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CIVIC HERALD
HR 131 · 119th Congress · HouseOther

Finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act

In plain language: This bill adjusts loan rules to help rural southeastern Colorado communities finance the Arkansas Valley Conduit, a pipeline designed to bring reliable drinking water to households that lack it. Local water agencies must cover 35 percent of construction costs, but communities facing financial hardship can stretch their repayments over up to 75 years at half the standard federal interest rate. In exchange for these subsidized loan terms, local partners must take on the ongoing costs of operating, maintaining, and repairing the pipeline.

Provisional: our plain-language summary, pending review.

Provisionalunreviewed: impact, provisions, stakeholders, summary
People affected—Not determinable from the text provided; references 'communities and households' without enumerating populations.
Fiscal magnitude—Not determinable from the text provided; the bill specifies a 35 percent cost share and modified interest terms but does not specify the total dollar cost or appropriation amount for the conduit.
Reach20provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
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Issues

What this bill touches.

Spending vs. restraint+12Public works+28

The sign shows the bill's direction on each issue (+ toward, − away); the number is its magnitude. Color never encodes good or bad, and never party.

Who it affects

Who it helps · who it burdens.

Who it helps

  • Communities and households lacking reliable waterGain access to domestic water supplies through the Arkansas Valley Conduit under project terms designed to facilitate water delivery to underserved areas.provisional
  • Financially distressed local communitiesAre permitted to repay their share of conduit construction costs over an extended term of up to 75 years at 50 percent of the standard federal interest rate if they demonstrate financial hardship.provisional

Who it burdens

  • Local conduit contracting partnersMust legally assume full responsibility for the care, operation, maintenance, and replacement of the Arkansas Valley Conduit.provisional

Who backs it

  • Non-federal contracting entitiesRequired to finance 35 percent of the conduit's construction costs through non-federal funding contributed during construction and long-term repayment contracts.provisional

Dollar-level funding (FEC sector totals) is coming in a later phase.

What it does

The provisions, in plain language.

  1. Requires water supply contracts for the Arkansas Valley Conduit to cover 35 percent of the project's construction costs, crediting any funding provided by non-federal entities during construction toward that share.

    Sec. 2(1)(B)provisional

  2. Permits communities demonstrating financial hardship to repay any remaining construction costs over up to 75 years at half the standard federal interest rate, using revenues from project excess capacity and water exchange contracts.

    Sec. 2(1)(B)provisional

  3. Requires local contracting partners to take over full responsibility for the care, operation, maintenance, and replacement of the conduit.

    Sec. 2(1)(B)provisional

How your members of Congress line up

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Timeline

How it moved.

  1. Jan 8, 2026The Chair directed the Clerk to notify the Senate of the action of the House.
  2. Jan 8, 2026On motion to refer the bill and the accompanying veto message to the Committee on Natural Resources. Agreed to without objection.
  3. Jan 8, 2026Motion to refer the bill and accompanying veto message to the Committee on Natural Resources.
  4. Jan 8, 2026On passage, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 248 - 177, 1 Present (Roll no. 9).
  5. Jan 8, 2026Failed of passage in House over veto On passage, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 248 - 177, 1 Present (Roll no. 9).
  6. Jan 8, 2026The Chair announced the unfinished business to be the consideration of the veto. (consideration: CR H212)
  7. Jan 8, 2026POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the veto message of the President to H.R. 131, the Chair put the question on will the House, on reconsideration, pass the bill, the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding. Under the Constitution, the vote must be taken by the yeas and nays. Further proceedings were postponed until a time to be announced.
  8. Jan 8, 2026DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House of January 2, 2026, the unfinished business is the further consideration of the veto message of the President on H.R. 131. The House proceeded with one hour of debate on the objections of the President to the contrary notwithstanding. (consideration: CR H205-208)
  9. Jan 8, 2026The Chair laid before the House the veto message from the President.
  10. Jan 2, 2026POSTPONED CONSIDERATION OF VETO MESSAGE - The Chair announced that further consideration of the veto message and the bill, H.R. 131, is postponed until the legislative day of January 8, 2026. Agreed to without objection.
  11. Jan 2, 2026The Chair announced that the objections of the President to H.R. 131 would be spread at large upon the Journal and the veto message would be printed as a House Document (119-119).
  12. Jan 2, 2026The Chair laid before the House the veto message from the President.
  13. Dec 29, 2025Vetoed by President.
  14. Dec 29, 2025Vetoed by President.
  15. Dec 18, 2025Presented to President.
  16. Dec 18, 2025Presented to President.
  17. Dec 16, 2025Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote. (consideration: CR S8766-8768)
  18. Dec 16, 2025Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  19. Jul 21, 2025Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  20. Jul 21, 2025On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3497-3498)
  21. Jul 21, 2025Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H3497-3498)
  22. Jul 10, 2025Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-187.
  23. Jul 10, 2025Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-187.
  24. Jun 25, 2025Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute by Unanimous Consent.
  25. Jan 3, 2025Introduced in House
  26. Jan 3, 2025Introduced in House

The original text

Read it for yourself.

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Sources & provenance

Congress.govrefreshed 9 days ago

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