SEWER Act

Bill: 119-hr-766
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Garcia, Robert [D-CA-42]
Introduced: 2025-01-28
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Hazardous wastes and toxic substances

Health programs administration and funding

Infectious and parasitic diseases

Water quality
Latest action: action_date: 2025-01-28
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Summaries:
action_date: 2025-01-28
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Surveilling Effluent Water for Epidemic Response Act or the SEWER Act</strong></p><p>This bill provides statutory authority for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) program, which detects and monitors pathogens in wastewater. It requires the CDC to expand and intensify the activities of the NWSS, including with respect to SARS-CoV-2&nbsp;(the virus that causes&nbsp;COVID-19), influenza, mpox, dengue, West Nile virus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).&nbsp;</p><p>The&nbsp;NWSS&nbsp;provides funding and guidance to public health departments for wastewater surveillance activities.&nbsp;Under the NWSS, health departments and other partners coordinate on wastewater&nbsp;surveillance at sampling sites and share data with the CDC. The NWSS was initially&nbsp;implemented&nbsp;to monitor&nbsp;SARS-CoV-2&nbsp;and has since expanded to include influenza A, avian influenza A,&nbsp;mpox, and RSV. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

tv_txt: I 119th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 766 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 28, 2025 Mr. Garcia of California (for himself and Mr. Bacon ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce A BILL To amend the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible entities to establish, maintain, or improve activities related to the detection and monitoring of infectious diseases through wastewater for public health emergency preparedness and response purposes, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Surveilling Effluent Water for Epidemic Response Act or the SEWER Act . 2. National Wastewater Surveillance System (a) In general Subtitle C of title XXVIII of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 300hh–31 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following: 2827. National Wastewater Surveillance System (a) National wastewater surveillance system The Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and in coordination with Federal departments and agencies and relevant State and local departments and agencies, shall expand, intensify, and coordinate the activities of the National Wastewater Surveillance System to detect and monitor pathogens in wastewater, such as SARS–CoV–2, influenza, mpox, dengue, West Nile virus, and respiratory syncytial virus. (b) Authorization of appropriations To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030, to remain available until expended. . (b) Rule of construction Nothing in the amendment made by subsection (a) shall be construed as requiring a wastewater utility or service provider to comply with a request for wastewater surveillance.