National Levee Safety Program Act of 2006
Latest action · Jul 28, 2006 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 350.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedDec 22, 2005
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
National Levee Safety Program Act of 2006 - (Sec. 3) Directs the Secretary of the Army to: (1) inspect each levee in the United States constructed by the Secretary, a federal entity, or a federally recognized Indian tribe, maintained by the Secretary, or identified by a state governor, excluding levees inspected by a state levee safety agency during the preceding year if the state's governor requests an exemption and levees the failure of which would not pose a significant threat to human life or property; and (2) notify affected state and local governments and Indian tribes of inspection results, hazardous conditions found, and (upon request) remedial measures.
Directs the Secretary, by August 1, 2007 and every two years thereafter, to publish and submit to Congress an inventory of: (1) levees subject to inspection under this Act and a characterization of the risk posed by such levees; and (2) levees identified by a state the failure of which could be reasonably expected to endanger human life and property. Requires (1) such an inventory to include each levee's location, owner, and physicial condition and the probability and consequences of a failure; and (2) the Secretary, in determining risk, to consider the levee's condition and the potential impact on human lives and property if it fails.
(Sec. 4) Establishes the Interagency Committee on Levee Safety to support federal levee safety programs through coordination and information exchange among federal and nonfederal entities concerning the implementation of levee safety guidelines. Directs the Committee to establish the National Levee Safety Advisory Board.
(Sec. 5) Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and maintain a national levee safety program, including federal levee safety guidelines; and (2) assist states in establishing and carrying out levee safety programs.
Requires a state, to be eligible for such assistance, to be in the process of establishing or have in effect a state levee safety program under which a state agency: (1) reviews plans to construct, modify, remove, and abandon levees; (2) performs inspections during levee construction; (3) requires or performs the inspection, at least every five years, of all levees that would pose a significant threat in case of failure to determine the continued safety of the levees and a procedure for more detailed and frequent safety inspections; (4) requires that all inspections be performed under the supervision of a state-registered professional engineer with experience in levee design and construction; (5) issues notices to require levee owners to perform necessary maintenance or remedial work, improve security, revise operating procedures, or take other actions, including breaching levees when necessary; (6) provides necessary funds to protect human life and property; (7) establishes a system of emergency procedures to be used if a levee fails or failure is imminent; and (8) provides information to the Secretary on each levee the failure of which could be reasonably expected to endanger human life and property, the maximum area that could be flooded, and critical public facilities that would be affected.
Requires: (1) a state, to be eligible for assistance, to allocate sufficient funds in its budget to carry out a state levee safety program; and (2) the Secretary to enter into an agreement with each state receiving assistance to develop a work plan.
Sets forth provisions regarding program approval. Requires the Secretary to: (1) periodically review state programs; and (2) report to Congress, by January 1, 2007 and every two years thereafter, on the program's status, including any recommendations for legislative action.
(Sec. 6) Directs the Secretary to carry out a research program to develop: (1) improved techniques and equipment for rapid and effective levee construction, maintenance, rehabilitation, and inspection; (2) devices for the continued monitoring of levee safety; (3) information resources systems to manage levee safety projects; and (4) public policy initiatives and other improvements relating to levee safety engineering, security, and management.
(Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary, at the request of a state that has or intends to develop a state levee safety program, to provide training for state levee safety agency staff.
(Sec. 8) Provides that nothing in this Act creates any liability of the United States or its officers or employees for the recovery of damages caused by an action or failure to act, nor relieves a levee owner or operator of a legal duty, obligation, or liability incident to levee ownership or operation.
(Sec. 9) Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2012.
Cosponsors 14
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Dec 22, 2005 to Jun 29, 2006; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-LA | Charles W. Boustany, Jr. | Original | Dec 22, 2005 |
| D-LA | Charlie Melancon | Original | Dec 22, 2005 |
| R-AK | Don Young | Original | Dec 22, 2005 |
| D-TX | Eddie Bernice Johnson | Original | Dec 22, 2005 |
| D-MN | James L. Oberstar | Original | Dec 22, 2005 |
| R-LA | Richard H. Baker | Original | Dec 22, 2005 |
| R-CA | Wally Herger | Feb 8, 2006 | |
| D-MA | James P. McGovern | Mar 29, 2006 | |
| R-LA | Bobby Jindal | Apr 25, 2006 | |
| D-TN | Harold E. Ford Jr. | Apr 25, 2006 | |
| R-PA | Tim Murphy | Apr 25, 2006 | |
| R-CA | Ken Calvert | May 3, 2006 | |
| D-CA | Lynn C. Woolsey | May 3, 2006 | |
| D-MO | Russ Carnahan | Jun 29, 2006 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Dec 22, 2005Markup Jun 28, 2006Reported Jul 28, 2006 |
| Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee | Referred Dec 23, 2005Hearings Apr 7, 2006Discharged Jun 28, 2006 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 28, 2006Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation. H. Rept. 109-609.
- Jul 28, 2006Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 350.
- Jun 28, 2006Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Discharged.
- Jun 28, 2006Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jun 28, 2006Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- Apr 7, 2006Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Jan 31, 2006Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E18)
- Dec 23, 2005Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
- Dec 22, 2005Introduced in House
- Dec 22, 2005Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extensions | Debate and remarks E18 | John J. Duncan, Jr. R-TN | Jan 31, 2006 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Jul 13, 2006H.R. 4650, National Levee Safety Program Act of 2006<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 28, 2006</p>
- Jul 13, 2006H.R. 4650, National Levee Safety Program Act of 2006Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on June 28, 2006
Printed hearings 3
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 109-65 | H.R. 4650, THE NATIONAL LEVEE SAFETY PROGRAM ACT83 pages | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Apr 6, 2006 |
| — | ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006240 pages | Appropriations Committee | Apr 29, 2005 |
| S. Hrg. 109-107 | ENERGY AND WATER, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2006507 pages | Appropriations Committee | Mar 10, 2005–Apr 14, 2005 |
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R40201 | Federal Flood Policy Challenges: Lessons from the 2008 Midwest Flood Archived | Report | Jan 27, 2010 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To direct the Secretary of the Army to carry out programs and activities to enhance the safety of levees in the United States.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- National Levee Safety Program Act of 2005
- Short Titles as Reported to House
- National Levee Safety Program Act of 2006
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Water Resources Development.
- Administrative procedure
- Civil engineering
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Dams
- Department of Defense
- Economics and Public Finance
- Emergency Management
- Employee training
- Engineers
- Executive reorganization
- Federal advisory bodies
- Federal aid to water resources development
- Federal-state relations
- Flood damage prevention
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government paperwork
- Government publicity
- Governmental investigations
- Hurricane aftermath legislation
- Infrastructure
- Labor and Employment
- Law
- Maintenance and repair
- Research
- Risk
- Safety measures
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Standards
- State budgets
- State employees
- State laws
- Strategic planning
- Technological innovations
- Water Resources Development
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 28, 2006Reported in House
- Dec 22, 2005Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.