I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3859 
Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2017 for the Drinking 
Water State Revolving Funds, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 27, 2017 
Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California (for herself, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Ms. 
ESTY of Connecticut, Ms. HANABUSA, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. GABBARD, Mr. 
KILDEE, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mrs. TORRES, Ms. 
MOORE, Mr. EVANS, Mr. CICILLINE, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, Mr. 
BUTTERFIELD, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHN-
SON of Texas, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, Mr. BLU-
MENAUER, Mr. KEATING, Mr. HIGGINS of New York, Ms. BROWNLEY of 
California, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. MI-
CHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS 
of Illinois, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Ms. LEE, Mr. NOLAN, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Ms. BLUNT ROCH-
ESTER, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. RUSH, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. SIRES, 
Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. 
MCGOVERN, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. KUSTER 
of New Hampshire, Mr. SUOZZI, Mr. CORREA, Ms. CLARKE of New York, 
Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. 
LOEBSACK, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. COHEN, and Ms. SLAUGHTER) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ap-
propriations, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2017 for 
the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, 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 ‘‘Drinking Water Infra-
structure for Job Creation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Investments in infrastructure create jobs 
while 
fulfilling 
critical 
needs 
in 
communities 
throughout the United States. 
(2) According to the Brookings Institution, 
nearly 14.5 million workers—11 percent of the U.S. 
workforce—were employed in infrastructure jobs in 
2013. 
(3) According to data from the Brookings Insti-
tution, infrastructure occupations often provide more 
competitive and equitable wages in comparison to all 
jobs nationally, consistently paying up to 30 percent 
more to low-income workers over the past decade. 
(4) The American Society of Civil Engineers 
gave the infrastructure of the United States an over-
all grade of ‘‘D+’’ in 2017 and estimated that the 
United States will need to invest $4.59 trillion by 
2025 in order to improve the condition of the Na-
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tion’s infrastructure and bring it to a state of good 
repair. 
(5) The American Society of Civil Engineers as-
signed a ‘‘D’’ grade to the Nation’s drinking water 
infrastructure and a ‘‘D+’’ grade to the Nation’s 
wastewater infrastructure and estimated that the 
United States will need to invest $150 billion by 
2025 to bring them to a state of good repair. 
(6) According to the American Society of Civil 
Engineers, there are an estimated 240,000 water 
main breaks per year in the United States, wasting 
over two trillion gallons of treated drinking water. 
(7) In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) reported that although exposure to 
lead can cause serious health problems, including 
damage to the brain and nervous system in children 
and kidney problems and high blood pressure in 
adults, an estimated 6.5 to 10 million homes nation-
wide receive drinking water through lead service 
lines. 
(8) Congress created the Drinking Water State 
Revolving Funds in 1996 to help eligible public 
water systems finance infrastructure projects in 
order to comply with Federal drinking water regula-
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tions and meet the health objectives of the Safe 
Drinking Water Act. 
(9) The EPA is required periodically to conduct 
a survey of the capital improvement needs of eligible 
public water systems and distribute funding appro-
priated for the Drinking Water State Revolving 
Funds among the States based on the results of the 
most recent survey. 
(10) In 2013, the EPA completed the most re-
cent survey of the capital improvement needs of eli-
gible public water systems and estimated that $384 
billion in improvements are needed for the Nation’s 
drinking water infrastructure over 20 years in order 
to ensure the safety of drinking water. 
(11) The American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5) included $2 billion 
in emergency supplemental appropriations for the 
Drinking Water State Revolving Funds to enable 
States to provide grants and financing assistance to 
eligible public water systems in order to improve 
drinking 
water 
infrastructure 
in 
communities 
throughout the United States. 
(12) Past appropriations for the Drinking 
Water State Revolving Funds are not sufficient to 
address the tremendous need for investments in 
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drinking 
water 
infrastructure 
in 
communities 
throughout the United States. 
(13) Appropriating $7.5 billion in fiscal year 
2017 for the Drinking Water State Revolving 
Funds, and allowing the funds to remain available 
for 6 years, will enable States to begin immediately 
to expand investments in drinking water infrastruc-
ture in communities throughout the United States. 
(14) Restricting appropriations for the Drink-
ing Water State Revolving Funds through the use of 
arbitrary budget caps or sequestration undermines 
economic recovery and job creation efforts; disrupts 
planning by States, local communities, and eligible 
public water systems; and leaves critical infrastruc-
ture needs unmet. 
(15) Emergency supplemental appropriations 
for the Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, pro-
vided in addition to other appropriations and not 
subject to sequestration, will improve drinking water 
infrastructure and create jobs throughout the United 
States without reducing funding for other domestic 
priorities. 
(16) An emergency supplemental appropriation 
of $7.5 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolv-
ing Funds to be made available in fiscal year 2017, 
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and to remain available for 6 years, will allow States 
to begin immediately to distribute funds to eligible 
public water systems and allow local communities 
and eligible public water systems to develop and im-
plement plans to improve drinking water infrastruc-
ture, thus ensuring an efficient use of funds and 
timely job creation. 
SEC. 3. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DRINK-
ING WATER STATE REVOLVING FUNDS. 
The following sums are appropriated, out of any 
money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for fis-
cal year 2017: 
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 
STATE AND TRIBAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS 
For an additional amount for capitalization grants 
under section 1452 of the Safe Drinking Water Act in ac-
cordance with the provisions under this heading in title 
VII of division A of Public Law 111–5, $7,500,000,000, 
to remain available through September 30, 2022: Pro-
vided, That the amount under this heading is designated 
by the Congress as an emergency requirement pursuant 
to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and 
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, except that such 
amount shall be available only if the President subse-
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quently so designates such amount and transmits such 
designation to the Congress. 
SEC. 4. EXEMPTION FROM SEQUESTRATION. 
The appropriation in section 3 shall be exempt from 
sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
Deficit Control Act of 1985. 
Æ 
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