AWWA: A Trusted Resource on Capitol Hill

Abstract

AWWA has built a reputation as the “voice of water” in Washington, D.C., and we strive to ensure decision makers hear from our membership as they consider policy that may affect drinking water systems and the communities they serve. AWWA's members are engineers, scientists, operators, utility managers, educators, public officials, and more. Each of you has unique knowledge and experience that can help provide critical perspective to members of Congress.

In AWWA's Government Affairs office, one of our primary roles is helping to effectively facilitate knowledge transfer between our members and Congress to achieve positive policy outcomes. There are 435 voting members of the House of Representatives, 100 members of the Senate, and committees in both chambers with direct jurisdiction over the various aspects of water policy. Though they consider legislation and hold hearings on water sector priorities, members of Congress typically don’t have experience in the water sector. A recent report from the Congressional Research Service noted that fewer than 10 members of Congress were engineers and as few as five were scientists. Your expertise, as water professionals and constituents, can be helpful in communicating your own utility's needs in a way that resonates with your representative.

However, we know that educating Congress is not part of your job description. We work hard to keep you updated on federal legislative activity, provide advocacy tools and resources, and streamline the process of reaching out so that you can build a relationship between your utility and your representative's office. The simple act of sending a letter or making a phone call can help raise awareness of an issue for your representative. Inviting your representative to tour your utility is also a great way to convey the importance and complexity of the service you provide. Ultimately, by taking the time to connect with your representative, you can establish yourself and your utility as a trusted resource on Capitol Hill.

At our signature event, the annual Water Matters! Fly-In, more than 150 AWWA members from around the United States meet with their representatives on Capitol Hill to discuss federal legislation and the water sector's needs. We work alongside AWWA's Water Utility Council to outline policy priorities that inform our Fly-In advocacy, and we provide information and materials to help you make the most of your conversations. These meetings give our members the opportunity to educate lawmakers and their staffs, demonstrate local connections to federal policymaking, and elevate the importance of water on Congress's agenda.

These interactions help build trust and set the foundation for additional outreach in the future. By meeting with your lawmaker as a representative of AWWA, you reinforce AWWA's reputation as a leader in drinking water policy. These meetings can also act as a primer for AWWA's legislative affairs staff, who can follow up with additional outreach and materials.

AWWA and our volunteers devote significant time and resources to technical reports, guidance and tools, standards development, publications, and other water sector resources. When appropriate and helpful, we provide certain materials to Congress to inform the legislative process. For example, AWWA commissioned cost studies that can help Congress better understand and fully appreciate the level of funding that may be necessary to address capital costs associated with treatment technology for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

With your help, AWWA informs congressional decision-making in other ways as well. We are fortunate to have members with specific expertise in just about every category of drinking water policy that may come across a congressional desk. AWWA members have also been asked to offer this expertise directly by testifying at committee hearings related to topics of interest or providing educational content through congressional briefings. Even when AWWA is not testifying at a hearing, we may provide a formal statement for the record so that our members’ perspectives are taken into consideration.

We also work collaboratively with other national water associations in Washington on shared priorities like water infrastructure funding, PFAS, water affordability, cybersecurity, and more. By speaking as a collective, we can amplify the priorities of our members and the sector, improve the policymaking process, and help you build a relationship with your member(s) of Congress. AWWA's 50,000 members can play an important part by offering technical expertise and conveying the key role you play in protecting public health, as the US water sector continues to address numerous challenges facing utilities and communities.