Ocean Pollution Reduction Act
Public Law 103-431 · H.R. 5176 · 103rd Congress · began in the House
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Oct 31, 1994 · Environmental Protection
Sponsor: Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA-50)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Lynn Schenk, Rep. Duke Cunningham
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Ocean Pollution Reduction Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to authorize the city of San Diego, California, to apply for a modification of secondary treatment requirements with respect to biological oxygen demand and total suspended solids in the effluent discharged into marine waters.
Includes within such application a commitment by the applicant to implement a waste water reclamation program meeting specified minimum requirements.
Prohibits the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from granting a modification unless such modification will result in removal of at least 58 percent of the biological oxygen demand (on an annual average) and at least 80 percent of total suspended solids (on a monthly average) in the discharge to which the application applies.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Environment and Natural Resources Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 14 actions.
- Oct 31, 1994Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 103-431.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 21, 1994PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Oct 8, 1994FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
- Oct 5, 1994FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On passage Passed without objection.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Filner asked unanimous consent to discharge from committee and consider.
- FloorFloor · Considered by unanimous consent.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Environment and Natural Resources Subcommittee of the House Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.