S. 1689 

One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE FIRST SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and nineteen 

An Act 

To permit States to transfer certain funds from the clean water revolving fund 

of a State to the drinking water revolving fund of the State in certain circumstances, and for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. TRANSFER AUTHORITY. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

(1) lead is a toxic chemical that— 

(A) is particularly harmful to young children; and 

(B) can cause reduced intelligence quotients, attention 

disorders, and other serious health problems; 

(2) excessive and harmful levels of lead have been found 

in water systems across all 50 States and those water systems 

serve drinking water to millions of people in the United States; 

(3) hundreds of the water systems described in paragraph 

(2) are water systems that provide drinking water to schools 

or day care centers; 

(4) not all States have sufficient funds in the drinking 

water revolving fund of that State to address the threat to 

public health from heightened exposure to lead in drinking 

water; and 

(5) some States have available funds in the clean water 

revolving fund of that State that could be used to provide 

additional resources to help address lead in drinking water. 

(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

(1) CLEAN WATER REVOLVING FUND.—The term ‘‘clean water 

revolving fund’’ means a State water pollution control revolving 

fund established under title VI of the Federal Water Pollution 

Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.). 

(2) DRINKING WATER REVOLVING FUND.—The term ‘‘drinking 

water revolving fund’’ means a State drinking water treatment 

revolving loan fund established under section 1452 of the Safe 

Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12). 

(c) AUTHORITY.—In addition to the transfer authority in section 

302(a) of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 (42 

U.S.C. 300j–12 note; Public Law 104–182), and notwithstanding 

section 1452(d) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j– 

12(d)), during the 1-year period beginning on the date of enactment 

of this Act, if a State, in consultation with the Administrator 

of the Environmental Protection Agency, determines that available 

funds in the clean water revolving fund of the State are necessary 

to address a threat to public health as a result of heightened 

exposure to lead in drinking water, the State may transfer an 
S. 1689—2 

amount equal to not more than 5 percent of the cumulative clean 

water revolving fund Federal grant dollars to the State to the 

drinking water revolving fund of the State. Funds transferred 

pursuant to this subsection shall be used by the State to provide 

additional subsidy to eligible recipients in the form of forgiveness 

of principal, negative interest loans, or grants (or any combination 

of these). 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.