Section of the International Boundary and 

Water Commission to obtain input from stakeholders when drafting certain minutes relating to the Rio Grande, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 11, 2024 

Ms. DE LA CRUZ (for herself, Mr. ARRINGTON, and Ms. GRANGER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the United States Section of the International 

Boundary and Water Commission to obtain input from 

stakeholders when drafting certain minutes relating to 

the Rio Grande, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Water Delivery Trans5 parency Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. STAKEHOLDER INPUT FOR DRAFTING OF CERTAIN 

2 IBWC MINUTES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—In drafting any minute relating 

4 to the covered treaty, the Commission shall obtain input 

5 from stakeholders, including agricultural producers, gov6 ernment entities, and irrigation districts in Texas, relating 

7 to such minute. 

8 (b) STAKEHOLDER INPUT.— 

9 (1) PUBLIC FORUMS.— 

10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Commission 

11 shall— 

12 (i) hold at least 5 public forums with 

13 the stakeholders described in subsection 

14 (a) during the input period; and 

15 (ii) ensure that at least 3 of such fo16 rums are held in the Rio Grande Valley of 

17 Texas. 

18 (B) SCHEDULE.—At the onset of drafting 

19 a minute described in subsection (a), the Com20 mission shall set a schedule for the public fo21 rums required under subparagraph (A). 

22 (C) PUBLICATION.—Not later than 30 

23 days before holding the first forum with stake24 holders required under subparagraph (A), the 

25 Commission shall make the schedule set pursu26 ant to subparagraph (B) publicly available. 


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1 (2) ONLINE SUBMISSION PORTAL.—The Com2 mission shall establish, and make publicly available, 

3 an online submission portal through which stake4 holders may submit input relating to a minute de5 scribed in subsection (a) during the input period. 

6 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after the date 

7 on which the Commission holds the first forum pursuant 

8 to subsection (b)(1), the Commission shall make publicly 

9 available a report that includes— 

10 (1) a summary of all input received from stake11 holders during the input period; and 

12 (2) an executive summary describing how the 

13 Commission interprets and plans to use such input 

14 when drafting a minute described in subsection (a). 

15 (d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

16 (1) COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Commission’’ 

17 means the United States Section of the Inter18 national Boundary and Water Commission, United 

19 States and Mexico. 

20 (2) COVERED TREATY.—The term ‘‘covered 

21 treaty’’ means the portion of the Treaty on Utiliza22 tion of Waters of the Colorado and Tijuana Rivers 

23 and of the Rio Grande, signed at Washington Feb24 ruary 3, 1944, that relates to the shared waters of 

25 the Rio Grande. 


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1 (3) INPUT PERIOD.—The term ‘‘input period’’ 

2 means the period of time beginning on the date on 

3 which the Commission holds the first forum pursu4 ant to subsection (b)(1) and ending 60 days after 

5 such date. 

Æ 


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