{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr4470-114/featured_safe-drinking-water-act-improved-compliance-awareness-act-1455053386.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/hr4470-114/featured_large_safe-drinking-water-act-improved-compliance-awareness-act-1455053386.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr4470-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2016-02-04","title_override":"Do the EPA, States, and Water Utilities Need to Notify the Public About Lead Levels in Drinking Water?","summary_override":"

This bill would ensure that the public is informed of excessive lead levels in drinking water by establishing requirements for when states, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and drinking water utilities must communicate their findings.

A public notification would be required whenever the enforceable requirements for lead in drinking water are exceeded. Public water systems must notify consumers if the lead action level is exceeded in their drinking water system.

If a lead action level is exceeded for the 90th percentile of a public water system’s customers and has significant potential for adverse health effects, EPA must quickly notify the public if the state or local drinking water system fails to do so.

The EPA would be required to create a strategic plan for handling and improving the flow of information between drinking water utilities, the states, EPA, and affected drinking water consumers when the enforceable limit for lead in drinking water has been exceeded.

Consumer notifications would be required whenever water is being transported in a lead pipe that is corroded enough that lead could leach into public drinking water.

","official_title":"To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act with respect to the requirements related to lead in drinking water, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"Safe Drinking Water Act Improved Compliance Awareness Act\n\nThis bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require public water systems to notify their customers of lead concentration levels in drinking water that exceed lead limits under national primary drinking water regulations.\n\nThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must notify customers of a violation of a national primary drinking water regulation with significant potential to have serious adverse effects on human health as a result of acute exposure, if the state or the public water system fails to notify the public within 24 hours of receiving notice from the EPA of the exceedance.\n\nCommunity water systems' consumer confidence reports must include a definition of \"action level,\" which is generally a certain contaminant level that triggers a requirement for the public water system to take additional actions to control corrosion.\n\nThe EPA must establish a strategic plan for conducting targeted outreach, education, technical a...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.","impact":"Members of the public in areas with certain levels of lead in the drinking water, drinking water utilities, states, and the EPA.","argument_for":"This bill sets clear standards for when water utilities, states, and the EPA are responsible for notifying the public about lead contamination in drinking water to keep consumers informed and healthy. ","argument_against":"Coordination between state regulators, the EPA, and drinking water utilities is sufficient. The public is already alerted about unsafe lead levels in drinking water. This bill isn't needed to protect consumers.","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr4470-114","bill_id":"hr4470-114","formal_id":"H.R. 4470","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2016-07-14T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2016-02-10T19:47:56.000Z","debated_on":"2016-02-08T00:00:00.000Z","congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/4470","plain_text_url":"https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr4470rds/html/BILLS-114hr4470rds.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/hr4470-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/4470/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2016-02-11","related_bill_ids":["s612-114"],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":996,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Energy and Commerce","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSIF","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Environment and Public Works","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSEV","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr4470-114","details":"/api/bills/hr4470-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr4470-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr4470-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr4470-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":77,"slug":"hr4470-114-safe-drinking-water-act-improved-compliance-awareness-act","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr4470-114","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":9610,"yea_vote_count":9156,"nay_vote_count":429,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["families","health","environment"],"issue_ids":["public-safety","families","health","consumer-safety","environment"],"sponsor_id":59}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"public-safety","name":"Public Safety","slug":"public-safety","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Public Safety. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.\r\n","page_title":"Public Safety Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-safety/black_public-safety-1431627646.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-safety/grey_public-safety-1431627646.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/public-safety/white_public-safety-1431627646.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"families","name":"Families","slug":"families","description":"Congressional legislation related to Families encompassing a wide variety of potential subjects, including: adoption child care, child safety, domestic violence and abuse, marriage, divorce and teenage pregnancy.","page_title":"Federal legislation related to Families - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/families/black_families-1429042038.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/families/grey_families-1429042038.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/families/white_families-1429042038.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"health","name":"Health","slug":"health","description":"Federal legislation around Health, encompassing: the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Research into diseases (Cancer, HIV/Aids, Ebola), Drug safety, Hospital care and prescription drugs.","page_title":"Health Related US Federal legislation, including Medicare, ACA, and research - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/black_health-1429042037.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/grey_health-1429042037.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/health/white_health-1429042037.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"consumer-safety","name":"Consumer Safety","slug":"consumer-safety","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding consumer safety. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. \r\n","page_title":"Consumer Safety Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/consumer-safety/black_consumer-safety-1429042054.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/consumer-safety/grey_consumer-safety-1429042054.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/consumer-safety/white_consumer-safety-1429042054.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"environment","name":"Environment","slug":"environment","description":"Congressional legislation related to research and regulation of the Environment, including: Air and water quality, Pollution, Climate Change, Recycling, Radioactive Waste, Hazardous Wastes and Toxic Substances. ","page_title":"Federal legislation related to environmental protections and regulation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/black_environment-1429042042.svg","grey":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/grey_environment-1429042042.svg","white":"https://assets.causes.com/issue/icon/environment/white_environment-1429042042.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"Greg","vote_count":85,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","small":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","tiny":"https://assets.causes.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/8mrbnlpm/following","followers":"/api/users/8mrbnlpm/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":3,"is_following":null,"influence_score":210,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":4,"following_count":1,"position_count":75,"id":"8mrbnlpm","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"73820790-be82-4b4f-8349-4aae0239c91a","argument_for":"Although I'm not generally in favor of additional government bureaucracy, the public does have the right to know when their health is being jeopardized.","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/73820790-be82-4b4f-8349-4aae0239c91a"},"body":"Although I'm not generally in favor of additional government bureaucracy, the public does have the right to know when their health is being jeopardized.","stance":"yea","created_at":"2016-02-10T04:23:38.815Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/73820790-be82-4b4f-8349-4aae0239c91a.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr4470-114","user_id":"8mrbnlpm","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Causes?

Greg

Do the EPA, States, and Water Utilities Need to Notify the Public About Lead Levels in Drinking Water?