To improve efforts of the United States Government to ensure that developing countries have affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation, and for other purposes.

Summary: Global Water Access and Equity Act - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish within the Department of State a Coordinator of United States Government Diplomatic Initiatives to Provide Safe Water and Sanitation Globally, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Directs the Coordinator to: (1) be the Secretary of State's principal advisor on efforts to ensure that developing countries have affordable and equitable access to safe water and sanitation; and (2) monitor U.S. diplomatic policy and formulate ways in which such policy may be used to further the goal of ensuring that developing countries have access to safe water and sanitation, including the objectives expressed in the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005.

Amends the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 to establish within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a Bureau for Global Water Aid which shall be responsible for the oversight and coordination of all activities to provide safe water and sanitation to developing countries.

Expresses the sense of Congress that U.S. policy should promote more efficient use of existing water supplies in developing countries, as well as the development of additional reliable water supplies.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Global Water Access and Equity 
Act''.

SEC. 2. INTERNATIONAL WATER ISSUES DIPLOMATIC COORDINATOR.

    Section 1 of the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 (22 
U.S.C. 2651a) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (h); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(g) International Water Issues Diplomatic Coordinator.--
            ``(1) Establishment of position.--There is established 
        within the Department of State in the immediate office of the 
        Secretary of State a Coordinator of United States Government 
        Diplomatic Initiatives to Provide Safe Water and Sanitation 
        Globally (in this subsection referred to as the `Coordinator'), 
        who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice 
        and consent of the Senate. The Coordinator shall report 
        directly to the Secretary.
            ``(2) Duties.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Coordinator shall perform 
                such duties and exercise such powers as the Secretary 
                of State shall prescribe.
                    ``(B) Specific duties.--
                            ``(i) Advising the secretary of state.--The 
                        Coordinator shall be the Secretary of State's 
                        principal advisor on efforts of the United 
                        States Government to ensure that developing 
                        countries have affordable and equitable access 
                        to safe water and sanitation.
                            ``(ii) Monitoring united states diplomatic 
                        policy.--The Coordinator shall monitor the 
                        diplomatic policy of the United States 
                        Government and shall formulate ways in which 
                        such policy may be used to further the goal of 
                        ensuring that developing countries have access 
                        to safe water and sanitation, including the 
                        objectives expressed in the Senator Paul Simon 
                        Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (22 U.S.C. 2152h 
                        note) and the amendments made by that Act.
            ``(3) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the 
        term `safe water' means water for drinking, household use, and 
        crop irrigation.''.

SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION OF GLOBAL WATER AID.

    (a) Bureau for Global Water Aid.--The Senator Paul Simon Water for 
the Poor Act of 2005 (22 U.S.C. 2152h note) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 11 as section 12; and
            (2) by inserting after section 10 the following new 
        section:

``SEC. 11. BUREAU FOR GLOBAL WATER AID.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the United States 
Agency for International Development a Bureau for Global Water Aid (in 
this section referred to as the `Bureau').
    ``(b) Assistant Administrator.--The Bureau shall be headed by an 
Assistant Administrator for Global Water Aid (in this section referred 
to as the `Assistant Administrator'), who shall be appointed by the 
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The 
Assistant Administrator shall report directly to the Administrator of 
the United States Agency for International Development.
    ``(c) Duties of Assistant Administrator.--The Assistant 
Administrator shall be responsible for the oversight and coordination 
of all United States Government activities to provide safe water and 
sanitation to developing countries, including implementation of this 
Act and the amendments made by this Act.
    ``(d) Staff.--The Bureau shall be staffed by such persons as the 
Assistant Administrator considers necessary to carry out the 
responsibilities of the Assistant Administrator.''.
    (b) Authorization Under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.--
            (1) Authorization.--Subsection (b) of the second section 
        135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152h(b)), 
        as added by section 5(a) of the Senator Paul Simon Water for 
        the Poor Act of 2005 (22 U.S.C. 2152h note), is amended by 
        inserting after ``the President'' the following: ``, acting 
        through the Assistant Administrator for Global Water Aid,''.
            (2) Definition.--Such section is further amended by adding 
        at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(e) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `safe 
water' means water for drinking, household use, and crop irrigation.''.
            (3) Redesignation and conforming amendments.--
                    (A) Redesignation.--Chapter 1 of part I of the 
                Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) 
                is amended by redesignating the second section 135 (22 
                U.S.C. 2152h), as added by section 5(a) of the Senator 
                Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (22 U.S.C. 
                2152h note), as section 136.
                    (B) Conforming amendments.--The Senator Paul Simon 
                Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (22 U.S.C. 2152h note) 
                is amended by striking ``section 135'' each place it 
                appears and inserting ``section 136''.
    (c) Authorization Under the Agricultural Trade Development and 
Assistance Act of 1954.--Section 104(c)(9) of the Agricultural Trade 
Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1704(c)(9)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``section 135'' and inserting ``section 
        136''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new sentence: ``For 
        purposes of this paragraph, the term `safe water' means water 
        for drinking, household use, and crop irrigation.''.
    (d) Division of Responsibility Under the Senator Paul Simon Water 
for the Poor Act of 2005.--
            (1) Safe water and sanitation strategy.--Section 6 of the 
        Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (22 U.S.C. 
        2152h note) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (c), by striking ``Secretary of 
                State, acting through the Administrator of the United 
                States Agency for International Development,'' and 
                inserting ``Administrator of the United States Agency 
                for International Development'';
                    (B) in subsection (g)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking 
                        ``Secretary of State'' and inserting 
                        ``Administrator of the United States Agency for 
                        International Development''; and
                            (ii) in paragraph (3)(A), by striking 
                        ``Committee on International Relations'' and 
                        inserting ``Committee on Foreign Affairs''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                subsection:
    ``(h) Definition.--For purposes of this Act, the term `safe water' 
means water for drinking, household use, and crop irrigation.''.
            (2) Sense of congress regarding development of local 
        capacity.--Section 8 of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2152h note) is 
        amended by striking ``Secretary of State'' and inserting 
        ``Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development''.
            (3) Report regarding water for peace and security.--Section 
        10(b) of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2152h note) is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``The Secretary of State, in 
                consultation with the Administrator of the United 
                States Agency for International Development,'' and 
                inserting ``The Administrator of the United States 
                Agency for International Development, in consultation 
                with the Secretary of State,''; and
                    (B) by striking ``Committee on International 
                Relations'' and inserting ``Committee on Foreign 
                Affairs''.
            (4) Further division of responsibility.--Such Act (22 
        U.S.C. 2152h note) is further amended--
                    (A) by redesignating section 12 (as redesignated by 
                subsection (a) of this section) as section 13; and
                    (B) by inserting after section 11 the following new 
                section:

``SEC. 12. DIVISION OF RESPONSIBILITY.

    ``(a) Coordination.--In overseeing and coordinating United States 
Government activities to provide safe water and sanitation to 
developing countries, the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development shall coordinate with the Secretary of State 
to ensure that the manner of carrying out such activities is consistent 
with the overall diplomatic policy of the United States. The Secretary 
of State shall, to the maximum extent feasible, make such activities a 
priority of the diplomatic policy of the United States.
    ``(b) Rule of Construction.--For purposes of sections 6 through 10 
and subsection (a) of this section--
            ``(1) any reference to the Secretary of State shall be 
        deemed to be a reference to the Secretary of State, acting 
        through the Coordinator of United States Government Diplomatic 
        Initiatives to Provide Safe Water and Sanitation Globally, 
        established by section 1(g) of the State Department Basic 
        Authorities Act of 1956; and
            ``(2) any reference to the Administrator of the United 
        States Agency for International Development shall be deemed to 
        be a reference to the Administrator of the United States Agency 
        for International Development, acting through the Assistant 
        Administrator for Global Water Aid, established by section 11 
        of this Act.''.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON PROMOTION OF EFFICIENT USE OF WATER.

    It is the sense of Congress that the policy of the United States 
Government should promote more efficient use of existing water supplies 
in developing countries (including through superior methods of 
irrigation), as well as the development of additional reliable water 
supplies.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated for each 
of the fiscal years 2012 through 2016 such sums as may be necessary to 
carry out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
    (b) Other Amounts.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations in subsection (a) shall be in addition 
to the amounts otherwise available to carry out this Act and the 
amendments made by this Act.
    (c) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations in subsection (a) are authorized to 
remain available until expended.