AWRC Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Advancing Water Research and Collaboration Act updates the Water Resources Research Act. It authorizes $16 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2029 and directs that 20 percent of available funds under that authorization support specified research beyond single-state concerns. Eligible subjects include regional or interstate problems, priorities jointly identified by the Secretary and institutes, and interstate problems identified by Congress. The declaration of purpose specifically includes the artificial-intelligence industry among private-industry collaborators.
Who Benefits and How
Water resources research institutes and university researchers gain a renewed authorization and a defined allocation for cross-border research. Water users and communities confronting shared water problems may benefit from the resulting work. Artificial-intelligence companies are expressly recognized as possible collaborators, but the bill does not earmark grants for a named company or confer water rights on data centers.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Department of the Interior administrators and participating institutes must allocate and administer research funds within the revised structure. Institutes seeking grants must continue to meet the applicable research and cost-sharing framework. The authorization does not itself supply money; actual awards depend on appropriations. At full annual authorized funding, the 20 percent allocation would be $3.2 million, not an additional authorization on top of $16 million.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes $16 million annually for water research institutes in fiscal years 2026 through 2029.
- Requires 20 percent of available authorized funds to support the specified regional and interstate research categories.
- Adds artificial-intelligence industry collaboration to the statutory declaration of purpose.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reauthorize water research institutes at $16 million annually for 2026-2029 and reserve 20 percent for specified regional and interstate research.
Key Policy Areas
Water Resources, Science
Primary Purpose
Reauthorize water research institutes at $16 million annually for 2026-2029 and reserve 20 percent for specified regional and interstate research.
Policy Domains
AWRC Act of 2025
Identified Gains
- Water resources research institutes
- University researchers
Identified Costs
- Department of the Interior
- Participating research grant applicants
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedReceived in the Senate and Read twice and referred to …
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without …
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, …
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules …
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate …
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5575-5576)
Mr. Westerman moved to suspend the rules and pass the …
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 665.
Reported by the Committee on Natural Resources. H. Rept. 119-764.
Additional sponsors: Ms. Pingree, Mr. Shreve, Mrs. Kiggans of Virginia, …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "industry"
- → Private industry including artificial-intelligence companies
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "institutes"
- → Water resources research and technology institutes
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology