Ami Bera: “This is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill…”

“This is the final amendment to the bill. It will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended. Mr. Speaker, we are in the midst of the worst drought we have ever experienced in California, in my home State, and across the Western United States. This is the fourth year of unprecedented drought conditions. Two-thirds of California is in extreme or exceptional drought. Almost twice the area as this time last year is experiencing exceptional drought. This is critical. When I go back to my district and talk to farmers, small-business owners, individuals, they are worried; they are worried about what the summer is going to bring. We are about to enter the driest part of the year. I have got a picture here. This is the Sierra Nevadas, one of the most beautiful regions in our country. When my wife and I first moved to northern California, we would scrimp and save so we could go on vacation and go skiing up here--beautiful snow. In fact, the 1960 Winter Olympics were held up here. But it is not a recreational area. What the Sierra Nevadas mean to California, this is our biggest reservoir of water. The snow falls in the winter, and in the springtime you get this melt-off. It fills our reservoirs; it nourishes our farmers; it allows the fishermen to go fish the salmon in the Sacramento River. This is what a normal snowfall would look like. But let's fast-forward to where we are today.…”