Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act

Bill: 114-hr-4470
Sponsor: Rep. Kildee, Daniel T. [D-MI-5]
Introduced: 2016-02-04 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Child health
Consumer affairs
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental health
Environmental regulatory procedures
Government information and archives
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Water quality
Water use and supply
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2016-02-04
text: 

Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act

 
This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require public water systems to notify their customers of lead concentration levels in drinking water that exceed lead limits under national primary drinking water regulations.
 
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must notify customers of a violation of a national primary drinking water regulation with significant potential to have serious adverse effects on human health as a result of acute exposure, if the state or the public water system fails to notify the public within 24 hours of receiving notice from the EPA of the exceedance.
 
Community water systems' consumer confidence reports must include a definition of "action level,&quot; which is generally a certain contaminant level that triggers a requirement for the public water system to take additional actions to control corrosion.
 
The EPA must establish a strategic plan for conducting targeted outreach, education, technical assistance, and risk communication to populations affected by lead in the public water system. 
 
EPA employees must forward to the public water system any data indicating that drinking water contains lead that exceeds limits. The public water system must then disseminate to its customers information on the exceedance of a lead limit, its potential adverse effects on human health, corrective steps underway, and advice on whether customers should seek alternative water supplies. The EPA must disseminate the information if the public water system or the state fails to do so. 
 
The EPA must: (1) make information about lead in drinking water available to the public, and (2) carry out targeted outreach strategies that focus on educating groups that are at greater risk than the general population for adverse health effects from exposure to lead in drinking water.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: 

Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act

 
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require public water systems to notify their customers when a lead action level under national drinking water regulations is exceeded in more than 10% of customer taps sampled. (An action level is a level of contaminates which triggers a requirement for the public water system to take additional actions to control corrosion.) The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must notify customers if the state or the public water system fails to notify the public within 24 hours of receiving notice from the EPA.
 
Community water systems' consumer confidence reports must include: (1) a definition of &quot;action level,&quot; and (2) the action level for contaminants detected in water provided by the public water system.
 
The EPA must establish a strategic plan for conducting targeted outreach, education, technical assistance, and risk communication to populations affected by lead in the public water system. 
 
EPA employees must forward to the public water system and to the state information indicating that drinking water contains lead that exceeds a lead action level. The public water system must then disseminate this information to its customers along with its potential adverse effects on human health, corrective steps underway, and advice on whether customers should seek alternative water supplies. If the public water system or the state fails to disseminate the information, the EPA must disseminate it as soon as reasonably possible.
 
(Sec. 3) The EPA must: (1) make information about lead in drinking water available to the public, and (2) carry out targeted outreach strategies that focus on educating groups that are at greater risk than the general population for adverse health effects from exposure to lead in drinking water.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2016-02-11
text: Received in the Senate.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 416 - 2 (Roll no. 67). (text: CR H662-663)
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 416 - 2 (Roll no. 67).(text: CR H662-663)
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H676-677)
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4470.
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H662-668)
action_date: 2016-02-10
text: Mr. Upton moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
action_date: 2016-02-04
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2016-02-04
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2016-02-04
text: Introduced in House