113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 2901 
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.
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—
(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’).
‘‘(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;
‘‘(iv) coordinate with the Department 
of State and USAID staff in each high pri-
ority country designated pursuant to sub-
section (h) to ensure that USAID activities 
and projects, USAID program planning 
and budgeting documents, and USAID 
country development strategies reflect and 
seek to implement— 
‘‘(I) the safe water, sanitation, 
and hygiene objectives established in 
the strategy required under subsection 
(j), including objectives relating to the 
management of water resources; and 
‘‘(II) international best practices 
relating to— 
‘‘(aa) increasing access to 
safe water and sanitation; 
‘‘(bb) conducting hygiene-re-
lated activities; and 
‘‘(cc) ensuring appropriate 
management of water resources; 
and 
‘‘(v) develop appropriate benchmarks, 
measurable goals, performance metrics, 
and monitoring and evaluation plans for
‘‘(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.