HR 302
Advanced toward a vote
Bars the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from requiring people to transfer water rights to the federal government as a condition of land use permits, leases, or other agreements.
Official title: Water Rights Protection Act
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
House
Introduced
09-JAN-2025
Referred
09-JAN-2025
Approved by committee
12-FEB-2025
Reported
25-NOV-2025
On the calendar
25-NOV-2025
- Prohibits the Secretaries from conditioning permits, leases, or other land use agreements on transferring water rights to the United States, directly or indirectly.
- Bars requiring water users, including federally recognized Indian Tribes, to hold water rights in the federal government's name under State law.
- Requires the Secretaries to recognize State authority over water use and prevents federal actions from imposing greater restrictions than State water law.
- Leaves in place Bureau of Reclamation contracts, Endangered Species Act duties, federal reserved water rights, tribal water rights, and interstate water compacts.
Covers an older version. The newest CRS summary describes the bill as of "Introduced in House" (09-JAN-2025); the text has changed since (Reported in House, 25-NOV-2025).
CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.gov- Agriculture Committee (House)
- Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology Subcommittee
- Natural Resources Committee (House)
Public Lands and Natural Resources
■ 6 R
6 Republicans