Safe Drinking Water Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
Safe Drinking Water Act - Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish and publish national drinking water regulations specifying the maximum permissible level of harmful contaminants in water from a public water system. Prescribes regulations for State underground waste injection control programs with inspection, monitoring, reporting, and control requirements to prevent harmful contaminants. Provides that a State has primary enforcement responsibility for public water systems and underground water sources during any period for which the Administrator determines that such State has adopted and is implementing acceptable drinking water standards. Provides for civil actions to require compliance by any State failing to assure enforcement of drinking water regulations. Provides that the Administrator, upon receipt of information that a contaminant in a public water system may present an imminent and substantial endangerment to the health of persons, and that appropriate State authorities have not acted, may take such actions as he may deem necessary in order to protect the health of such persons. Authorizes the Administrator to conduct research and programs to control diseases resulting from contaminants in water, including improved methods to identify and measure contaminants, and improved methods of water treatment, purification, and distribution. Authorizes grants for projects designed to train personnel for occupations involving the public health aspects of providing safe drinking water. Authorizes appropriations for grants to States to carry out the drinking water programs established under this Act. Makes provisions for State plans and applications for assistance. Establishes a National Drinking Water Advisory Council of 15 members to advise the Administrator on matters relating to this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to prescribe such regulations as are necessary to carry out his functions under this Act. Authorizes the Administrator to establish and promulgate bottled drinking water standards. Requires the registration of preparers of bottled drinking water. Prescribes penalties for failure to comply with these registration provisions.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 7, 1973. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 7, 1973: Referred to House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
GILBERT GUDE (R-MD) introduced it on March 7, 1973. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 7, 1973, 19545 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19545 days ago, on March 7, 1973.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers