What This Bill Does
This bill changes rules for emergency watershed protection projects. It allows sponsors to pay for certain cleanup costs before signing an agreement with the federal government and have those costs count toward their share of the project expenses.
Who It Affects
State governments, local governments, and Indian Tribes that work on emergency watershed protection projects.
Key Provisions
• The Secretary must create a list of emergency watershed protection measures that sponsors can pay for before entering an agreement (Sec. 2)
• The Secretary must create a process at the state level allowing sponsors to request approval for additional emergency watershed protection measures for specific natural disasters before signing an agreement (Sec. 2)
• When the Secretary and a sponsor sign an agreement, any costs the sponsor already paid for approved emergency watershed protection measures count toward the sponsor's required contribution to the project (Sec. 2)
• A sponsor that pays for emergency watershed protection measures before signing an agreement accepts all financial risk if the project is not approved (Sec. 2)
• The Secretary is not required to sign an agreement with any sponsor (Sec. 2)
What Changes
Currently, sponsors must wait to sign an agreement before paying for watershed protection work. This bill lets them start and pay for approved work early, with those costs counting toward their project contribution if an agreement is later signed.
Important Definitions
The bill defines "sponsor" as a state government, local government, or Indian Tribe.
Effective Date
The Secretary must complete the list and process within 180 days after this law passes (Sec. 2).
II
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
S. 757
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 with respect to preagreement
costs of emergency watershed protection measures, and for other purposes.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
MARCH 9, 2023
Mr. ROMNEY (for himself and Mr. BENNET) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nu-
trition, and Forestry
A BILL
To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 with respect
to preagreement costs of emergency watershed protection
measures, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
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This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Making Access To
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Cleanup Happen Act of 2023’’ or the ‘‘MATCH Act of
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2023’’.
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•S 757 IS
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY WATERSHED PROGRAM.
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Section 403 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978
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(16 U.S.C. 2203) is amended by adding at the end the
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following:
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‘‘(c) PREAGREEMENT COSTS.—
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‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF SPONSOR.—In this sub-
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section, the term ‘sponsor’ means—
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‘‘(A) a State or local government; and
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‘‘(B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section
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4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu-
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cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)).
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‘‘(2) PREAGREEMENT
PROJECT
COSTS.—Not
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later than 180 days after the date of enactment of
13
this subsection, the Secretary shall—
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‘‘(A) identify a list of emergency watershed
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protection measures the cost of which may be
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incurred by a sponsor prior to entering into an
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agreement with the Secretary under this sec-
18
tion; and
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‘‘(B) develop a procedure, including appro-
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priate deadlines, to be implemented at the State
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level, through which a sponsor may request, for
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a specified natural disaster, additional emer-
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gency watershed protection measures the cost of
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which may be incurred by a sponsor prior to en-
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•S 757 IS
tering into an agreement with the Secretary
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under this section.
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‘‘(3) AGREEMENT CONTRIBUTION.—If the Sec-
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retary and a sponsor enter into an agreement under
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this section, the Secretary shall consider any appli-
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cable preagreement costs incurred by the sponsor for
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undertaking emergency watershed protection meas-
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ures identified under paragraph (2) as meeting part
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of the contribution of the sponsor toward the cost of
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the project.
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‘‘(4) ASSUMPTION
OF
RISK.—A sponsor that
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undertakes emergency watershed protection meas-
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ures prior to entering into an agreement with the
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Secretary under this section shall assume the risk of
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incurring any cost of undertaking those measures.
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‘‘(5) EFFECT.—Nothing in this subsection re-
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quires the Secretary to enter into an agreement with
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a sponsor.’’.
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Æ
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