The 113th Congress adjourned sine die on December 16 following a series of Senate votes on pending executive branch nominees. Barring unforeseen circumstances, lawmakers will not return to Washington until after the New Year.
While passage of the WIFIA pilot program likely stands as the session’s most notable water policy achievement, other legislation – such as bills proposing tougher oversight of chemical storage facilities upstream from water treatment plants and assistance to help water utilities adapt to climate change – expired as lawmakers headed home. These proposals will now have to be reintroduced in Congress next year.
Members of the House and Senate are due back in Washington on January 6, when the 114th Congress is scheduled to get underway.