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S. 573: Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2011

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S. 573: Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2011

112th Congress · introduced 2011-03-14 · Water Resources Development · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2011-03-14 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. DeMint, Jim [R-SC] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2011

Plain summary

Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to establish a program to make grants to states to carry out harbor maintenance and deepening projects in accordance with the priorities determined by each participating state. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund a separate State Harbor Maintenance Block Grant Account to fund such grant program. Requires the chief executive officer of a state to designate a state agency to administer the financial assistance received, develop the state plan to be submitted to the Secretary, hold at least one hearing to provide the public an opportunity to comment, and coordinate the implementation of harbor maintenance projects with applicable federal, state, and local agencies. Directs the Secretary to: (1) coordinate all activities of the Department of Defense (DOD) relating to harbor maintenance activities and to coordinate with similar activities of other federal entities; (2) provide technical assistance to states in carrying out this Act; (2) review state compliance with this Act and with the plan approved for the state and terminate payments to the state for noncompliance; and (3) allot to each participating state, for each fiscal year, an amount equal to the proportion that the amounts collected in the state for deposit in the State Harbor Maintenance Block Grant Account for that fiscal year bears to the total amount of funds in that Account. Provides for a pro rata reduction of allotments in the event of insufficient funds. Directs the Secretary to publish: (1) annually, a list describing each authorized water resources project of the Corps of Engineers in the Federal Register and on a publicly available website, and (2) a list describing each water resources study or project of the Corps that is no longer authorized. Establishes a Water Resources Commission to make recommendations for the means by which to prioritize water resources projects of the Corps and prioritize Corps water resources projects that are not being carried out under a continuing authorities program.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Corps of Engineers Reform Act of 2011

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. DeMint, Jim [R-SC] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Federal Register
The official daily publication of the U.S. government for agency rules, proposed rules, public notices and presidential documents.
Fiscal year
The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-s573 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112