I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1429 

Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for the Drinking 

Water State Revolving Funds, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2019 

Ms. WATERS (for herself, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Ms. MOORE, Mr. SIRES, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 

GARCI ́A of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. OMAR, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. COHEN, Mr. CLEAVER, Mrs. 

TORRES of California, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. MCGOVERN, 

Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. LEE of California, Ms. JOHNSON of 

Texas, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. NORTON, and Mr. SABLAN) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee 

on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2019 for 

the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Drinking Water Infra5 structure for Job Creation Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Investments in infrastructure create jobs 

4 while fulfilling critical needs in communities 

5 throughout the United States. 

6 (2) According to the Brookings Institution, 

7 nearly 14.5 million workers—11 percent of the U.S. 

8 workforce—were employed in infrastructure jobs in 

9 2013. 

10 (3) According to data from the Brookings Insti11 tution, infrastructure occupations often provide more 

12 competitive and equitable wages in comparison to all 

13 jobs nationally, consistently paying up to 30 percent 

14 more to low-income workers. 

15 (4) The American Society of Civil Engineers 

16 gave the infrastructure of the United States an over17 all grade of ‘‘D+’’ in 2017 and estimated that the 

18 United States will need to invest $4.59 trillion by 

19 2025 in order to improve the condition of the Na20 tion’s infrastructure and bring it to a state of good 

21 repair. 

22 (5) The American Society of Civil Engineers as23 signed a ‘‘D’’ grade to the Nation’s drinking water 

24 infrastructure and a ‘‘D+’’ grade to the Nation’s 

25 wastewater infrastructure and estimated that the 


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1 United States will need to invest $150 billion by 

2 2025 to bring them to a state of good repair. 

3 (6) According to the American Society of Civil 

4 Engineers, there are an estimated 240,000 water 

5 main breaks per year in the United States, wasting 

6 over two trillion gallons of treated drinking water. 

7 (7) In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection 

8 Agency (EPA) reported that although exposure to 

9 lead can cause serious health problems, including 

10 damage to the brain and nervous system in children 

11 and kidney problems and high blood pressure in 

12 adults, an estimated 6.5 to 10 million homes nation13 wide receive drinking water through lead service 

14 lines. 

15 (8) Congress created the Drinking Water State 

16 Revolving Funds in 1996 to help eligible public 

17 water systems finance infrastructure projects in 

18 order to comply with Federal drinking water regula19 tions and meet the health objectives of the Safe 

20 Drinking Water Act. 

21 (9) The EPA is required periodically to conduct 

22 a survey of the capital improvement needs of eligible 

23 public water systems and distribute funding appro24 priated for the Drinking Water State Revolving 


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1 Funds among the States based on the results of the 

2 most recent survey. 

3 (10) In March of 2018, the EPA issued the 

4 2015 Drinking Water Needs Survey and Assess5 ment, which is the most recent survey of the capital 

6 improvement needs of eligible public water systems 

7 and which estimated that $472.6 billion in improve8 ments are needed for the Nation’s drinking water in9 frastructure over 20 years in order to ensure the 

10 safety of drinking water. 

11 (11) In fiscal year 2018, Congress appropriated 

12 $1.163 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolv13 ing Funds to enable States to provide grants and fi14 nancing assistance to eligible public water systems in 

15 order to improve drinking water infrastructure in 

16 communities throughout the United States. 

17 (12) Past appropriations for the Drinking 

18 Water State Revolving Funds are not sufficient to 

19 address the tremendous need for investments in 

20 drinking water infrastructure in communities 

21 throughout the United States. 

22 (13) Appropriating $7.5 billion in fiscal year 

23 2019 for the Drinking Water State Revolving 

24 Funds, and allowing the funds to remain available 

25 for 6 years, will enable States to begin immediately 


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1 to expand investments in drinking water infrastruc2 ture in communities throughout the United States. 

3 (14) Restricting appropriations for the Drink4 ing Water State Revolving Funds through the use of 

5 arbitrary budget caps or sequestration undermines 

6 economic recovery and job creation efforts; disrupts 

7 planning by States, local communities, and eligible 

8 public water systems; and leaves critical infrastruc9 ture needs unmet. 

10 (15) Emergency supplemental appropriations 

11 for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, pro12 vided in addition to other appropriations and not 

13 subject to sequestration, will improve drinking water 

14 infrastructure and create jobs throughout the United 

15 States without reducing funding for other domestic 

16 priorities. 

17 (16) An emergency supplemental appropriation 

18 of $7.5 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolv19 ing Funds to be made available in fiscal year 2019, 

20 and to remain available for 6 years, will allow States 

21 to begin immediately to distribute funds to eligible 

22 public water systems and allow local communities 

23 and eligible public water systems to develop and im24 plement plans to improve drinking water infrastrucVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:57 Feb 28, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1429.IH H1429

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1 ture, thus ensuring an efficient use of funds and 

2 timely job creation. 

3 SEC. 3. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DRINK4 ING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUNDS. 

5 The following sums are appropriated, out of any 

6 money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for fis7 cal year 2019: 

8 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

9 STATE AND TRIBAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS

10 For an additional amount for capitalization grants 

11 under section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act in ac12 cordance with the provisions under this heading in title 

13 VII of division A of Public Law 111–5, $7,500,000,000, 

14 to remain available through September 30, 2024: Pro15 vided, That the amount under this heading is designated 

16 by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant 

17 to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and 

18 Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, except that such 

19 amount shall be available only if the President subse20 quently so designates such amount and transmits such 

21 designation to the Congress. 


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1 SEC. 4. EXEMPTION FROM SEQUESTRATION. 

2 The appropriation in section 3 shall be exempt from 

3 sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

4 Deficit Control Act of 1985. 

Æ 


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