II 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2901 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
DECEMBER 9, 2014 
Received 
AN ACT 
To strengthen implementation of the Senator Paul Simon 
Water for the Poor Act of 2005 by improving the capac-
ity of the United States Government to implement, lever-
age, and monitor and evaluate programs to provide first- 
time or improved access to safe drinking water, sanita-
tion, and hygiene to the world’s poorest on an equitable 
and sustainable basis, and for other purposes. 
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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 World Act of 2014’’. 
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) water and sanitation are critically important 
resources that impact many other aspects of human 
life; and 
(2) the United States should be a global leader 
in helping provide sustainable access to clean water 
and sanitation for the world’s most vulnerable popu-
lations. 
SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF ASSISTANCE TO PROVIDE SAFE 
WATER AND SANITATION TO INCLUDE HY-
GIENE. 
Chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 is amended— 
(1) by redesignating 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 (Public 
Law 109–121; 22 U.S.C. 2152h note), as section 
136; and 
(2) in section 136, as redesignated— 
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(A) in the section heading, by striking 
‘‘AND SANITATION’’ and inserting ‘‘, SANITA-
TION, AND HYGIENE’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘and 
sanitation’’ and inserting ‘‘, sanitation, and hy-
giene’’. 
SEC. 4. IMPROVING COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT OF 
SAFE WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE 
PROJECTS AND ACTIVITIES. 
Section 136 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
as redesignated and amended by this Act, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) COORDINATION AND OVERSIGHT.— 
‘‘(1) USAID GLOBAL WATER COORDINATOR.— 
‘‘(A) DESIGNATION.—The Administrator 
of the United States Agency for International 
Development (referred to in this paragraph as 
‘USAID’) or the Administrator’s designee, who 
shall be a current USAID employee serving in 
a career or non-career position in the Senior 
Executive Service or at the level of a Deputy 
Assistant Administrator or higher, shall serve 
concurrently as the USAID Global Water Coor-
dinator (referred to in this subsection as the 
‘Coordinator’). 
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‘‘(B) SPECIFIC DUTIES.—The Coordinator 
shall— 
‘‘(i) provide direction and guidance to, 
coordinate, and oversee the projects and 
programs of USAID authorized under this 
section; 
‘‘(ii) lead the implementation and re-
vision, not less frequently than once every 
5 years, of USAID’s portion of the Global 
Water Strategy required under subsection 
(j); 
‘‘(iii) seek— 
‘‘(I) to expand the capacity of 
USAID, subject to the availability of 
appropriations, including through the 
designation of a lead subject matter 
expert selected from among USAID 
staff in each high priority country 
designated pursuant to subsection (h); 
‘‘(II) to implement such pro-
grams and activities; 
‘‘(III) to take advantage of 
economies of scale; and 
‘‘(IV) to conduct more efficient 
and effective projects and programs; 
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USAID projects and programs authorized 
under this section. 
‘‘(2) DEPARTMENT OF STATE SPECIAL COORDI-
NATOR FOR WATER RESOURCES.— 
‘‘(A) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary of 
State or the Secretary’s designee, who shall be 
a current employee of the Department of State 
serving in a career or non-career position in the 
Senior Executive Service or at the level of a 
Deputy Assistant Secretary or higher, shall 
serve concurrently as the Department of State 
Special Advisor for Water Resources (referred 
to in this paragraph as the ‘Special Advisor’). 
‘‘(B) SPECIFIC DUTIES.—The Special Ad-
visor shall— 
‘‘(i) provide direction and guidance to, 
coordinate, and oversee the projects and 
programs of the Department of State au-
thorized under this section; 
‘‘(ii) lead the implementation and re-
vision, not less than every 5 years, of the 
Department of State’s portion of the Glob-
al Water Strategy required under sub-
section (j); 
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‘‘(iii) prioritize and coordinate the De-
partment of State’s international engage-
ment on the allocation, distribution, and 
access to global fresh water resources and 
policies related to such matters; 
‘‘(iv) coordinate with United States 
Agency for International Development and 
Department of State staff in each high pri-
ority country designated pursuant to sub-
section (h) to ensure that United States 
diplomatic efforts related to safe water, 
sanitation, and hygiene, including efforts 
related to management of water resources 
and watersheds and the resolution of intra- 
and trans-boundary conflicts over water re-
sources, are consistent with United States 
national interests; and 
‘‘(v) represent the views of the United 
States Government on the allocation, dis-
tribution, and access to global fresh water 
resources and policies related to such mat-
ters in key international fora, including 
key diplomatic, development-related, and 
scientific organizations. 
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‘‘(3) ADDITIONAL NATURE OF DUTIES AND RE-
STRICTION ON ADDITIONAL OR SUPPLEMENTAL COM-
PENSATION.—The responsibilities and specific duties 
of the Administrator of the United States Agency 
for International Development (or the Administra-
tor’s designee) and the Secretary of State (or the 
Secretary’s designee) under paragraph (2) or (3), re-
spectively, shall be in addition to any other respon-
sibilities or specific duties assigned to such individ-
uals. Such individuals shall receive no additional or 
supplemental compensation as a result of carrying 
out such responsibilities and specific duties under 
such paragraphs.’’. 
SEC. 5. PROMOTING THE MAXIMUM IMPACT AND LONG- 
TERM 
SUSTAINABILITY 
OF 
USAID 
SAFE 
WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE-RELATED 
PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS. 
Section 136 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
as redesignated and amended by this Act, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) PRIORITIES AND CRITERIA FOR MAXIMUM IM-
PACT AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY.—The Adminis-
trator of the United States Agency for International De-
velopment shall ensure that the Agency for International 
Development’s projects and programs authorized under 
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this section are designed to achieve maximum impact and 
long-term sustainability by— 
‘‘(1) prioritizing countries on the basis of the 
following clearly defined criteria and indicators, to 
the extent sufficient empirical data are available— 
‘‘(A) the proportion of the population 
using an unimproved drinking water source; 
‘‘(B) the total population using an unim-
proved drinking water source; 
‘‘(C) the proportion of the population with-
out piped water access; 
‘‘(D) the proportion of the population 
using shared or other unimproved sanitation fa-
cilities; 
‘‘(E) the total population using shared or 
other unimproved sanitation facilities; 
‘‘(F) the proportion of the population prac-
ticing open defecation; 
‘‘(G) the total number of children younger 
than 5 years of age who died from diarrheal 
disease; 
‘‘(H) the proportion of all deaths of chil-
dren younger than 5 years of age resulting from 
diarrheal disease; 
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‘‘(I) the national government’s capacity, 
capability, and commitment to work with the 
United States to improve access to safe water, 
sanitation, and hygiene, including— 
‘‘(i) the government’s capacity and 
commitment to developing the indigenous 
capacity to provide safe water and sanita-
tion without the assistance of outside do-
nors; and 
‘‘(ii) the degree to which such govern-
ment— 
‘‘(I) identifies such efforts as a 
priority; and 
‘‘(II) allocates resources to such 
efforts; 
‘‘(J) the availability of opportunities to le-
verage existing public, private, or other donor 
investments in the water, sanitation, and hy-
giene sectors, including investments in the man-
agement of water resources; and 
‘‘(K) the likelihood of making significant 
improvements on a per capita basis on the 
health and educational opportunities available 
to women as a result of increased access to safe 
water, sanitation, and hygiene, including access 
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to appropriate facilities at primary and sec-
ondary educational institutions seeking to en-
sure that communities benefitting from such 
projects and activities develop the indigenous 
capacity to provide safe water and sanitation 
without the assistance of outside donors; 
‘‘(2) prioritizing and measuring, including 
through rigorous monitoring and evaluating mecha-
nisms, the extent to which such project or pro-
gram— 
‘‘(A) furthers significant improvements 
in— 
‘‘(i) the criteria set forth in subpara-
graphs (A) through (H) of paragraph (1); 
‘‘(ii) the health and educational op-
portunities available to women as a result 
of increased access to safe water, sanita-
tion, and hygiene, including access to ap-
propriate facilities at primary and sec-
ondary educational institutions; and 
‘‘(iii) the indigenous capacity of the 
host nation or community to provide safe 
water and sanitation without the assistance 
of outside donors; 
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