[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2674 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2674

  To authorize the President to provide major disaster assistance for 
    lead contamination of drinking water from public water systems.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 14, 2016

  Mrs. Boxer introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the President to provide major disaster assistance for 
    lead contamination of drinking water from public water systems.

    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 ``Lead in Drinking Water Disaster Act 
of 2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following--
            (1) According to the American Water Works Association, 
        approximately 6,100,000 homes are served by lead service lines.
            (2) According to the most recent Environmental Protection 
        Agency Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and 
        Assessment, $384,000,000,000 is needed for drinking water 
        infrastructure by 2030.
            (3) According to the Centers for Disease Control--
                    (A) there is no safe level of lead in children;
                    (B) children tend to show signs of severe lead 
                toxicity at lower levels than adults;
                    (C) lead can damage a developing baby's nervous 
                system and even low-level lead exposures in developing 
                babies have been found to affect behavior and 
                intelligence;
                    (D) lead exposure can cause miscarriage, 
                stillbirths, and infertility (in both men and women); 
                and
                    (E) people with prolonged exposure to lead may also 
                be at risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, 
                kidney disease, and reduced fertility.
            (4) In Flint, Michigan, homes were found to have lead 
        levels as high as 4,000 parts per billion, nearly 267 times the 
        Environmental Protection Agency's action level for lead in 
        drinking water of 15 parts per billion.
            (5) Numerous cities around the United States, including 
        Sebring, Ohio, Durham, North Carolina, Greenville, North 
        Carolina, and Jackson, Mississippi, have experienced elevated 
        levels of lead in drinking water.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO USE DISASTER RELIEF FUNDS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding the definition of ``major 
disaster'' under section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122), the President may, upon 
request of a Governor of a State, declare a major disaster relating to 
lead contamination of drinking water from a public water system (as 
defined in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 
300f)) .
    (b) Regulations.--Notwithstanding subchapter II of title 5, United 
States Code, and not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall 
promulgate regulations to carry out the authority described in 
subsection (a).
    (c) Coordination.--In the case of a major disaster declared under 
subsection (a), the Federal coordinating officer appointed under 
section 302 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5143) shall ensure that the coordination of 
administration of relief required under such section 302(b) includes, 
at a minimum, coordination with--
            (1) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
            (2) the Army Corps of Engineers;
            (3) the Environmental Protection Agency; and
            (4) any other relevant agency.
                                 <all>