{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.burr.senate.gov/press/releases/legislation-protecting-western-nc-houseboats-passes-senate", "Legislation Protecting Western N.C. Houseboats Passes Senate", "2016-12-10", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "NC", "Richard Burr", "B001135", "www.burr.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.10.16\n\t\t\t Legislation Protecting Western N.C. Houseboats Passes Senate \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON \u2013 Oversight, the Senate passed Senator Richard Burr\u2019s (R-NC) and Senator Thom Tillis\u2019 (R-NC) legislation to prevent the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) from banning houseboats on Lake Fontana and Hiwasee Lake. TVA\u2019s original proposed ban on houseboats would affect nearly 400 houseboat owners in Western North Carolina. The language was included in the Water Resources Development compromise bill which is now headed to President Obama\u2019s desk.\r\n\u201cThis legislation will prevent the Tennessee Valley Authority from kicking people out of their homes,\u201d said Senator Burr. \u201cI want to thank Congressman Mark Meadows for his work on this issue in the House. Many of these families have been living on the water for decades and I am glad they will get to remain in their homes.\u201d\r\n\u201cI\u2019m proud the Senate was able to advance this important piece of legislation,\u201d said Senator Tillis. \u201cI want to thank Senator Burr and Congressman Meadows for their hard work to ensure that houseboat owners on Fontana Lake won't lose their homes.\u201d\r\nIn August, Senator Burr wrote a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority urging the agency to reconsider this proposal which would effectively ban houseboats in some parts of Western North Carolina. The full signed letter is available online\u00a0here.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.burr.senate.gov/press/releases/legislation-protecting-western-nc-houseboats-passes-senate"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0617920197546482, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}