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S. 3388: Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act

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S. 3388: Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act

112th Congress · introduced 2012-07-16 · Environmental Protection · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2012-07-16 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act

Plain summary

Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act - Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require owners or operators of publicly owned treatment works to: (1) institute monitoring systems to provide timely alerts of sewer overflows, (2) notify the public not later than 24 hours after receiving knowledge of such overflows in areas where human health is potentially affected, (3) notify public health authorities and other affected entities immediately of an overflow that may imminently and substantially endanger human health, (4) report each overflow on discharge monitoring reports to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or the state, and (5) annually report to the Administrator or the state on the total number of overflows in a calendar year. Makes specified exceptions to notification and reporting requirements for backups into single-family residences and for overflows that occur in the course of treatment works maintenance, respectively. Requires annual summary reports by states to the Administrator. Requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations, including to establish overflow assessment guidance and develop communications measures to provide notification under this Act. Makes the monitoring systems eligible for state water pollution control revolving fund assistance.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Sewage Overflow Community Right-to-Know Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Rulemaking
The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong112-s3388 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112