ture, snow pack, and climate (including precipitation 
and temperature) in order to make usable, reliable, 
and timely assessments of drought, including the se-
verity of drought and forecasts of drought. 
(12) 
NEIGHBORING
COUNTRY.—The 
term 
‘‘neighboring country’’ means Canada and Mexico. 
(13) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the 
National Office of Drought Preparedness established 
under section 301. 
(14) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of Agriculture. 
(15) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the sev-
eral States, the District of Columbia, American 
Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
and the United States Virgin Islands. 
(16) TRIGGER.—The term ‘‘trigger’’ means the 
thresholds or criteria that must be satisfied before 
mitigation or emergency assistance may be provided 
to an area— 
(A) in which drought is emerging; or 
(B) that is experiencing a drought. 
(17) UNDER
SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Under 
Secretary’’ means the Under Secretary of Agri-
culture for Natural Resources and Environment.
(18) WATERSHED.—The term ‘‘watershed’’ 
means a region or area with common hydrology, an 
area drained by a waterway that drains into a lake 
or reservoir, the total area above a given point on 
a stream that contributes water to the flow at that 
point, or the topographic dividing line from which 
surface streams flow in two different directions. In 
no case shall a watershed be larger than a river 
basin. 
(19) WATERSHED GROUP.—The term ‘‘water-
shed group’’ means a group of individuals, formally 
recognized by the appropriate State or States, who 
represent the broad scope of relevant interests with-
in a watershed and who work together in a collabo-
rative manner to jointly plan the management of the 
natural resources contained within the watershed. 
SEC. 4. EFFECT OF ACT. 
This Act does not affect— 
(1) the authority of a State to allocate quan-
tities of water under the jurisdiction of the State; or 
(2) any State water rights established as of the 
date of enactment of this Act.
TITLE I—NATIONAL DROUGHT 
COUNCIL 
SEC. 101. MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the Office 
of the Secretary of Agriculture a council to be known as 
the ‘‘National Drought Council’’. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) COMPOSITION.—The Council shall be com-
posed of— 
(A) the Secretary (or the designee of the 
Secretary); 
(B) the Secretary of Commerce (or the 
designee of the Secretary of Commerce); 
(C) the Secretary of the Army (or the des-
ignee of the Secretary of the Army); 
(D) the Secretary of the Interior (or the 
designee of the Secretary of the Interior); 
(E) the Director of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency (or the designee of the Di-
rector); 
(F) the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency (or the designee of 
the Administrator); 
(G) 4 members appointed by the Secretary, 
in coordination with the National Governors As-
sociation, each of whom shall be the Governor 
of a State (or the designee of the Governor) 
and who collectively shall represent the geo-
graphic diversity of the Nation; 
(H) 1 member appointed by the Secretary, 
in coordination with the National Association of 
Counties; 
(I) 1 member appointed by the Secretary, 
in coordination with the United States Con-
ference of Mayors; 
(J) 1 member appointed by the Secretary 
of the Interior, in coordination with Indian 
tribes, to represent the interests of tribal gov-
ernments; and 
(K) 1 member appointed by the Secretary, 
in coordination with the National Association of 
Conservation Districts, to represent local soil 
and water conservation districts. 
(2) DATE OF APPOINTMENT.—The appointment 
of each member of the Council shall be made not 
later than 120 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
(c) TERM; VACANCIES.— 
(1) TERM.—A non-Federal member of the 
Council appointed under subparagraphs (G) through
(K) of subsection (b)(1) shall be appointed for a 
term of two years. 
(2) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Council— 
(A) shall not affect the powers of the 
Council; and 
(B) shall be filled in the same manner as 
the original appointment was made. 
(3) TERMS
OF
MEMBERS
FILLING
VACAN-
CIES.—Any member appointed to fill a vacancy oc-
curring before the expiration of the term for which 
the member’s predecessor was appointed shall be ap-
pointed only for the remainder of that term. 
(d) MEETINGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Council shall meet at 
the call of the co-chairs. 
(2) FREQUENCY.—The Council shall meet at 
least semiannually. 
(e) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of the 
Council shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number 
may hold hearings or conduct other business. 
(f) COUNCIL LEADERSHIP.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be a Federal co- 
chair and non-Federal co-chair of the Council. 
(2) APPOINTMENT.—