{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-padilla-introduce-bill-to-support-desalination-and-safe-drinking-water/", "Cornyn, Padilla Introduce Bill to Support Desalination and Safe Drinking Water", "2026-08-17", "2026", "2026-08", "Republican", "Senate", "TX", "John Cornyn", "C001056", "www.cornyn.senate.gov", "cornyn", "https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/news/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Alex Padilla (D-CA) introduced the Desalination Reauthorization Act, which would support desalination efforts by reauthorizing the Bureau of Reclamation\u2019s authority to provide grants for desalination projects and new technology research ahead of its expiration on Dec. 16, 2026:\n\n\u201cAs communities throughout Texas continue to face devastating drought conditions, it\u2019s crucial that we make investments in water infrastructure improvements to ensure our state has enough water to meet demands,\u201d said Sen. Cornyn. \u201cI\u2019m proud to join Senator Padilla in introducing the Desalination Reauthorization Act, which would authorize desalination grant programs to help construct more ocean and brackish-water desalination facilities to ensure long-term water supply.\u201d\n\n\u201cAccess to safe and clean drinking water is a human right, and investments in desalination programs will help us provide drinking water to millions of Americans in need,\u201d said Sen. Padilla. \u201cOur bill will guarantee research and development of new avenues for safe, clean drinking water so that California can adapt to growing environmental pressures.\u201d\n\nBackground:\n\nThe Desalination Reauthorization Act would extend the programmatic approval of the Bureau of Reclamation to fund desalination projects, which is set to expire this year. If this expires, Congress would have to pass another bill to authorize new desalination projects, leading to delays in projects and increased costs. By allowing these projects to run smoothly, the Southwest will be able to fight droughts by reinforcing local supplies, providing flexibility during water shortages, and expanding the water supply.\n\nThe Desalination Reauthorization Act would:", 1, "2026-08-18T05:27:41Z", "2026-08-18T05:29:06Z"]], "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.cornyn.senate.gov/news/cornyn-padilla-introduce-bill-to-support-desalination-and-safe-drinking-water/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 8.691527880728245, "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"}