H.R. 5217: WOW Act
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H.R. 5217: WOW Act
116th Congress · introduced 2019-11-21 · Water Resources Development · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2019-11-21 · official record
- Who proposed it: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry. 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.
Official title
WOW Act
Plain summary
Water Optimization for the West Act or the WOW Act This bill addresses issues related to water projects in the Western States. Among other things, the bill makes the Bureau of Reclamation the lead agency for coordinating permitting activities required for the construction of certain new surface-water storage projects, directs the bureau to convey certain facilities and easements to the Kennewick Irrigation District in Washington State, redirects Department of Transportation funds previously intended for high-speed rail development in California to the Department of the Interior for certain water-related programs, gives the Fish and Wildlife Service the sole authority to protect endangered or threatened fish species that are anadromous species or catadromous species, authorizes the use of certain bureau facilities to convey water to recharge certain aquifers, and prohibits Interior or the Department of Agriculture from requiring a water user to apply for or acquire a water right in order to obtain certain permits or licenses.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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.
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4] · 11 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Ken Calvert (R-CA), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Russ Fulcher (R-ID), Paul A. Gosar (R-AZ)
Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4] reported raising $1.3 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 (1)
- 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).
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr5217.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>
Record fed-us-cong116-hr5217 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116