S. 1946: A bill to amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to modify the authorization of appropriations.

113th Congress · introduced 2014-01-16 · Water Resources Development · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 514.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2014-01-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 514. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
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

A bill to amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to modify the authorization of appropriations.

Plain summary

Amends the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to increase the authorization ceiling for FY2014. Increases the maximum amount of funds that may be be obligated for carrying out actual construction to modify an existing dam prior to 30 calendar days from the date that the Secretary of the Interior has transmitted a report on such dam to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate (currently, to Congress). Requires the Secretary, at least 30 days before making modification expenditures of between $1.8 million and $20 million, to submit to such Committees written notice that provides a summary of the project, the cost of the project, and any alternatives that were considered.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s)), 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

A bill to amend the Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 to modify the authorization of appropriations.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] reported raising $1.9 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
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.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Obligation: A binding promise by a government agency to pay money, for example by signing a contract or awarding a grant. Spending data such as USAspending.gov counts money when it is obligated, which can be before it is actually paid out.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-113s1946.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/113/s>

Record fed-us-cong113-s1946 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong113 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong113