I 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7180 
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. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2008 
Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. MANZULLO, Ms. JACKSON- 
LEE of Texas, Mr. SHAYS, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. 
LATOURETTE, and Mr. JONES of North Carolina) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
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. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Senator Paul Simon 
Water for the Poor Enhancement Act of 2008’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Senator Paul Simon Water for the 
Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–121)— 
(A) makes access to safe water and sanita-
tion for developing countries a specific policy 
objective of United States foreign assistance 
programs; 
(B) requires the Secretary of State to— 
(i) develop a strategy to elevate the 
role of water and sanitation policy; and 
(ii) 
improve 
the 
effectiveness 
of 
United States assistance programs under-
taken in support of that strategy; 
(C) codifies Target 10 of the United Na-
tions Millennium Development Goals; and 
(D) seeks to reduce the proportion of peo-
ple who are unable to reach or afford safe 
drinking water and basic sanitation by 50 per-
cent by 2015. 
(2) On December 20, 2006, the United Nations 
General Assembly, in GA Resolution 61/192, de-
clared 2008 as the International Year of Sanitation, 
in recognition of the impact of sanitation on public 
health, poverty reduction, economic and social devel-
opment, and the environment. 
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(3) On August 1, 2008, Congress passed H. 
Con. Res. 318, which— 
(A) supports the goals and ideals of the 
International Year of Sanitation; and 
(B) recognizes the importance of sanitation 
on public health, poverty reduction, economic 
and social development, and the environment. 
(4) While progress is being made on safe water 
and sanitation efforts— 
(A) 
more 
than 
884,000,000 
people 
throughout the world lack access to safe drink-
ing water; and 
(B) 2 of every 5 people in the world do not 
have access to basic sanitation services. 
(5) The health consequences of unsafe drinking 
water and poor sanitation are staggering, accounting 
for— 
(A) nearly 10 percent of the global burden 
of disease; and 
(B) more than 2,000,000 deaths each year. 
(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 ex-
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pected to face severe and chronic water shortages by 
2025. 
(7) The impact of water scarcity on conflict and 
instability is evident in many parts of the world, in-
cluding the Darfur region of Sudan, where demand 
for water resources has contributed to armed conflict 
between nomadic ethnic groups and local farming 
communities. 
(8) In order to further the United States con-
tribution to safe water and sanitation efforts, it is 
necessary to— 
(A) expand foreign assistance capacity to 
address the challenges described in this section; 
and 
(B) represent issues related to water and 
sanitation at the highest levels of United States 
foreign assistance deliberations, including delib-
erations related to issues of global health, food 
security, the environment, global warming, and 
maternal and child mortality. 
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 (Pub-
lic Law 109–121). 
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SEC. 4. DEVELOPING UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CA-
PACITY. 
Section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2151h) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(e) OFFICE OF WATER.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—To carry out the pur-
poses of subsection (a), the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development 
shall establish the Office of Water. 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The Assistant Administrator 
shall— 
‘‘(A) implement this section and the Sen-
ator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 
2005 (Public Law 109–121); and 
‘‘(B) place primary emphasis on providing 
safe, affordable, and sustainable drinking water, 
sanitation, and hygiene. 
‘‘(f) BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL WATER.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—To increase the capac-
ity of the Department of State to address inter-
national issues regarding safe water, sanitation, and 
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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’). 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Bureau shall— 
‘‘(A) oversee and coordinate the diplomatic 
policy of the United States Government with re-
spect to global freshwater issues, including— 
‘‘(i) access to safe drinking water and 
sanitation; 
‘‘(ii) river basin and watershed man-
agement; 
‘‘(iii) transboundary conflict; 
‘‘(iv) agricultural and urban produc-
tivity of water resources; 
‘‘(v) pollution mitigation; and 
‘‘(vi) adaptation to hydrologic change 
due to climate variability; and 
‘‘(B) ensure that international freshwater 
issues are represented— 
‘‘(i) within the United States Govern-
ment; and 
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‘‘(ii) in key diplomatic, development, 
and scientific efforts with other nations 
and multilateral organizations.’’. 
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— 
(1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting a semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(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)); 
and 
‘‘(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.’’. 
SEC. 6. DEVELOPING LOCAL CAPACITY. 
The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 
2005 (Public Law 109–121) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating sections 9, 10, and 11 as 
sections 10, 11, and 12, respectively; and 
(2) by inserting after section 8 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 9. WATER AND SANITATION MANAGERS TRAINING 
PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(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 af-
fordable, equitable, and sustainable access to safe 
drinking water and sanitation. 
‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—The program established 
under subsection (a) shall be coordinated by the lead 
country water manager designated in subsection 
(c)(2). 
‘‘(3) EXPANSION.—The Secretary and Adminis-
trator may establish the program described in this 
section in additional countries if the receipt of such 
training would be most beneficial, with due consider-
ation given to good governance. 
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‘‘(b) DESIGNATION.—The United States Chief of 
Mission within each country receiving a ‘high priority’ des-
ignation under section 6(f) shall— 
‘‘(1) designate safe drinking water and sanita-
tion as a strategic objective; 
‘‘(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 De-
partment of State, and the Office of Water of the 
United States Agency for International Develop-
ment; and 
‘‘(3) coordinate with the Development Credit 
Authority and the Global Development Alliance to 
further the purposes of this Act.’’. 
SEC. 7. GRANTS FOR LOW COST CLEAN WATER AND SANI-
TATION TECHNOLOGIES. 
Section 135(c) of the Foreign Assistance Act (22 
U.S.C. 2152h(c)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 
the end; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(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, particu-
larly in places with limited resources and infrastruc-
ture.’’. 
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 assess-
ment 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.’’. 
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 amend-
ments made by this Act. 
SEC. 10. CONSTRUCTION. 
This Act shall be implemented in a manner consistent 
with the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 
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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. 
Æ 
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