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S. 4362: Emergency Water and Energy is a Human Right Act

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S. 4362: Emergency Water and Energy is a Human Right Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-07-29 · Water Resources Development · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2020-07-29 · 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 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. 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

Emergency Water and Energy is a Human Right Act

Plain summary

Emergency Water and Energy is a Human Right Act This bill creates a grant program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, to provide funds to states and Indian tribes to assist low-income households that pay a high proportion of household income for drinking water and wastewater services. Specifically, states and Indian tribes must provide payments to owners and operators of public water systems and wastewater treatment works to reduce rates charged to low-income households. Owners and operators must also conduct outreach activities to ensure that households are aware of the available rate reduction assistance. Further, any entity receiving financial assistance under this grant program must ensure that no home energy service, public water system service, or wastewater treatment works is or remains disconnected or interrupted during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency because of nonpayment.

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

Emergency Water and Energy is a Human Right Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · 13 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Christopher Murphy (D-CT), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ)

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 (1)
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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-s4362 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116