Sponsors (6)
The bill centralizes and secures non‑Federal conservation funds and improves transparency for the Lower Colorado River program, but it limits flexible access to investment earnings and creates investment/timing risks that could shift costs to taxpayers or delay spending.
State and local governments and rural communities will have their prior and future non‑Federal contributions held in a dedicated Treasury account, making those funds available to implement the Lower Colorado River Multi‑Species Conservation Program without further appropriation.
Consolidating prior unexpended contributions into a single account improves transparency and tracking of non‑Federal cost‑share funds for the conservation program, aiding oversight by state and local governments.
State and local governments can earn interest on the Fund through investment in U.S. interest‑bearing obligations, potentially preserving or modestly increasing program resources over time.
Taxpayers could be exposed to financial risk because State Parties are not liable for investment losses, so poor Fund investment performance may shift losses to the federal government or taxpayers.
State and local governments' ability to use interest earnings is constrained because interest is only available to spend if Congress appropriates it, which can limit program flexibility and delay use of accumulated interest.
Transfers from the Treasury general fund and investment of Fund balances create timing and administrative risks that could delay program expenditures for state and local governments.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Creates an interest-bearing Non-Federal Funding Account in the U.S. Treasury to hold and manage non-Federal contributions for the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program. The bill directs the Treasury to transfer prior unexpended non-Federal contributions into the account, to deposit future non-Federal contributions into it, allows limited investment of idle balances in U.S. obligations, and makes deposited amounts available to the Secretary for the Program under the Program Documents; interest earnings require appropriation to be spent.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Ken Calvert · Last progress March 17, 2026