Thanks to the ongoing outreach of ASCE's Key Contacts, Legislative Fly-In Attendees and ASCE's Advocacy Captains, both the Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works (EPW) and the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure (T&I) held mark-up hearings for its respective Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) bills.
Leading up to this week's successes, ASCE President Kristina Swallow testified at the Senate EPW Committee's first hearing on its WRDA bill, known as America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018. In March, Fly-In attendees advocated for the reauthorization of the National Dam Safety Program and the National Levee Safety Program in this year's WRDA bills. Fly-In attendees also championed the Securing Required Funds for Water Infrastructure Now (SRF WIN) Act (S. 2364/H.R. 4902). This bill, which seeks to help states fund critically important drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects by using a combination of the most successful aspects of both the WIFIA and State Revolving Loan (SRF) programs, has been rolled into the Senate's WRDA legislation
The Senate version also includes reauthorization of the Water Infrastructure Finance & Innovation Act (WIFIA) as well as a provision that allows the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to retain user fees at recreation facilities for the use of operation, maintenance, and management at the site where the fee is collected. ASCE urges the committee to follow in the Trump Administration's lead by authorizing new user fee collection and retention under the Section 5014 pilot program of WRRDA 2014.
Having passed through both the Senate EPW Committee and the House T&I Committee, the WRDA bills now head to the Senate and House floors for a vote. If your Members of Congress serve on either the House or Senate Committees that reviewed the bill, please take a moment and thank them for their leadership on this bill. We also encourage you to contact Congress to urge passage of this important water resources bill.
We expect the WRDA will continue to make progress as Congress heads towards their August recess and hope that you'll join fellow members in support of this bill by becoming a Key Contact. You can also follow along on our Save America's Infrastructure blog, and of course, follow this thread right here in Collaborate.
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Natalie Mamerow Aff.M.ASCE
Senior Manager, Federal Government Relations
Washington DC
(202)789-7844
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