# 119-hr-7845: DROUGHT Act of 2026

119-hr-7845, DROUGHT Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7845
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7845
- Congress: 119
- Title: DROUGHT Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-03-05
- Sponsor: Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Water Resources Development
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Raises the federal share to cover up to 90% of certain water infrastructure projects and prioritizes aid for drought-hit and low-income areas.** This bill would amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act to add an exceptions rule that lets federal assistance reach 90 percent for qualifying "covered projects" and directs the Secretary or the Administrator to prioritize financing for those projects. - Families and ratepayers: Projects that increase drinking water supply, reliability, or reuse and that lower costs to ratepayers would be prioritized, improving service and potentially reducing bills. - Local water systems and utilities: Would be eligible for larger WIFIA-style federal assistance up to 90 percent of project cost, easing the upfront funding burden on borrowers. - Low-income communities: Projects serving areas with average household income at or below 200 percent of the poverty threshold or meeting state affordability rules qualify for priority support. - Drought-affected regions and emergencies: Projects in states classified D2 (severe drought) or worse for at least 4 weeks in the prior 5 years, or in counties with a governor-declared drought emergency in that period, qualify as covered projects. - Regional or national priority projects: The Secretary or Administrator could designate projects that add supply, boost reuse, cut regional water use, or provide big public health or environmental benefits.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garamendi, John [D-CA-8] (D-CA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-52] (D-CA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Jacobs, Sara [D-CA-51] (D-CA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25] (D-CA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49] (D-CA), 2026-03-05T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Panetta, Jimmy [D-CA-19] (D-CA), 2026-03-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA), 2026-05-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Priority federal loans for drought projects: mixed, medium. If enacted, the bill would let federal assistance cover up to 90% of the cost for qualifying water infrastructure projects. Local borrowers or ratepayers would need to cover the remaining cost. The bill would require the Secretary or Administrator to prioritize projects in places with recent severe…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act
- 119-hr-5449: Redistricting Reform Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7845 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7845)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-2048: Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2048)
- [119-hr-5449: Redistricting Reform Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5449)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7845 (as of 2026-09-21).