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HCONRES 266 110th Congress House International Affairs Agricultural pollution Agriculture and Food Commerce Crime and Law Enforcement Debt relief Developing countries Development credit institutions Economics and Public Finance Energy Environmental Protection Environmental law enforcement Federal aid to water resources development Foreign Trade and International Finance Foreign loans Freshwater resources conservation Government Operations and Politics Government regulation Industrial pollution Infrastructure

Expressing the sense of the Congress with regard to the world's freshwater resources.

Introduced: December 6, 2007 Introduced by: Schakowsky, Janice D. Democratic · Illinois See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Dec 10, 2007
Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
Dec 6, 2007
Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Dec 6, 2007
Introduced in House
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Asserts that: (1) water management priorities should reflect the goals of safeguarding and sustaining water resources; (2) U.S. executive directors of international financial institutions should not approve loans that require increased cost recovery or water privatization or public-private partnerships that would result in significant increases in consumer water fees or in other ways restrict affordable access to water; and (3) federal policies should ensure that sources of water pollution are adequately regulated and those responsible held accountable for the pollution they cause.

Affirms: (1) that water should not be treated as a private commodity where this would limit or deny public access to freshwater resources; (2) that Congress firmly commits itself to meet the Millennium Development Goals; and (3) that access to international loans and debt reduction programs should not be conditioned on implementing increased cost recovery policies when those policies would result in significantly increased water rates that reduce access to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Deems that federal funding not be conditioned on the consideration of forms of privatization that would restrict affordable access to water.

Upholds the principle that governments should engage all members of society in participation in overseeing decisions concerning water conservation and management.

Recommends that trade agreements should not include conditions related to the provision of water for human use that would result in reduced access to water.

Recognizes: (1) the need to fully fund the Water for the Poor Act of 2007; and (2) that sufficient and safe drinking water is a precondition for the realization of all other human rights.

What's happening now December 10, 2007

Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.

 Committees of jurisdiction 4