Update September 28, 2016: A bipartisan amendment to provide $170 million in emergency funding for Flint, Michigan was introduced yesterday and was added to the bill on a 284 to 141 vote.

This bill would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out projects aimed at improving the nation’s harbors, locks, dams, flood protection, and other water resources infrastructure. It would provide $5 billion in funding for Corps activities which would be offset by de-authorizing $5 billion in funding for projects that had been approved but have since been de-prioritized.

The legislation would authorize a variety of navigation, flood risk management, hurricane and storm damage, ecosystem restoration, and recreation or riverline shoreline projects in the following states: Arkansas, California, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Assistance for states would be available to go toward water conservation during drought emergencies, flood damage reduction projects, and combined funding for drainage basins, watersheds, or ecosystems that encompass multiple states.

Funding for flood management could be granted in installments in the form of credits or reimbursements as portions of a project are completed. The Corps would be able to accept non-federal funds to revise reservoir operations based on flood-risk and navigational concerns. Non-federal interests (such as states or cities) that partially fund a flood damage reduction project would be able to receive a credit instead of a reimbursement for covering the federal share of a project for a longer period of time.

This legislation would require that priority funding be used for operation and maintenance projects at emerging harbors. Increased funding for commercial navigation costs would be provided beginning in fiscal year 2027.