Senator Paul Simon Water for the World Act of 2013

Floor Speech

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Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Mr. Blumenauer and
Mr. Poe for their hard work on H.R. 2901, the Senator Paul Simon Water
for the World Act. I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation,
and was pleased to work closely with the bill's sponsors and Chairman
Royce to bring the bill through our Foreign Affairs Committee and onto
the floor today.

This legislation enjoys broad support from a coalition of nearly 80
civil society groups that are dedicated to developing access to clean
water around the world, and it has more than 100 bipartisan cosponsors
in the House.

Congress has long been committed to making the United States a global
leader in improving access to water, sanitation, and hygiene. America
and its international partners have provided clean water to millions of
the world's poorest people. This investment has saved countless lives,
but there is much more work to be done.

More than 750 million people still lack access to clean water. Twenty
percent of the global population remains dependent on water that is
either polluted or drastically overdrawn. Two and a half billion do not
have proper sanitation facilities. Nearly 1 in every 5 deaths among
children under age 5 are caused by water-related diseases, and 3.4
million people die from inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene every
year. These problems are not merely social injustices but pose a
significant obstacle to security and economic prosperity across wide
regions of the world.

This bill will make our existing water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)
programs more effective by establishing priorities and focusing on
areas with the greatest need and the most potential. It will enhance
oversight and coordination by requiring the designation of a Global
Water Coordinator at USAID and a Global Water Advisor at the Department
of State, and it will update strategic planning by calling for an
improved Global Water Strategy. These changes will enhance the
investments we are already making through USAID and the Department of
State.

Through these steps, H.R. 2901 will help ensure that our water
development programs continue to save lives and improve health for
millions of people in need around the world. I encourage my colleagues
to support this important bill and hope the other body will give this
legislation the expedited consideration it deserves.

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