Click
here for
previous updates.
To: Members, Affiliates & Legal Affairs Committee From: National Office Date: November 2000 The National Office is pleased to provide you with the November 2000 Legislative Update. The update will provide you with a comprehensive overview of AMSA’s recent legislative initiatives and the general outlook on Capitol Hill current to December 11, 2000. The attached Bill Digest provides an abbreviated summary of pertinent legislation that AMSA is currently tracking. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the National Office.
Water Infrastructure Funding Talks in Final Phase
The final facilitated meeting for participants of the 28 organizations that are discussing funding options to close the wastewater/water funding gap was scheduled for December 12 in Washington, DC. Bill Schatz, General Counsel, Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District, has been representing AMSA’s members during the facilitation process. Pending the outcome of the final meeting, organizations will be asked to formally sign-on to the new report by mid-January before it goes to publication. AMSA hopes to roll-out the new report at a press conference in February. It will be sent to the new President, members of his administration and to the House and the Senate. For more information on WIN, call AMSA's Lee Garrigan at (202)833-4655.Investing in Communities Agenda Sent to Leadership
AMSA and 25 other organizations have signed on to a broad-based national agenda for the Investing in Communities Coalition (ICC). The proposal has been prepared for the new Administration and Congress and focuses on six priorities for federal action. Among the six is "providing financing and investment incentives to build and maintain infrastructure." AMSA President Bill Pugh will participate in a January 18, 2001 press conference to roll out the document at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The ICC is headed by National League of Cities (NLC) out-going President Bob Knight, Republican mayor of Wichita, Kansas, and NLC in-coming President Dennis Archer, Democratic mayor of Detroit, Michigan. Copies of the ICC agenda have been sent to the leadership of the new 107th Congress. In the next few weeks, it will be sent to the president-elect, leaders of his transition staff, and all members of the House and Senate.AMSA has distributed to ICC members the WIN report entitled Clean and Safe Water for the 21st Century as well as the recent ENR supplement on wastewater and water infrastructure funding. AMSA expects to receive support from ICC member organizations for the next WIN report and for subsequent water infrastructure funding legislation. For more information, go to www.nlc.org on the internet and click on the 'Investing in Communities Agenda' icon, or contact AMSA's Lee Garrigan at (202)833-4655.
Wet Weather Bill Faces Uncertain Future as Congress Resumes Funding Talks
The "lame duck" Congress resumed negotiations with the Clinton Administration over the four remaining appropriations bills for the 2001 fiscal year on December 4. At the same time, the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee leadership is still pressing for the incorporation of the Wet Weather Water Quality Act of 2000 (H.R. 828), as part of a larger "environmental infrastructure package", into one of the available appropriations packages. Prior to the election and Thanksgiving recess, Chairman Bud Shuster secured a commitment by House appropriators to insert the content of the environmental infrastructure package (including H.R. 828) into the Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education funding package (H.R. 4577). However, as the current spate of options regarding resolution of the appropriations bills includes the potential for essentially no agreement as well as the passage of another continuing resolution to fund those agencies without funding approval through FY 2001, the prospects for the wet weather bill are by no means secure.AMSA has supported this bill, which provides SSO and CSO grant funding and authorizes money for watershed demonstration projects, as a step forward. At the same time, the National Office has communicated our displeasure at the decision to proceed without SSO liability and stormwater clarification provisions, and urged Congress to return to the issue of infrastructure funding next year to address the $23 billion annual gap in water infrastructure spending. In response to the House Committee’s request, the National Office asked members to communicate their support of the environmental infrastructure package to the Senate and House Appropriations Committee leadership.
Post-Election Legislative Strategy Session to be held at Winter Conference
As the Association positions itself to actively engage the new Administration and 107th Congress, AMSA’s 2001 Winter Conference presents an excellent opportunity for the membership to discuss ongoing and new legislative and regulatory initiatives. To facilitate this process, AMSA’s Legislative and Regulatory Policy Committees will host Strategy Sessions in lieu of their regular meetings. The Legislative Strategy Session will take place from 12:15 - 1:45 pm on Wednesday, January 31, 2000. On the agenda will be issues related to water infrastructure funding, TMDLs, wet weather, biosolids, as well as other issues identified by the membership. AMSA’s Regulatory Strategy Session will take place on February 2 from 7:15 - 8:45 am, and will focus on the impact of a new Administration on current Agency rulemaking and guidance development efforts.
