119:hr:302 — Water Rights Protection Act

Sponsor

Introduced by

Celeste Maloy

R Republican · House · UT-02 R+10

Latest action

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 334.

Action timeline

Every recorded action on this bill, newest first. Stage badges color-code the legislative path.

Nov 25, 2025

committee Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-384, Part I.

Natural Resources Committee

Nov 25, 2025

committee Committee on Agriculture discharged.

Agriculture Committee

Nov 25, 2025

other Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 334.

Feb 14, 2025

committee Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.

Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology Subcommittee

Feb 12, 2025

committee Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

Natural Resources Committee

Text versions

Each stage of the bill — official text published by GPO. Click any format to read on congress.gov / govinfo.

Nov 25, 2025 Reported in House

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Jan 09, 2025 Introduced in House

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CRS summaries

Plain-English summaries written by the Congressional Research Service — neutral, nonpartisan staff who summarize bills as they advance through stages. The authoritative description of what each version of the bill does.

00 Introduced in House Jan 09, 2025

Water Rights Protection Act of 2025 This bill limits the transfer of water rights from water users to the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture (USDA). First, the bill prohibits Interior and USDA from conditioning the issuance or renewal of land use or occupancy agreements (e.g., permits and leases) on the transfer of any water right to the United States. Next, it prohibits Interior and USDA from requiring water users, including Indian tribes, to acquire water rights in the name of the United States as a condition of the issuance or renewal of a land use or occupancy agreement. Finally, it prohibits Interior and USDA from conditioning or withholding the issuance or renewal of land use or occupancy agreements on (1) limiting the date, time, quantity, location of diversion or pumping, or place of use of a state water right beyond any applicable limitations under state water law; or (2) modifying the terms and conditions of groundwater withdrawal, guidance and reporting procedures, or conservation and source protection measures established by a state. Interior and USDA must also ensure that federal action imposes no greater restriction or regulatory requirement than under applicable state water law. Further, Interior and USDA must not take actions that adversely affect state authority in permitting water usage or in adjudicating water rights.

via Congressional Research Service · published through congress.gov

Changelog

ⓘ

How a bill moves through Congress. Each stage produces a new official text. The diff between them shows what changed at that step.

`ih` / `is` — Introduced in House / Senate. First filed version.

`rfh` / `rfs` — Referred to a committee for review.

`rh` / `rs` — Reported back by the committee to the floor (often with amendments — this is where most language changes happen).

`pcs` / `pch` — Placed on Calendar for floor consideration.

`eh` / `es` — Engrossed. Passed by the originating chamber. Text is now what was actually voted on.

`rdh` / `rds` — Received by the other chamber.

`eah` / `eas` — Engrossed Amendment. The other chamber passed an amended version.

`ath` / `ats` — Agreed to. Both chambers settled on the same text.

`enr` — Enrolled. Final reconciled text, sent to the President.

`pl` — Public Law. Signed by the President. It's now law.

`pp` — Public Print. Official printing post-enactment.

Most bills die before `eh`/`es`. Going from `pcs` → `enr` is the full path through both chambers.

Line-level diff between text versions of this bill — what actually changed at each legislative stage.

+51 −4 25 unchanged

--- Introduced (House)

+++ Reported (House)

@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@

[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

-[H.R. 302 Introduced in House (IH)]

+[H.R. 302 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>

+Union Calendar No. 334

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 302

+

+[Report No. 119-384, Part I]

To prohibit the conditioning of any permit, lease, or other use

agreement on the transfer of any water right to the United States by

@@ -25,6 +28,23 @@

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

+November 25, 2025

+

+Additional sponsors: Mr. Owens and Mr. Kennedy of Utah

+

+November 25, 2025

+

+Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment

+[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed

+in italic]

+

+November 25, 2025

+

+Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the

+Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

+[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January

+9, 2025]

+

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

@@ -39,8 +59,7 @@

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

-This Act may be cited as the ``Water Rights Protection Act of

-2025''.

+This Act may be cited as the ``Water Rights Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

@@ -146,4 +165,32 @@

contained in, or limitations and requirements of, any interstate water

compact or decree of the Supreme Court of the United States

interpreting or enforcing an interstate water compact.

-<all>

+Union Calendar No. 334

+

+119th CONGRESS

+

+1st Session

+

+H. R. 302

+

+[Report No. 119-384, Part I]

+

+_______________________________________________________________________

+

+A BILL

+

+To prohibit the conditioning of any permit, lease, or other use

+agreement on the transfer of any water right to the United States by

+the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, and for

+other purposes.

+

+_______________________________________________________________________

+

+November 25, 2025

+

+Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment

+

+November 25, 2025

+

+Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the

+Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed

Lobbying activity

Organizations whose LDA filings reference this bill, ranked by filing count. Position not disclosed — LDA does not require lobbyists to report support / oppose / monitor. Bill-number references can be stale (lobbyists sometimes copy text year-over-year), so verify against the filing description.

ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA WATER AGENCIES

NAT

4

filings · 2025 Q3

PUBLIC LANDS COUNCIL

NAT

4

filings · 2025 Q3

via Senate LDA · self-reported quarterly. Filing count = filings mentioning this bill (no position required), not money spent on it. Click a client to see all bills they've filed on.

Cosponsors (6)

Members who signed on to support this bill.