{
  "id": "RL32503",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL32503",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 100083,
      "date": "2004-07-27",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T20:11:33.690901",
      "title": "Water Infrastructure Financing Legislation: Comparison of S. 2550 and H.R. 1560",
      "summary": "This report provides a side-by-side comparison of two major bills in the 108th Congress\nconcerning\nwater infrastructure project financing. It compares provisions of  S. 2550 , the Water\nInfrastructure Financing Act, which would amend the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the Safe\nDrinking Water Act (SDWA), and  H.R. 1560 , the Water Quality Financing Act of 2003,\nwhich would amend only the CWA. H.R.  1560 was approved by a House Transportation\nand Infrastructure subcommittee on July 17, 2003; S.  2550 was approved by the Senate\nEnvironment and Public Works Committee on June 23, 2004.\n  The CWA and SDWA provisions in these two bills principally involve the portions of those\nlaws that authorize federal financial assistance to State Revolving Loan Funds (SRFs) for purposes\nof building and upgrading wastewater treatment and drinking water treatment facilities. Congress\nestablished the CWA SRF program in 1987 and the SDWA SRF program in 1996. Under both,\nfederal capitalization grants are provided as seed money for state-administered loan programs. \nCommunities repay loans to the state, providing a source of capital for future loans and other\ninvestments. Both laws contain provisions that specify requirements for states to establish SRFs and\nrequirements that apply to the SRF's operation, such as plans and reporting. Both define categories\nof projects eligible for assistance, who may receive assistance, and types of assistance activities.\n  A key intention of both bills is to extend SRF authorizations.  S. 2550  authorizes\n$35 billion for FY2005-FY2009 for capitalization grants ($20 billion for the CWA SRF, $15 billion\nfor the SDWA SRF).  H.R. 1560  authorizes $20 billion for CWA SRF capitalization\ngrants for FY2004-FY2008. In addition, both would conform the two laws in several respects. For\nexample, the SDWA currently allows states to offer additional subsidization to disadvantaged\ncommunities and longer loan repayment periods, and both bills would add similar provisions to the\nCWA. \n  The bills are not identical, however. In some cases, they take different approaches to an issue,\nsuch as how to revise the formula for state-by-state allotment of CWA SRF capitalization grants. \n S. 2550  includes provisions that would apply prevailing wage requirements of the\nDavis-Bacon Act to projects that receive SRF funding, and it includes a new grant program to assist\nsmall community drinking water projects, as well as grant programs to address lead contamination\nin schools and in the District of Columbia.  H.R. 1560  includes provisions requiring\ncommunities to plan for capital replacement needs and to implement an asset management plan for\nthe repair and maintenance of infrastructure.\n  Future prospects for the legislation are uncertain for several reasons, including controversies\nover application of the Davis-Bacon Act, Administration opposition to funding levels in the bills,\nlimited legislative time remaining in the 108th Congress, and the lack of House consideration of a\ncounterpart to the SDWA provisions of  S. 2550 . This report will be updated as\nwarranted.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL32503",
          "sha1": "76a893ac8fc1066c9231423a9554f1eb83595ba6",
          "filename": "files/20040727_RL32503_76a893ac8fc1066c9231423a9554f1eb83595ba6.pdf",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20040727_RL32503_76a893ac8fc1066c9231423a9554f1eb83595ba6.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Environmental Policy"
  ]
}