United States and international nongovernmental organi-
zations, indigenous civil society, and other appropriate en-
tities. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary of State, act-
ing through the Administrator of the United States Agen-
cy for International Development, shall implement the 
strategy required by subsection (a). The strategy may also 
be implemented in part by other Federal departments and 
agencies, as appropriate. 
(d) CONSISTENT WITH SAFE WATER AND SANITA-
TION POLICY.—The strategy required by subsection (a) 
shall be consistent with the policy stated in section 3 of 
this Act. 
(e) CONTENT.—The strategy required by subsection 
(a) shall include—
(1) an assessment of the activities that have 
been carried out, or that are planned to be carried 
out, by all appropriate Federal departments and 
agencies to improve affordable and equitable access 
to safe water and sanitation in all countries that re-
ceive assistance from the United States; 
(2) specific and measurable goals, benchmarks, 
and timetables to achieve the objective described in 
subsection (a);
(3) an assessment of the level of funding and 
other assistance for United States water and sanita-
tion programs needed each year to achieve the goals, 
benchmarks, and timetables described in paragraph 
(2); 
(4) methods to coordinate and integrate United 
States water and sanitation assistance programs 
with other United States development assistance 
programs to achieve the objective described in sub-
section (a); 
(5) methods to better coordinate United States 
water and sanitation assistance programs with pro-
grams of other donor countries and entities to 
achieve the objective described in subsection (a); and 
(6) an assessment of the commitment of gov-
ernments of countries that receive assistance under 
section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
as added by section 5(a) of this Act, to policies or 
policy reforms that support affordable and equitable 
access by the people of such countries to safe water 
and sanitation. 
(f) DESIGNATION OF HIGH PRIORITY COUNTRIES.—
The strategy required by subsection (a) shall further in-
clude the designation of high priority countries for assist-
ance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of
1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act. This designa-
tion shall be made on the basis of—
(1) countries in which the need for increased 
access to safe water and sanitation is greatest; and 
(2) countries in which assistance under such 
section can be expected to make the greatest dif-
ference in promoting good health, economic develop-
ment, poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, 
conflict prevention, and environmental sustainability. 
(g) REPORTS.—
(1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of State shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees a report that describes the 
strategy required by subsection (a). 
(2) SUBSEQUENT REPORTS.—
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not less than once 
every year after the submission of the initial re-
port under paragraph (1) until 2015, the Sec-
retary of State shall submit to the appropriate 
congressional committees a report on the status 
of the implementation of the strategy, progress 
made in achieving the objective described in 
subsection (a), and any changes to the strategy
since the date of the submission of the last re-
port. 
(B) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.—Such re-
ports shall include information on the amount 
of funds expended in each country or program, 
disaggregated by purpose of assistance, includ-
ing information on capital investments, and the 
source of such funds by account. 
(3) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 
‘‘appropriate congressional committees’’ means—
(A) the Committee on International Rela-
tions and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate. 
SEC. 7. MONITORING REQUIREMENT. 
The Secretary of State and the Administrator of the 
United States Agency for International Development shall 
monitor the implementation of assistance under section 
135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by 
section 5(a) of this Act, to ensure that the assistance is 
reaching its intended targets and meeting the intended 
purposes of assistance.
SEC. 8. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING DEVELOPMENT 
OF LOCAL CAPACITY. 
It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State 
should expand current programs and develop new pro-
grams, as necessary, to train local water and sanitation 
managers and other officials of countries that receive as-
sistance under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961, as added by section 5(a) of this Act. 
SEC. 9. SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING ADDITIONAL 
WATER AND SANITATION PROGRAMS. 
It is the sense of the Congress that—
(1) the United States should further support, 
as appropriate, water and sanitation activities of 
United Nations agencies, such as the United Na-
tions Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Na-
tions Development Programme (UNDP), and the 
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); 
and 
(2) the Secretary of the Treasury should in-
struct each United States Executive Director at the 
multilateral development banks (within the meaning 
of section 1701(c) of the International Financial In-
stitutions Act) to encourage the inclusion of water 
and sanitation programs as a critical element of 
their development assistance.
SEC. 10. REPORT REGARDING WATER FOR PEACE AND SE-
CURITY. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that United States programs to support and encour-
age efforts around the world to develop river basin, aqui-
fer, and other watershed-wide mechanisms for governance 
and cooperation are critical components of long-term 
United States national security and should be expanded. 
(b) REPORT.—The Secretary of State, in consultation 
with the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
International Development, shall submit to the Committee 
on International Relations of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Sen-
ate a report on efforts that the United States is making 
to support and promote programs that develop river basin, 
aquifer, and other watershed-wide mechanisms for govern-
ance and cooperation. 
SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated for fiscal year 2006 and each subsequent fiscal 
year such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act 
and the amendments made by this Act. 
(b) OTHER AMOUNTS.—Amounts appropriated pur-
suant 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 under section (a) 
are authorized to remain available until expended.
Passed the House of Representatives November 7, 
2005. 
Attest:
Clerk.
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 1973
AN ACT 
To make access to safe water and sanitation for de-
veloping countries a specific policy objective of 
the United States foreign assistance programs, 
and for other purposes.