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To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide for the assessment and management of the risk of algal toxins in drinking water, and for other purposes.

Public Law 114-45 · H.R. 212 · 114th Congress · began in the House

Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Aug 7, 2015 · Environmental Protection

Sponsor: Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH-5)

Cosponsors (6): Rep. Candice Miller,

Passage votesYeaNay

  • HouseRecorded vote: 375 yea, 37 nay375–37
  • 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.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

Drinking Water Protection Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and submit to Congress a strategic plan for assessing and managing risks associated with algal toxins in drinking water provided by public water systems. Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, have the ability to produce cyanotoxins, or algal toxins. When certain conditions are favorable, algae can rapidly multiply causing blooms, or dense surface scums, that may be toxic.

The plan must include steps and time lines to:

• evaluate the risk to human health from drinking water contaminated with algal toxins;

• establish, publish, and update a comprehensive list of algal toxins that may have an adverse effect on human health, taking into account likely exposure levels;

• summarize the known adverse human health effects of algal toxins and the factors that cause toxin-producing cyanobacteria and algae to grow rapidly and make toxins;

• determine whether to publish health advisories for algal toxins and establish guidance regarding feasible analytical methods to quantify the presence of algal toxins and guidance regarding the frequency of monitoring necessary to determine if the algal toxins are present;

• recommend feasible treatment options, including procedures, equipment, and source water protection practices; and

• enter into cooperative agreements with, and provide technical assistance to, affected states and public water systems to manage risks associated with algal toxins.

The EPA must update and resubmit the plan as appropriate.

The EPA must identify gaps in its understanding of algal toxins. It must also assemble and publish information from each agency that has examined or analyzed cyanobacteria or algal toxins or addressed public health concerns related to harmful algal blooms.

The Government Accountability Office must submit to Congress an inventory of funds expended by the United States for each of FY2010 through 2014 to examine or analyze toxin-producing cyanobacteria and algae or address public health concerns related to harmful algal blooms. The inventory must include the specific purpose for which the funds were made available, the law under which the funds were authorized, and the agency that received or spent the funds.

Who voted for it

Every House member of the 114th Congress on the ideology compass. Highlighted: the 375 who voted yea on final passage. Faded: everyone else, including those who voted nay, did not vote, or had not yet taken office.

375 yea37 nay20 present or did not vote

ProEstablishmentAnti
Economic left–right
More liberalMore conservative

Democrats who voted yea(176)

Republicans who voted yea(199)

Data notes

The House’s recorded vote on the final version of the law (roll call 83 in Voteview), matched to the vote the record cites and checked against its totals. Positions are each member’s DW-NOMINATE score for that Congress, as on the Ideology page; left to right is more liberal to more conservative. Paired and announced yea votes count as yea. Lists follow the compass, most liberal first. A name links to a profile only for members of the current Congress. A law passed by voice vote or unanimous consent has no member list, and neither does a vote Voteview has not yet recorded.

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Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

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.

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Related bills

2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.

  • H.R. 1709Related bill

    To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide for the assessment and management of the risks of drought to drinking water, and for other purposes.

  • S. 460Related bill

    Drinking Water Protection Act

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.

  1. Aug 7, 2015Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-45.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Aug 6, 2015FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  5. Aug 5, 2015FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Voice Vote.
  6. Feb 25, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate, read twice.
  7. Feb 24, 2015FloorFloor · The title of the measure was amended. Agreed to without objection.
  8. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 375 - 37 (Roll no. 84).House roll call 84
  9. FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  10. FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
  11. FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
  12. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 212.
  13. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  14. FloorFloor · Mr. Latta moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
  15. CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 18.
  16. CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 114-26.
  17. Jan 9, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.
  18. Jan 8, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  19. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.