Bottled Water Quality Information Act

Bottled Water Quality Information Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue regulations requiring each bottled water manufacturer or distributor to annually prepare a report that includes the following:

• the manufacturer’s or distributor’s name and contact information;
• type of water source;
• a plainly worded definition of “Standard of Identity” and “Standard of Quality” as prescribed in current bottled water regulations;
• a brief description of primary treatment methods used; and
• test results for the water’s microbiological, physical, chemical, and radiological quality.

Requires the Secretary to issue regulations requiring each bottled water label to include the following:

• the manufacturer’s or distributor’s name and contact information,
• a statement notifying consumers how to obtain the quality report required by this Act, and
• type of water source.

Prescribes means by which refillable and reusable multiservice containers may fulfill this Act’s requirements.

Preempts inconsistent state or local reporting or labeling requirements.

Prohibits the distribution of bottled water products not in compliance with this Act.

[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4978 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4978

 To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require bottled 
water manufacturers and distributors to disclose bottled water quality 
                  information, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2014

Mrs. Ellmers (for herself, Mr. Matheson, and Mr. Nugent) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                                Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require bottled 
water manufacturers and distributors to disclose bottled water quality 
                  information, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bottled Water Quality Information 
Act''.

SEC. 2. BOTTLED WATER QUALITY REPORTS AND LABELING.

    (a) In General.--Section 410 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 349) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(c) Bottled Water Quality Reports.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, by regulation, 
        require bottled water quality reports in accordance with 
        paragraph (3).
            ``(2) Regulations.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) issue proposed regulations not later than 18 
                months after the date of enactment of this subsection; 
                and
                    ``(B) issue final regulations not later than 18 
                months after the period for public comment on such 
                proposed regulations has ended.
            ``(3) Requirements.--The regulations promulgated under 
        paragraph (1) shall require that each bottled water 
        manufacturer or distributor annually prepare, and make 
        available upon request, a bottled water quality report for each 
        bottled water product that includes--
                    ``(A) the name and contact information of the 
                bottled water manufacturer or distributor;
                    ``(B) the type of water source (such as a spring, 
                an artesian well, or a public water system);
                    ``(C) a brief and plainly worded definition of the 
                terms `Standard of Identity (SOI)' as described in 
                section 165.110(a) of the Code of Federal Regulations, 
                title 21 (or any successor regulations) and `Standard 
                of Quality (SOQ)' as defined in section 165.110(b) of 
                the Code of Federal Regulations, title 21 (or any 
                successor regulations) and as applied to bottled water 
                under this Act and applicable regulations;
                    ``(D) a brief description of the primary processing 
                (treatment) methods used by the bottled water 
                manufacturer (such as reverse osmosis, ozonation, 
                ultraviolet light, and micron filtration); and
                    ``(E) test results for the microbiological, 
                physical, chemical, and radiological quality of bottled 
                water, as prescribed by section 165.110(b) of the Code 
                of Federal Regulations, title 21 (or any successor 
                regulation).
    ``(d) Bottled Water Labeling.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, by regulation, 
        require each bottled water label to include the information 
        prescribed under paragraph (3).
            ``(2) Regulations.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) issue proposed regulations not later than 18 
                months after the date of enactment of this subsection; 
                and
                    ``(B) issue final regulations not later than 18 
                months after the period for public comment on such 
                proposed regulations has ended.
            ``(3) Requirements.--The regulations promulgated under 
        paragraph (1) shall require that each bottled water label 
        include--
                    ``(A) the name and contact information of the 
                bottled water manufacturer or distributor;
                    ``(B) a statement on how consumers may obtain, upon 
                request, a bottled water quality report as described in 
                subsection (c)(3); and
                    ``(C) the type of water source (such as a spring, 
                artesian well, or public water system).
            ``(4) Multiservice containers.--For refillable and reusable 
        multiservice containers, the requirements in paragraph (3) may 
        be satisfied by including the required information on one or 
        more of the following:
                    ``(A) The container label.
                    ``(B) The cap label.
                    ``(C) An electronic or manual billing statement 
                provided to the consumer.
    ``(e) National Uniform Labeling.--No State or political subdivision 
of a State may directly or indirectly establish or continue in effect 
any requirement with respect to a bottled water quality report of the 
type required under subsection (c), or with respect to bottled water 
labeling of the type required under subsection (d), that is not 
identical to the requirements of subsection (c) or (d), 
respectively.''.
    (b) Prohibited Act.--Section 301 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 331) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(ddd) The failure by a bottled water manufacturer or distributor 
to maintain an annual bottled water quality report in accordance with 
section 410(c).''.
    (c) Misbranding.--Section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and 
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 343) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(z) If it is bottled water and its label fails to include the 
information required by section 410(d).''.
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