Congress returned to Washington, D.C. this week and is working to finish a handful of bills. The House and the Senate are still working to find an agreement on several legislative items of importance to RCRC counties including the Continuing Resolution (CR), the Water Resources Development Act, the Energy Bill, and drought legislation.
The CR is the only must-pass piece of legislation before the end of the year. There are indications that the Water Resources Development Act and the drought legislation are very close to an agreement. There are still several sticky points on the Energy bill between the House and the Senate that signal a less likely chance of passage before the end of the year. Reforms to the Land and Water Conservation Fund and wildfire prevention are still part of the ongoing Energy bill discussions.
Time is running out for all of the remaining bills as there are only a few days remaining on the Congressional calendar before the end of the year.