A bill to authorize additional funding for the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act.
This bill, S. 1413, would authorize additional federal funding to implement the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act. Specifically, it would raise existing authorized funding caps to support the settlement’s implementation and related improvements. The changes are purely about authorization (the legal permission to spend up to certain amounts); actual appropriation of funds would still require separate appropriations legislation. The bill also increases the funding cap for improvements to the Friant Division, a key component of the Central Valley Project in California. It was introduced in the Senate by Senator Padilla (with Senator Hoeven) and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. In short, the bill enlarges the maximum amounts Congress has authorized to be spent on restoring flows and habitats under the San Joaquin River Settlement and on Friant Division improvements, potentially accelerating or expanding restoration efforts if and when funds are appropriated.
Key Points
- 1Increases the authorized amount for implementing the San Joaquin River Restoration Settlement Act from $250,000,000 to $750,000,000 (Section 10009(a)(1)).
- 2Also increases the authorized amount in the same section from $250,000,000 to $750,000,000 (Section 10009(b)(1)).
- 3Raises the authorized funding for Friant Division Improvements from $50,000,000 to $75,000,000 (Section 10203(c) of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009).
- 4These changes are amendments to existing law and are “authorization of appropriations,” not actual spending; spending would still require separate appropriation legislation.
- 5The bill was introduced in the Senate by Senator Padilla (for himself and Senator Hoeven) on April 10, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.