Water Justice Act
Latest action · Sep 4, 2019 Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedJul 25, 2019
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Water Justice Act
This bill addresses affordable access to clean water by establishing, expanding, or extending various programs or requirements related to drinking water infrastructure, water pollution control, water supply, water recycling, water efficiency, or conservation programs.
Specifically, the bill provides $50 billion in FY2020 supplemental appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for programs that reduce contaminants of concern in drinking water, such as grant programs for lead testing or remediation efforts in schools, child care programs, or high-risk communities. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules.
Each year, the EPA must obligate specified amounts of funding for several water infrastructure programs, including state revolving fund programs and grant programs for managing or controlling water pollution.
The EPA must also establish a grant program to help communities that serve environmentally at-risk households and low-income households afford the costs for remediating contaminated drinking water. Further, the Department of Health and Human Services may make grants to states to assist low-income households in meeting their needs for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services.
In addition, the EPA must promulgate an interim national primary drinking water regulation for perfluoroalkyl or polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, which may have adverse human health effects.
Finally, the bill establishes or reauthorizes a variety of programs that provide financial support for water supply projects, water recycling or reuse projects, rural water systems, water efficiency improvements, or conservation programs.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Jul 25, 2019.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Original | Jul 25, 2019 |
Committees 6
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2019 |
| Environment Subcommittee | Referred Jul 26, 2019 | |
| House | Budget Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2019 |
| House | Ways and Means Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2019 |
| House | Natural Resources Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2019 |
| Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee | Referred Aug 30, 2019 | |
| House | Agriculture Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2019 |
| Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development Subcommittee | Referred Sep 4, 2019 | |
| House | Transportation and Infrastructure Committee | Referred Jul 25, 2019 |
| Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee | Referred Jul 26, 2019 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Sep 4, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.
- Aug 30, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
- Jul 26, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
- Jul 26, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change.
- Jul 25, 2019Introduced in House
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 126, July 25, 2019, page H7470.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R46308 | Bureau of Reclamation Rural Water Projects Archived | Report | Apr 7, 2020 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 1162 | Water Recycling Investment and Improvement Act | Related bill | Dec 18, 2020 |
| S 2466 | Water Justice Act | Identical bill | Sep 11, 2019 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To provide supplemental appropriations for safe and secure water, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Water Justice Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Environmental Protection.
- Air quality
- Alaska
- Appropriations
- Arizona
- Building construction
- California
- Child care and development
- Climate change and greenhouse gases
- Colorado
- Congressional oversight
- Ecology
- Educational facilities and institutions
- Elementary and secondary education
- Energy efficiency and conservation
- Environmental health
- Environmental Protection
- Food assistance and relief
- Hawaii
- Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
- Hunting and fishing
- Idaho
- Income tax exclusion
- Infrastructure development
- Kansas
- Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Poverty and welfare assistance
- Public participation and lobbying
- Public utilities and utility rates
- Residential rehabilitation and home repair
- Rural conditions and development
- Solid waste and recycling
- South Dakota
- State and local finance
- Texas
- Utah
- Washington State
- Water quality
- Water resources funding
- Water use and supply
- Watersheds
- Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
- Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
- Wyoming
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 25, 2019Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
