US Congress House Bill 4136 (Prior Session Legislation)

---

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: Introduced on November 30 2015 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2015-12-01 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Beach Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to revise and reauthorize through FY2020 a grant program for monitoring, and notifying the public of, any pathogens in coastal recreation waters bordering public beaches. The bill reauthorizes through FY2018 the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2000. The bill establishes requirements with respect to: (1) using rapid testing methods to detect unsafe levels of pathogens or pathogen indicators in those waters, and (2) notifying governmental agencies when pathogens exceed water quality standards. Those methods must provide testing results within four hours of receiving a sample. Communication with governments must occur within two hours of the receipt of the results of water quality samples. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must assess state and local compliance with coastal recreation water quality monitoring and notification legal requirements and grant conditions. The bill limits federal support of grants to non-compliant state or local governments. The Government Accountability Office must review the EPA's compliance assessments and corrective actions. States with coastal recreation waters must adopt the most protective water quality criteria and standards practicable for pathogens. The EPA must: (1) update the national list of beaches that are used by the public regardless of the presence of a lifeguard within 12 months and biennially thereafter (currently, periodically); (2) study the long-term impact of climate change on pathogenic contamination of coastal recreation waters; and (3) study the impacts of excess nutrients on coastal recreation waters.

Beach Act of 2015

Rep. Frank Pallone [D-NJ]

Rep. Lois Capps [D-CA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2015-12-01	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
2015-11-30	House	Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
2015-11-30	House	Introduced in House

SB2335 (Same As) 2015-12-01 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4136/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/114/bills/hr4136/BILLS-114hr4136ih.pdf