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III. LEGISLATIVE ACTIVITIES I'\) *'" o w Four different bills on Colorado River salinity control before the Second session of the 98th US,CongJ:"ess made 1984 a very busy legislative year for USDA. These bills were S.1842, S.752, HR ~790 and HR 3903. ,(See the 1983 USDA Annual report for further explanations. ) Two bills, S .1842 and HR 3903 related specifically to authorization of a separate and voluntary USDA onfarm, Colorado River, Salinity Control (CRSC) prograin. The other bills, HR,2790and. S.752, " amended, the existing Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974, PL-93-320; These later two bill!! also included provisions:for a voluntary USDA onfarm program. HR 2790, was eventually passed by the US Congress and signed into law on October 30, 1984 as PL-98-S69. [A copy of PL-98-569, amendments to the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act of 1974, is inclu4ed as Appendix 1.) In addition to numerous briefings with various Congressional,staffs , at)d staff representatives of both House and Senate Committees related to Agriculture and Interior Programs, USDA also provided supporting' 'testimony at various committee hearings. On April 3, 1984, Richard D. Siegel, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Natural Resources and, Environment, testified on HR:2i90 in behalf of USDA, before ,the House Subcommittee on Water and Power Resources of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs. With several amendments suggested by USDA, Hr. Siegel ' testified in support of the enactment of'HR 2790. HR 2790 would essentially provide the necessary legislative authority USDA and the'Reagan Administration needed to support the FY 1984 and ~985 budget requests for a coordinated USDA Colorado River Salinity Control Program (CRSC). The numerous technical and editorial amendments presented by Hr. Siegel were' eventual1y adopted and, incorporated into' PL-9'8-569. On April 3,1985, Deputy Assistant Secretary Siegel testified on 8.1842 and H.R.3903 before the Senate Subcommittee on ,Soil and Water . Conservation, Forestry, and Environment of the Committee' on' Agriculture, IIlutrition and Forestry. ' H.R. 3903 had a1readypassed,the House of Representatives and had been referred to the Senate agriculture committee. Both of these bills were introduced on behalf of the Reagan Administration and USDA to provide the legislative authority for the FY 1984 and 1985 budget requests. Hr. Siegel's testimony was again favorable and supportive, however one minor editorial amendment was proposed. H.R. 3903 was eventually acted upon by the Senate agriculture committee and moved to the Senate floor for action. HR 3903 eventually died when H.R. 2790 passed and was enacted into law as PL-98-569. H.R. 2790 was not enacted without some last minute controversial issues. Senator Hetzenbaum (Ohio) had sought and eventually secured increased non-federal cost-share support from the Colorado River basin states and individual USDA program participants. The Environmental Policy Institute, WaShington, D.C., and the National Wildlife -6-