Bill > S2579

This bill, titled the Drinking Water Safety and Infrastructure Act, aims to enhance the safety and infrastructure of public drinking water systems, particularly for communities facing emergencies related to lead or other contaminants. It proposes to make eligible systems, defined as those affected by a presidential emergency declaration due to public health threats from lead or other contaminants in their water supply, eligible for enhanced assistance through the Safe Drinking Water Act's State Revolving Loan Fund, including loans with additional subsidies and potential principal forgiveness. The bill also allows for secured loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 (WIFIA) to help finance projects addressing these contaminants, with provisions to cover costs not met by WIFIA loans using State revolving loan funds. Furthermore, it allocates significant funding to bolster these State revolving loan funds and WIFIA programs, and establishes a lead exposure registry and an advisory committee to study and address the health effects of lead exposure, with dedicated funding for these initiatives and for childhood lead poisoning prevention and healthy homes programs. Finally, the bill mandates a review and report on the federal and state response to the Flint, Michigan water crisis to identify lessons learned and prevent future occurrences.