Water Infrastructure Financing Act
Latest action. Placed on Senate legislative calendarThe list of measures reported out of committee and eligible for floor action. Being on the calendar is not a promise of a vote.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) under General Orders. Calendar No. 304.
Water Infrastructure Financing Act - Title I: Water Pollution Infrastructure - (Sec. 101) Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA) to establish a grant program for qualified nonprofit technical assistance providers of water and wastewater services that assist treatment works serving small rural communities (not more than 10,000 users). Requires grant recipients to report annually to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on their activities. Authorizes appropriations for FY2006-FY2010.
Directs the Administrator to assist states in establishing simplified procedures for small systems (serving 10,000 or fewer individuals) seeking technical assistance.
(Sec. 102) Expands the list of projects for which state water pollution control revolving funds may be used.
(Sec. 103) Authorizes the use of water pollution control revolving funds for projects included in state nonpoint source management programs and estuary conservation and management plans operated by a municipal, intermunicipal, or interstate entity, a state, a public or private utility, a corporation, a partnership, an association, or a nonprofit agency. Requires project loans to be fully amortized within 30 years after project completion.
(Sec. 104) Authorizes states to provide additional assistance, including loan forgiveness, to disadvantaged communities (defined as treatment works service areas or portions thereof that meet state affordability criteria). Limits the total loan subsidy to not more than 30% of the state's capitalization grant for the fiscal year. Authorizes a state to provide extended loan terms. Authorizes the Administrator to publish information to assist states in establishing affordability criteria for purposes of identifying disadvantaged communities.
(Sec. 105) Authorizes the governor of a state to transfer a percentage of federal capitalization grants between water pollution control revolving funds and drinking water treatment revolving funds.
(Sec. 106) Increases from 4 to 6% the portion of state water pollution control revolving funds a state is authorized to set aside for program administration.
(Sec. 107) Sets forth a system for prioritizing projects eligible for water pollution control revolving fund assistance that requires states to: (1) give greater weight to applications by treatment works containing specified information; (2) take into consideration appropriate chemical, physical, and biological data; (3) provide for public notice and opportunity to comment on priority projects; (4) biennially publish summary descriptions of eligible projects; and (5) ensure that funded projects are designed to achieve optimum water quality management.
The summary continues for 20 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Reported to Senate with amendment(s)" stage on December 8, 2005. 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 December 8, 2005: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 304.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
LINCOLN CHAFEE (R-RI) introduced it on July 14, 2005, and 4 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 1 Democrat, 2 Republicans, 1 independent.
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 July 14, 2005, 7728 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7581 days ago, on December 8, 2005.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers