Title: Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017
Policy area: Water Resources Development

Summary:
Texas Flood Accountability Act of 2017
This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to submit to Congress and make publicly available a report with respect to dams, reservoirs, lakes, and other water retention facilities in Texas.
The report shall include:
The Corps may exclude information from the report for national security purposes.
Upon the Corps' request, a non-federal entity that owns, operates, or has jurisdiction over a covered facility shall provide the maximum water capacity that would necessitate an unplanned release of water, the water level at which the facility and each spillway of the facility will overflow, and plans to notify first responders, local officials, and communities of flood emergencies and the projected water levels during such emergencies. An entity shall not be eligible for federal financial assistance until it complies with such request.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3824 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3824

To direct the Secretary of the Army to submit to Congress a report with 
     respect to dams, reservoirs, lakes, and other water retention 
              facilities in Texas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2017

Mr. Poe of Texas (for himself, Mr. Gene Green of Texas, Mr. Babin, Mr. 
    Culberson, Mr. Al Green of Texas, and Mr. Olson) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of the Army to submit to Congress a report with 
     respect to dams, reservoirs, lakes, and other water retention 
              facilities in Texas, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Texas Flood Accountability Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. REPORT ON DAMS, RESERVOIRS, LAKES, AND OTHER WATER RETENTION 
              FACILITIES IN TEXAS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of 
Engineers, shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a 
report with respect to covered facilities.
    (b) Contents.--The report under subsection (a) shall include the 
following:
            (1) For each covered facility--
                    (A) the maximum water capacity that would 
                necessitate an unplanned release of water;
                    (B) the water level at which the facility and each 
                spillway of the facility will overflow; and
                    (C) existing plans to notify first responders, 
                local officials, and communities of flood emergencies 
                and the projected water levels during such emergencies.
            (2) A description of steps taken by the Secretary to limit 
        or prevent unplanned releases of water or overflows from 
        covered facilities.
            (3) Recommendations of the Secretary for infrastructure 
        improvements and dredging of existing covered facilities needed 
        to limit or prevent unplanned releases of water or overflows 
        from covered facilities.
            (4) Existing plans to coordinate among covered facilities 
        during a flood emergency.
            (5) A list identifying the covered facilities under the 
        jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that 
        includes, with respect to each such facility, a description of 
        the process for lowering water levels at the facility.
    (c) Security Exclusion.--The Secretary may exclude from the report 
information that the Secretary determines necessary to exclude for 
national security purposes.
    (d) Information From Non-Federal Entities.--
            (1) Requirement for non-federal entities.--Upon the request 
        of the Secretary, a non-Federal entity that owns, operates, or 
        has jurisdiction over a covered facility shall provide to the 
        Secretary the information described in subsection (b)(1) with 
        respect to that facility.
            (2) Eligibility for federal financial assistance.--An 
        entity that fails to comply with paragraph (1) is not eligible 
        for Federal financial assistance otherwise available to the 
        facility owned or operated by or under the jurisdiction of the 
        entity until such time as the entity complies with such 
        paragraph.
            (3) Applicability.--Paragraph (2) shall apply with respect 
        to Federal financial assistance made available on or after the 
        date of enactment of this Act.
    (e) Covered Facility Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered 
facility'' means a dam, reservoir, lake, or other water retention 
facility in Texas.
                                 <all>