[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1337 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1337

     To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize 
   appropriations in each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998 for the 
construction of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S. Colonias 
     and to provide water pollution control in the vicinity of the 
      international boundary between the United States and Mexico.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 28, 1995

 Mr. Pastor (for himself (by request), Mr. Coleman, and Mr. Bryant of 
    Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize 
   appropriations in each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998 for the 
construction of wastewater treatment facilities to serve U.S. Colonias 
     and to provide water pollution control in the vicinity of the 
      international boundary between the United States and Mexico.

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

SECTION 1. ASSISTANCE TO U.S. COLONIAS.

    Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 220. ASSISTANCE TO U.S. COLONIAS.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to protect the 
economy, public health, environment, surface water, ground water and 
water quality in the U.S. Colonias areas which are endangered and are 
being polluted by raw or partially treated sewage, in furtherance of 
the goals of this Act.
    ``(b) Financial Assistance to U.S. Colonias.--The Administrator is 
authorized to provide financial assistance to any State along the 
United States-Mexico border, or to any entity designated by the 
Administrator, for construction of treatment works to serve U.S. 
Colonias.
    ``(c) Approval of Plans.--Any U.S. Colonias wastewater treatment 
facility for which financial assistance is provided under this Act 
shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the State 
under appropriate standards established by the Administrator. Such 
plans shall include construction cost estimates and identify 
responsible parties and the appropriate allocation of costs associated 
with operating and maintaining the treatment works.
    ``(d) Federal Share.--The Federal share of construction costs for 
grants shall be 50 percent of such costs. The non-Federal share shall 
be paid from State sources.
    ``(e) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `U.S. 
Colonias' means any identifiable community (including a community 
within a standard metropolitan statistical area that has a population 
exceeding 1,000,000, but not including the entire standard metropolitan 
statistical area) that (1) is in the State of Arizona, California, New 
Mexico, or Texas; (2) is in the area of the United States within 100 
kilometers (62 miles) of the border between the United States and 
Mexico; (3) is in an unincorporated area; (4) was in existence before 
January 1, 1990; and (5) is determined to be a colonia on the basis of 
objective criteria including lack of potable water supply or lack of 
adequate sewage systems.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the purpose of this section $50,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 1996 through 1998.''.
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