Title: Water for Public Health Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Water for Public Health Act
This bill authorizes Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance during a public health emergency to include efforts to provide individuals with access to potable water and basic sanitation.
Specifically, FEMA may, during an emergency period, provide every individual access to potable water and basic sanitation through the use of federal agencies. It may also make grants to carry out such efforts, including
FEMA may reimburse state, local, or tribal governments that provided such services.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7258 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7258

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
 Assistance Act to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
provides access to potable water for individuals during a public health 
                               emergency.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 18, 2020

Mr. Levin of Michigan (for himself, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Stevens, Mr. Kildee, 
Ms. Slotkin, Mrs. Lawrence, and Mrs. Dingell) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
 Assistance Act to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
provides access to potable water for individuals during a public health 
                               emergency.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Water for Public Health Act''.

SEC. 2. ACCESS TO WATER.

    The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5141 et seq.) is amended:
            (1) in section 403 by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Access to Water and Sanitation in a Public Health 
Emergency.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        during an emergency period (as defined in section 1135(g)(1) of 
        the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1))), the 
        President, acting through the Administrator of the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency, may--
                    ``(A) through the use of Federal departments, 
                agencies, and instrumentalities provide every 
                individual access to potable water and basic 
                sanitation; and
                    ``(B) make grants to States, local governments, 
                Indian tribal governments, and owners or operators of 
                private nonprofit facilities to assist in carrying out 
                subparagraph (A), which may include--
                            ``(i) installation of mobile water 
                        stations;
                            ``(ii) installation of handwashing 
                        facilities;
                            ``(iii) distribution or delivery of 
                        emergency bottled water and personal and home 
                        sanitization products;
                            ``(iv) reconnection of water utility 
                        service, regardless of when such service was 
                        discontinued or for what reason; and
                            ``(v) moratorium on water utility shutoffs.
            ``(2) State and local government contracts or 
        reimbursement.--The Administrator shall also provide 
        reimbursement to a State, local government, or Indian tribal 
        government that provided services described in paragraph (1) 
        during the emergency period.''; and
            (2) in section 502 by adding at the end the following:
    ``(d) Access to Water and Sanitation in a Public Health 
Emergency.--
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), 
        during an emergency period (as defined in section 1135(g)(1) of 
        the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-5(g)(1))), the 
        President, acting through the Administrator of the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency may--
                    ``(A) through the use of Federal departments, 
                agencies, and instrumentalities provide every 
                individual access to potable water and basic 
                sanitation; and
                    ``(B) make grants to States, local governments, 
                Indian tribal governments, and owners or operators of 
                private nonprofit facilities to assist in carrying out 
                subparagraph (A), which may include--
                            ``(i) installation of mobile water 
                        stations;
                            ``(ii) installation of handwashing 
                        facilities;
                            ``(iii) distribution or delivery of 
                        emergency bottled water and personal and home 
                        sanitization products;
                            ``(iv) reconnection of water utility 
                        service, regardless of when such service was 
                        discontinued or for what reason; and
                            ``(v) moratorium on water utility shutoffs.
            ``(2) State and local government contracts or 
        reimbursement.--The Administrator shall also provide 
        reimbursement to a State, local government, or Indian tribal 
        government that provided services described in paragraph (1) 
        during the emergency period.''.
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