[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 641 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 641

 To provide 100,000,000 people with first-time access to safe drinking 
    water and sanitation on a sustainable basis within six years by 
    improving the capacity of the United States Government to fully 
    implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 17, 2011

Mr. Durbin (for himself, Mr. Corker, Mr. Reid, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cardin, 
 Mr. Isakson, and Mr. Leahy) introduced the following bill; which was 
     read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide 100,000,000 people with first-time access to safe drinking 
    water and sanitation on a sustainable basis within six years by 
    improving the capacity of the United States Government to fully 
    implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Senator Paul Simon Water for the 
World Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 
        (Public Law 109-121)--
                    (A) makes access to safe water and sanitation for 
                developing countries a specific policy objective of 
                United States foreign assistance programs;
                    (B) requires the Secretary of State to--
                            (i) develop a strategy to elevate the role 
                        of water and sanitation policy; and
                            (ii) improve the effectiveness of United 
                        States assistance programs undertaken in 
                        support of that strategy;
                    (C) codifies Target 10 of the United Nations 
                Millennium Development Goals; and
                    (D) seeks to reduce by half between 1990 (the 
                baseline year) and 2015--
                            (i) the proportion of people who are unable 
                        to reach or afford safe drinking water; and
                            (ii) the proportion of people without 
                        access to basic sanitation.
            (2) On December 20, 2006, the United Nations General 
        Assembly, in GA Resolution 61/192, declared 2008 as the 
        International Year of Sanitation, in recognition of the impact 
        of sanitation on public health, poverty reduction, economic and 
        social development, and the environment.
            (3) On August 1, 2008, Congress passed H. Con. Res. 318, 
        which--
                    (A) supports the goals and ideals of the 
                International Year of Sanitation; and
                    (B) recognizes the importance of sanitation on 
                public health, poverty reduction, economic and social 
                development, and the environment.
            (4) While progress is being made on safe water and 
        sanitation efforts--
                    (A) more than 884,000,000 people throughout the 
                world lack access to safe drinking water; and
                    (B) 2 of every 5 people in the world do not have 
                access to basic sanitation services.
            (5) The health consequences of unsafe drinking water and 
        poor sanitation are significant, accounting for--
                    (A) nearly 10 percent of the global burden of 
                disease; and
                    (B) more than 2,000,000 deaths each year.
            (6) Water scarcity has negative consequences for 
        agricultural productivity and food security for the 
        1,200,000,000 people who, as of 2010, suffer from chronic 
        hunger and seriously threatens the ability of the world to more 
        than double food production to meet the demands of a projected 
        population of 9,000,000,000 people by 2050.
            (7) According to the November 2008 report entitled, 
        ``Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World'', the National 
        Intelligence Council expects rapid urbanization and future 
        population growth to exacerbate already limited access to 
        water, particularly in agriculture-based economies.
            (8) According to the 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 
        commissioned by the United Nations, more than \1/5\ of the 
        world population relies on freshwater that is either polluted 
        or excessively withdrawn.
            (9) The impact of water scarcity on conflict and 
        instability is evident in many parts of the world, including 
        the Darfur region of Sudan, where demand for water resources 
        has contributed to armed conflict between nomadic ethnic groups 
        and local farming communities.
            (10) In order to further the United States contribution to 
        safe water and sanitation efforts, it is necessary to--
                    (A) expand foreign assistance capacity to address 
                the challenges described in this section; and
                    (B) represent issues related to water and 
                sanitation at the highest levels of United States 
                foreign assistance and diplomatic deliberations, 
                including those related to issues of global health, 
                food security, the environment, global warming, and 
                maternal and child mortality.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the United States should help 
undertake a global effort to bring sustainable access to clean water 
and sanitation to poor people throughout the world.

SEC. 4. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is--
            (1) to enable first-time access to safe water and 
        sanitation, on a sustainable basis, for 100,000,000 people in 
        high priority countries (as designated under section 6(f) of 
        the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (22 
        U.S.C. 2152h note)) within 6 years of the date of enactment of 
        this Act through direct funding, development activities, and 
        partnerships; and
            (2) to enhance the capacity of the United States Government 
        to fully implement the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor 
        Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-121).

SEC. 5. DEVELOPING UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT CAPACITY.

    Section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2152h) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Senior Advisor for Water.--
            ``(1) In general.--To carry out the purposes of subsection 
        (a), the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
        International Development shall designate a senior advisor to 
        coordinate and conduct the activities described in this section 
        and the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 
        (Public Law 109-121). The Advisor shall report directly to the 
        Administrator and be known as the `Senior Advisor for Water'. 
        The initial Senior Advisor for Water shall be the individual 
        serving as the USAID Global Water Coordinator as of the date of 
        the enactment of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act 
        of 2010.
            ``(2) Duties.--The Advisor shall--
                    ``(A) implement this section and the Senator Paul 
                Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-
                121);
                    ``(B) develop and oversee implementation in high 
                priority countries of country-specific water strategies 
                and expertise, in coordination with appropriate United 
                States Agency for International Development Mission 
                Directors, to enable the goal of providing 100,000,000 
                additional people with sustainable access to safe water 
                and sanitation through direct funding, development 
                activities, and partnerships within 6 years of the date 
                of the enactment of the Senator Paul Simon Water for 
                the World Act of 2011; and
                    ``(C) place primary emphasis on providing safe, 
                affordable, and sustainable drinking water, sanitation, 
                and hygiene in a manner that--
                            ``(i) is consistent with sound water 
                        resource management principles; and
                            ``(ii) utilizes such approaches as direct 
                        service provision, capacity building, 
                        institutional strengthening, regulatory reform, 
                        and partnership collaboration; and
                    ``(D) integrate water strategies with country-
                specific or regional food security strategies.
            ``(3) Capacity.--The Advisor shall be designated 
        appropriate staff and may utilize interagency details or 
        partnerships with universities, civil society, and the private 
        sector, as needed, to strengthen implementation capacity.
            ``(4) Funding sources.--The Advisor shall ensure that at 
        least 25 percent of the overall funding necessary to meet the 
        global goal set forth under paragraph (2)(B) is provided by 
        non-Federal sources, including foreign governments, 
        international institutions, and through partnerships with 
        universities, civil society, and the private sector, including 
        private and corporate foundations.
    ``(f) Special Coordinator for International Water.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--To increase the capacity of the 
        Department of State to address international issues regarding 
        safe water, sanitation, integrated river basin management, and 
        other international water programs, the Secretary of State 
        shall establish a Special Coordinator for International Water 
        (referred to in this subsection as the `Special Coordinator'), 
        who shall report to the Under Secretary for Democracy and 
        Global Affairs. The initial Special Coordinator shall be the 
        individual serving as Special Coordinator for Water Resources 
        as of the date of the enactment of the Senator Paul Simon Water 
        for the World Act of 2011.
            ``(2) Duties.--The Special Coordinator shall--
                    ``(A) oversee and coordinate the diplomatic policy 
                of the United States Government with respect to global 
                freshwater issues, including interagency coordination 
                related to--
                            ``(i) sustainable access to safe drinking 
                        water, sanitation, and hygiene;
                            ``(ii) integrated river basin and watershed 
                        management;
                            ``(iii) global food security;
                            ``(iv) transboundary conflict;
                            ``(v) agricultural and urban productivity 
                        of water resources;
                            ``(vi) disaster recovery, response, and 
                        rebuilding;
                            ``(vii) pollution mitigation; and
                            ``(viii) adaptation to hydrologic change 
                        due to climate variability; and
                    ``(B) ensure that international freshwater issues 
                are represented--
                            ``(i) within the United States Government; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) in key diplomatic, development, and 
                        scientific efforts with other nations and 
                        multilateral organizations.
            ``(3) Support staff.--The Special Coordinator shall be 
        designated appropriate staff to support the duties described in 
        paragraph (2).''.

SEC. 6. SAFE WATER, SANITATION, AND HYGIENE STRATEGY.

    Section 6 of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 
(22 U.S.C. 2152h note) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the following: 
        ``The Special Coordinator for International Water established 
        under section 135(f) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
        U.S.C. 2152h(f)) shall take actions to ensure that the safe 
        water and sanitation strategy is integrated into any review or 
        development of a Federal strategy for global development, 
        global health, or global food security that sets forth or 
        establishes the United States mission for global development, 
        guidelines for assistance programs, and how development policy 
        will be coordinated with policies governing trade, immigration, 
        and other relevant international issues.'';
            (2) in subsection (c), by adding at the end the following: 
        ``In developing the program activities needed to implement the 
        strategy, the Secretary shall consider the results of the 
        assessment described in subsection (e)(9).''; and
            (3) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting a semicolon; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) an assessment of all United States Government foreign 
        assistance allocated to the drinking water and sanitation 
        sector during the 3 previous fiscal years, across all United 
        States Government agencies and programs, including an 
        assessment of the extent to which the United States 
        Government's efforts are reaching and supporting the goal of 
        enabling first-time access to safe water and sanitation on a 
        sustainable basis for 100,000,000 people in high priority 
        countries;
            ``(8) recommendations on what the United States Government 
        would need to do to achieve and support the goals referred to 
        in paragraph (7), in support of the United Nation's Millennium 
        Development Goal on access to safe drinking water; and
            ``(9) an assessment of best practices for mobilizing and 
        leveraging the financial and technical capacity of business, 
        governments, nongovernmental organizations, and civil society 
        in forming public-private partnerships that measurably increase 
        access to safe, affordable, drinking water and sanitation.''.

SEC. 7. DEVELOPING LOCAL CAPACITY.

    The Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 2005 (Public Law 
109-121) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating sections 9, 10, and 11 as sections 10, 
        11, and 12, respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after section 8 the following:

``SEC. 9. WATER AND SANITATION INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY-BUILDING PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary of State and the 
        Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development (referred to in this section as the `Secretary' and 
        the `Administrator' `', respectively), in consultation with 
        host country institutions, the Centers for Disease Control and 
        Prevention, the Department of Agriculture, and other agencies, 
        as appropriate, shall establish, in coordination with mission 
        directors in high priority countries, a program to build the 
        capacity of host country institutions and officials responsible 
        for water and sanitation in countries that receive assistance 
        under section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, 
        including training at appropriate levels, to--
                    ``(A) provide affordable, equitable, and 
                sustainable access to safe drinking water and 
                sanitation;
                    ``(B) educate the populations of such countries 
                about the dangers of unsafe drinking water and lack of 
                proper sanitation; and
                    ``(C) encourage behavior change to reduce 
                individuals' risk of disease from unsafe drinking water 
                and lack of proper sanitation and hygiene.
            ``(2) Expansion.--The Secretary and the Administrator may 
        establish the program described in this section in additional 
        countries if the receipt of such capacity building would be 
        beneficial for promoting access to safe drinking water and 
        sanitation, with due consideration given to good governance.
            ``(3) Capacity.--The Secretary and the Administrator--
                    ``(A) should designate appropriate staff with 
                relevant expertise to carry out the strategy developed 
                under section 6; and
                    ``(B) may utilize, as needed, interagency details 
                or partnerships with universities, civil society, and 
                the private sector to strengthen implementation 
                capacity.
    ``(b) Designation.--The United States Agency for International 
Development Mission Director for each country receiving a `high 
priority' designation under section 6(f) and for each region containing 
a country receiving such designation shall report annually to Congress 
on the status of--
            ``(1) designating safe drinking water and sanitation as a 
        strategic objective;
            ``(2) integrating the water strategy into a food security 
        strategy;
            ``(3) assigning an employee of the United States Agency for 
        International Development as in-country water and sanitation 
        manager to coordinate the in-country implementation of this Act 
        and section 135 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
        U.S.C. 2152h) with host country officials at various levels of 
        government responsible for water and sanitation, the Department 
        of State, and other relevant United States Government agencies; 
        and
            ``(4) coordinating with the Development Credit Authority 
        and the Global Development Alliance to further the purposes of 
        this Act.''.

SEC. 8. OTHER ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED.

    In addition to the requirements of section 135(c) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act (22 U.S.C. 2152h(c)) the Administrator should--
            (1) foster global cooperation on research and technology 
        development, including regional partnerships among water 
        experts to address safe drinking water, sanitation, water 
        resource management, and other water-related issues;
            (2) establish regional and cross-border cooperative 
        activities between scientists and specialists that work to 
        share technologies and best practices, mitigate shared water 
        challenges, foster international cooperation, and defuse cross-
        border tensions;
            (3) provide grants through the United States Agency for 
        International Development to foster the development, 
        dissemination, and increased and consistent use of low-cost and 
        sustainable technologies, such as household water treatment, 
        hand washing stations, and latrines, for providing safe 
        drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene that are suitable for 
        use in high priority countries, particularly in places with 
        limited resources and infrastructure;
            (4) in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control 
        and Prevention, Department of Agriculture, the Environmental 
        Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, and other agencies, as appropriate, conduct 
        formative and operational research and monitor and evaluate the 
        effectiveness of programs that provide safe drinking water and 
        sanitation; and
            (5) integrate efforts to promote safe drinking water, 
        sanitation and hygiene with existing foreign assistance 
        programs, as appropriate, including activities focused on food 
        security, HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, maternal and child 
        health, food security, and nutritional support.

SEC. 9. MONITORING AND EVALUATION.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) achieving United States foreign policy objectives 
        requires the consistent and systematic evaluation of the impact 
        of United States foreign assistance programs and analysis on 
        what programs work and why, when, and where they work;
            (2) the design of assistance programs and projects should 
        include the collection of relevant baseline data required to 
        measure outcomes and impacts;
            (3) the design of assistance programs and projects should 
        reflect the knowledge gained from evaluation and analysis;
            (4) a culture and practice of high-quality evaluation 
        should be revitalized at agencies managing foreign assistance 
        programs, which requires that the concepts of evaluation and 
        analysis are used to inform policy and programmatic decisions, 
        including the training of aid professionals in evaluation 
        design and implementation;
            (5) the effective and efficient use of funds cannot be 
        achieved without an understanding of how lessons learned are 
        applicable in various environments and under similar or 
        different conditions; and
            (6) project evaluations should be used as sources of data 
        when running broader analyses of development outcomes and 
        impacts.
    (b) Coordination and Integration.--To the extent possible, the 
Administrator shall coordinate and integrate evaluation of United 
States water programs with the learning, evaluation, and analysis 
efforts of the United States Agency for International Development aimed 
at measuring development impact.

SEC. 10. UPDATED REPORT REGARDING WATER FOR PEACE AND SECURITY.

    Section 11(b) of the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act of 
2005, as redesignated by section 7, is amended by adding at the end the 
following: ``The report submitted under this subsection shall include 
an assessment of current and likely future political tensions over 
water sources and multidisciplinary assessment of the expected impacts 
of changes to water supplies and agricultural productivity in 10, 25, 
and 50 years.''.

SEC. 11. COMPTROLLER GENERAL REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF 
              UNITED STATES EFFORTS TO PROVIDE SAFE WATER AND 
              SANITATION FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
report on the effectiveness and efficiency of United States efforts to 
provide safe water and sanitation for developing countries.
    (b) Elements.--In preparing the report required by subsection (a), 
the Comptroller General shall, at a minimum--
            (1) identify all programs (and respective Federal agencies) 
        in the Federal Government that perform the mission of providing 
        safe water and sanitation for developing countries, including 
        capacity-building, professional exchanges, and other related 
        programs;
            (2) list the actual costs for the implementation, 
        operation, and support of the individual programs;
            (3) assess the effectiveness of these programs in meeting 
        their goals;
            (4) assess the efficiency of these programs compared to 
        each other and to programs to provide similar aid performed by 
        nongovernmental organizations and other governments, and 
        identify best practices from this assessment;
            (5) identify and assess programs that are duplicative of 
        each other or of efforts by nongovernmental organizations and 
        other governments;
            (6) assess whether appropriate oversight of these programs 
        is being conducted by Federal agencies, especially in the 
        programs in which Federal agencies are utilizing contractors 
        instead of government employees to perform this mission; and
            (7) make such recommendations as the Comptroller General 
        considers appropriate.
                                 <all>