# 119-hr-8259: Federal Water Projects Consultation Improvement Act of 2026

119-hr-8259, Federal Water Projects Consultation Improvement Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Bentz, Cliff [R-OR-2] (R-OR); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8259
- 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-8259
- Congress: 119
- Title: Federal Water Projects Consultation Improvement Act of 2026
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2026-04-14
- Sponsor: Rep. Bentz, Cliff [R-OR-2] (R-OR)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Water Resources Development
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**Creates a new statutory framework that gives Reclamation water contractors formal participation rights in Endangered Species Act section 7 consultations.** It applies to Federal water projects in Reclamation States and sets procedures for agency engagement when actions could reduce contract water deliveries. - Covered entities and contractors get routine and continuing opportunities to discuss and submit information for biological assessments, be informed of schedules, receive draft biological opinions, and comment before reasonable and prudent alternatives or measures are finalized. - Heads of action agencies and the Secretary must inform and engage covered entities about the legal authority, the scientific data supporting components of an agency action, and why alternatives with fewer water or economic impacts are inadequate to avoid jeopardy. - Section 3 defines key terms such as "covered entity", "contractor", and "Federal water project" and ties the rules to specific Endangered Species Act and EXPLORE Act provisions so the requirements apply to municipal and agricultural water contracts managed by Reclamation.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Fulcher, Russ [R-ID-1] (R-ID), 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More water-contractor consultation rights: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require Federal agencies to give covered water contractors more chances to take part in Endangered Species Act consultations about Federal water projects. Covered entities that ask would get routine chances to submit information and meet with the action agency while a bio…
- Clear definitions for water consultations: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would define key terms used in these consultation rules. It would name who counts as an action agency, biological assessment, and biological opinion. It would define contractor, covered entity, engage, and what counts as a Federal water project in Reclamation States. These defi…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-2709: Save Our Sequoias Act
- 119-hr-1897: ESA Amendments Act of 2025
- 119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act
- 119-hr-1383: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1820: FLASH Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8259 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8259)

## Related
- [119-hr-2709: Save Our Sequoias Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2709)
- [119-hr-1897: ESA Amendments Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1897)
- [119-hr-21: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-21)
- [119-hr-1383: Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1383)
- [119-hr-1820: FLASH Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1820)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8259 (as of 2026-09-21).