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S. 4206: A bill to amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to authorize the interest rate to be used on a secured loan to be the interest rate for United States Treasury securities of a similar maturity on the date of first disbursement of the loan, and for other purposes.

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S. 4206: A bill to amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to authorize the interest rate to be used on a secured loan to be the interest rate for United States Treasury securities of a similar maturity on the date of first disbursement of the loan, and for other purposes.

116th Congress · introduced 2020-07-02 · Water Resources Development · 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 2020-07-02 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · 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

A bill to amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to authorize the interest rate to be used on a secured loan to be the interest rate for United States Treasury securities of a similar maturity on the date of first disbursement of the loan, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

This bill modifies statutory requirements related to the minimum interest rate for a secured loan provided under a federal program to help finance water infrastructure projects (i.e., the program established under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014). Specifically, the interest rate for such a loan shall not be less than the yield of U.S. Treasury securities of similar maturity to the loan, either on the date the loan agreement was executed or the date of the loan's first disbursement, whichever is lower. Currently, the statute only takes into consideration the yield of comparable U.S. Treasury securities on the execution date of the loan agreement.

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

A bill to amend the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014 to authorize the interest rate to be used on a secured loan to be the interest rate for United States Treasury securities of a similar maturity on the date of first disbursement of the loan, and for other purposes.

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. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] reported raising $5.4 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 (4)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
Statute
A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-s4206 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116