Max Baucus: “Under current law, safe drinking water funding in fiscal years 1994 through 2000 will be $420 million. That money is…”

“Under current law, safe drinking water funding in fiscal years 1994 through 2000 will be $420 million. That money is going to the States. Under this bill, if it passes, $7.3 billion will go to States to fund the reformed mandates that the bill provides. The basic intent of the Senator's amendment is to address the very large issue of unfunded mandates. Again, I say to the Senator and to anyone listening that this bill addresses unfunded mandates; No. 1, by reforming the mandates; No. 2, by funding the reform mandates, and, No. 3, by providing flexibility to the States so they can adjust to local conditions quite easily. Again, just to repeat, from 1994 through the year 2000, under current law, States will receive about $420 million to pay for requirements under the Safe Drinking Water Act. If this bill passes, that increases at least fourteenfold to $7.3 billion over the same number of years. It is a whole new start. The State revolving loan fund is all new. It will go a long way to address these issues.”