SEWER Act
Also known as Surveilling Effluent Water for Epidemic Response Act
Where it stands
- Introduced1/28/25
- Passed House
- Senate
- President
- Law
Introduced in the House on January 28, 2025.
Passed by voice vote or unanimous consent — no individual positions were recorded.
Surveilling Effluent Water for Epidemic Response Act or the SEWER Act
This bill provides statutory authority for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) program, which detects and monitors pathogens in wastewater. It requires the CDC to expand and intensify the activities of the NWSS, including with respect to SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), influenza, mpox, dengue, West Nile virus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The NWSS provides funding and guidance to public health departments for wastewater surveillance activities. Under the NWSS, health departments and other partners coordinate on wastewater surveillance at sampling sites and share data with the CDC. The NWSS was initially implemented to monitor SARS-CoV-2 and has since expanded to include influenza A, avian influenza A, mpox, and RSV.
What happens next
The House must pass it, then the Senate must pass the same text, then it goes to the President.
If it isn't enacted by Jan 3, 2027, it expires when the 119th Congress ends.
All actions (2)
- 1/28/25Introduced in House
- 1/28/25Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.