S 3642 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To enhance the capacity of the United States Government to fully implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 and to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation throughout the world.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

September 27 (legislative day, September 17), 2008CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. CORKER, Mr. KERRY, and Mrs. MURRAY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign RelationsCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To enhance the capacity of the United States Government to fully implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 and to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation throughout the world.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Enhancement Act of 2008’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) makes access to safe water and sanitation for developing countries a specific policy objective of United States foreign assistance programs;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) requires the Secretary of State to--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) develop a strategy to elevate the role of water and sanitation policy; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) improve the effectiveness of United States assistance programs undertaken in support of that strategy;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) codifies Target 10 of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) seeks to reduce the proportion of people who are unable to reach or afford safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 50 percent by 2015.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) On December 20, 2006, the United Nations General Assembly, in GA Resolution 61/192, declared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation, in recognition of the impact of sanitation on public health, poverty reduction, economic and social development, and the environment.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) On August 1, 2008, Congress passed H. Con. Res. 318, which--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) supports the goals and ideals of the International Year of Sanitation; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) recognizes the importance of sanitation on public health, poverty reduction, economic and social development, and the environment.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(4) While progress is being made on safe water and sanitation efforts--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) more than 884,000,000 people throughout the world lack access to safe drinking water; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) 2 of every 5 people in the world do not have access to basic sanitation services.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(5) The health consequences of unsafe drinking water and poor sanitation are staggering, accounting for--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) nearly 10 percent of the global burden of disease; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) more than 2,000,000 deaths each year.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(6) The effects of climate change are expected to produce severe consequences for water availability and resource management in the future, with 2,800,000,000 people in more than 48 countries expected to face severe and chronic water shortages by 2025.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(7) The impact of water scarcity on conflict and instability is evident in many parts of the world, including the Darfur region of Sudan, where demand for water resources has contributed to armed conflict between nomadic ethnic groups and local farming communities.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(8) In order to further the United States contribution to safe water and sanitation efforts, it is necessary to--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) expand foreign assistance capacity to address the challenges described in this section; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) represent issues related to water and sanitation at the highest levels of United States foreign assistance deliberations, including deliberations related to issues of global health, food security, the environment, global warming, and maternal and child mortality.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

The purpose of this Act is to enhance the capacity of the United States Government to fully implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 4. DEVELOPING UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CAPACITY.

Section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151h) is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(e) Office of Water-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT- To carry out the purposes of subsection (a), the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall establish the Office of Water.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) LEADERSHIP- The Office of Water shall be headed by an Assistant Administrator for Safe Water and Sanitation, who shall report directly to the Administrator.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) DUTIES- The Assistant Administrator shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) implement this section and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) place primary emphasis on providing safe, affordable, and sustainable drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(f) Bureau of International Water-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT- To increase the capacity of the Department of State to address international issues regarding safe water, sanitation, and other international water programs, the Secretary of State shall establish the Bureau for International Water within the Office of the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs (referred to in this subsection as the ‘Bureau’).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) DUTIES- The Bureau shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) oversee and coordinate the diplomatic policy of the United States Government with respect to global freshwater issues, including--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) access to safe drinking water and sanitation;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) river basin and watershed management;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) transboundary conflict;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iv) agricultural and urban productivity of water resources;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(v) pollution mitigation; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(vi) adaptation to hydrologic change due to climate variability; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) ensure that international freshwater issues are represented--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) within the United States Government; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) in key diplomatic, development, and scientific efforts with other nations and multilateral organizations.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 5. SAFE WATER AND SANITATION STRATEGY.

Section 6(e) of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘and’ at the end;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(7) an assessment of the extent to which the United States Government’s efforts are reaching the goal described in section 135(a)(2) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152h(a)(2)); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(8) recommendations on what the United States Government would need to do to help achieve the goal referred to in paragraph (7) if the United States Government’s efforts were proportional to its share of the world’s economy.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 6. DEVELOPING LOCAL CAPACITY.

The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) by redesignating sections 9, 10, and 11 as sections 10, 11, and 12, respectively; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) by inserting after section 8 the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

‘SEC. 9. WATER AND SANITATION MANAGERS TRAINING PROGRAM.

‘(a) Establishment-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development shall establish, in every priority country, a program to train local, in-country water and sanitation managers, and other officials of countries that receive assistance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to promote the capacity of recipient governments to provide affordable, equitable, and sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) COORDINATION- The program established under subsection (a) shall be coordinated by the lead country water manager designated in subsection (c)(2).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) EXPANSION- The Secretary and Administrator may establish the program described in this section in additional countries if the receipt of such training would be most beneficial, with due consideration given to good governance.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(b) Designation- The United States Chief of Mission within each country receiving a ‘high priority’ designation under section 6(f) shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) designate safe drinking water and sanitation as a strategic objective;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) appoint an in-country water and sanitation manager within the Mission to coordinate the in-country implementation of this Act and section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 with local water managers, local government officials, the Department of State, and the Office of Water of the United States Agency for International Development; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) coordinate with the Development Credit Authority and the Global Development Alliance to further the purposes of this Act.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 7. GRANTS FOR LOW COST CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION TECHNOLOGIES.

Section 135(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. 2152h(c)) is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘and’ at the end;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(3) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(5) provide grants through the United States Agency for International Development to foster the development of low cost and sustainable technologies for providing clean water and sanitation that are suitable for use in high priority countries, particularly in places with limited resources and infrastructure.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 8. UPDATED REPORT REGARDING WATER FOR PEACE AND SECURITY.

Section 11(b) of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005, as redesignated by section 6, is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘The report submitted under this subsection shall include an assessment of current and likely future political tensions over water sources and an assessment of the expected impacts of global climate change on water supplies in 10, 25, and 50 years.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There are authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2009 and each subsequent fiscal year such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 10. CONSTRUCTION.

This Act shall be implemented in a manner consistent with the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121). Nothing in this Act shall be construed in such a way as to override or take precedence over the implementation of that Act.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink