US Congress
The Millennium Water Alliance is one of the principal WASH advocates today before the U. S. Congress.
We work very closely with our 11 member NGOs and others in the broader WASH community, to educate members of Congress on WASH issues, and to stress the need for U.S. leadership.
MWA brings years of high-level experience in lobbying to the WASH sector. We participate in creating legislative strategy, developing the public message, and monitoring and analyzing developments in the field to help Congress make informed decisions.
Our Priority Legislation includes:
The Sen. Paul Simon Water for the World Act, HR 3658, introduced in the House in December 2011 by Reps. Earl Blumenauer ( D-OR) and Ted Poe (R-TX), an update and improvement on current law, the Senator Paul Simon Water for the Poor Act (Public Law 109-121) that was enacted in 2005. Check the News section on this site for most recent updates!
The Sen. Paul Simon Water for the World Act, S. 641, introduced in the Senate in March 2011 by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bob Corker (R-TN), the Senate version to revise and improve the 2005 Act. Check the News section on this site for most recent updates!
Annual Congressional appropriations bills to fund WASH and other foreign assistance programs through USAID. Check the News section on this site for most recent updates!
The Global Partnerships Act, a bill now in draft form, to reform overall foreign assistance. We support the effort of Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) to develop this comprehensive overhaul of the US Foreign Assistance Act, which is the governing authorization for all foreign assistance.
You Might Well Ask:
What is the difference between the House and the Senate versions of the Water for the World Act?
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the two Water for the World authorization bills now awaiting Congressional action (thanks to WaterAid America for taking the lead in preparing this document):
News
For current progress, please visit our News page.
How We Do Advocacy…
For MWA members, we:
Monitor pending and possible legislative activities that affect not only WASH specifically, but also international development generally.
Prepare field alerts, analysis, and letters to key members of Congress.
Assist our members to develop information for, and to speak to, Congress – wherever their board members, staffs, and donors are across the US, they have a constituent relationship to Congress.
When our members can participate in policy decisions, they do; when they cannot, MWA is authorized to represent our members in legislation affecting WASH issues.
Keep our members informed about activities within the broader WASH community that may affect public policy.
For the WASH community in the US and abroad:
MWA plays a leading role in working with others to create effective strategy and share information, helping the community speak with a united voice.
As a member of InterAction, MWA serves as co-chair of the InterAction WASH Working Group, a public policy forum that is open to all WASH organizations.
We work with other organizations to create and implement effective coalition advocacy; at this time, the most active group on legislation includes MWA, CARE (an MWA member), WaterAid America (an MWA member), InterAction, and WASH Advocacy Initiative – and we also work extensively with the broader WASH coalition.
We represent WASH concerns to the entire US-based international development community, and strive to forge common approaches wherever possible.