49–010 

Calendar No. 83 

114TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! SENATE 1st Session 114–47 

GRASSROOTS RURAL AND SMALL COMMUNITY WATER 

SYSTEMS ASSISTANCE ACT 

MAY 18, 2015.—Ordered to be printed 

Mr. INHOFE, from the Committee on Environment and Public 

Works, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany S. 611] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Environment and Public Works, to which was 

referred a bill (S. 611) to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to 

reauthorize technical assistance to small public water systems, and 

for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably 

thereon without amendment and recommends that the bill do pass. 

GENERAL STATEMENT AND BACKGROUND

S. 611 reauthorizes section 1442(e) of the Safe Drinking Water 

Act (SDWA), which was enacted as part of 1996 amendments to the 

SDWA. The program provides funding to third-party organizations 

that carry out on-site training and technical assistance for small 

public water systems to help such systems achieve and maintain 

compliance with the SDWA. 

The bill provides additional criteria for selecting organizations to 

receive funding to ensure that resources are targeted to the most 

effective organizations that are most beneficial for small and rural 

communities. 

The bill reauthorizes the program for $15 million per year 

through fiscal year 2020. 

OBJECTIVES OF THE LEGISLATION

The Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act reauthorizes a Safe Drinking Water Act program to 

provide technical assistance to small public water systems. 


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SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides that the Act may be cited as the ‘‘Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act’’. 

Section 2. Findings 

This section establishes findings related to the Safe Drinking 

Water Act’s technical assistance program. 

Section 3. Sense of Congress 

This section states that it is the sense of Congress that the Environmental Protection Agency should prioritize technical assistance 

that is most beneficial to communities being served and that local 

support is key to successful assistance. 

Section 4. Funding Priorities 

This section amends section 1442(e) of the Safe Drinking Water 

Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–1(e)). 

Paragraph (2) extends the authorization of appropriations 

through fiscal year 2020. 

Paragraph (3) authorizes the Administrator to provide grants or 

cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations to provide assistance to small public water systems. Preference is given to organizations that are the most qualified and experienced in providing 

training and technical assistance to small public water systems and 

that small community water systems in the State find to be the 

most beneficial and effective. It also prohibits the use of funds for 

litigation pursuant to section 1449. 

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 611 was introduced by Sen. Wicker along with 15 cosponsors 

on February 27, 2015. The Committee on Environment and Public 

Works met to consider S. 611 on April 29, 2015. The bill was approved by voice vote. 

HEARINGS

No committee hearings were held on S. 611. 

ROLLCALL VOTES

The Committee on Environment and Public Works met to consider S. 611 on April 29, 2015. The bill was ordered favorably reported by voice vote. No roll call votes were taken. 

REGULATORY IMPACT STATEMENT

In compliance with section 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing 

Rules of the Senate, the committee finds that S. 611 does not create any additional regulatory burdens, nor will it cause any adverse impact on the personal privacy of individuals. 

MANDATES ASSESSMENT

In compliance with the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 

(Public Law 104–4), the committee notes that the Congressional 


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Budget Office found that, ‘‘S. 611 contains no intergovernmental or 

private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.’’ 

COST OF LEGISLATION

Section 403 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act requires that a statement of the cost of the reported bill, 

prepared by the Congressional Budget Office, be included in the report. That statement follows: 

U.S. CONGRESS, 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, 

Washington, DC, May 8, 2015. 

Hon. JIM INHOFE, 

Chairman, Committee on Environment and Public Works, 

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC. 

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 611, the Grassroots Rural 

and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act. 

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased 

to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Susanne S. Mehlman. 

Sincerely, 

KEITH HALL. 

Enclosure. 

S. 611—Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems 

Assistance Act 

Summary: S. 611 would authorize the appropriation of $15 million annually over the 2016–2020 period for the Environmental 

Protection Agency’s program that provides technical assistance to 

small public water systems. The authorization for this program expired in 2003, but the program received an appropriation of $13 

million for fiscal year 2015. CBO estimates that implementing S. 

611 would cost $67 million over the next five years, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts. Pay-as-you-go procedures do 

not apply to S. 611 because it would not affect direct spending or 

revenues. 

S. 611 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates 

as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA). 

Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated budgetary impact of S. 611 is shown in the following table. The costs 

of this legislation fall within budget function 300 (natural resources 

and environment). 

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars— 

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2016– 

2020 

CHANGES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION 

Authorization Level ....................................................................... 15 15 15 15 15 75 

Estimated Outlays ........................................................................ 8 14 15 15 15 67 

Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that S. 611 

will be enacted by the end of fiscal year 2015, that the specified 

amounts will be appropriated in each year starting in 2016, and 

that outlays will follow historical spending patterns for the technical assistance program. The legislation would authorize funding 


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for nonprofit organizations to help small public water systems 

achieve and maintain compliance with national regulations and to 

support training and engineering evaluations of those water systems. 

Pay-as-You-Go considerations: None. 

Intergovernmental and private-sector impact: S. 611 contains no 

intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA. 

Activities authorized in the bill would assist public water systems 

to comply with national standards for primary drinking water. 

Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Susanne S. Mehlman; Impact on state, local, and tribal governments: Jon Sperl; Impact on 

the private sector: Amy Petz. 

Estimate approved by: Theresa Gullo, Assistant Director for 

Budget Analysis. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with section 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing Rules 

of the Senate, changes in existing law made by the bill as reported 

are shown as follows: Existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in øblack brackets¿, new matter is printed in italic, existing 

law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman: 

SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 1400. This title may be cited as the ‘Safe Drinking Water 

Act’. 

* * * * * * * 

SEC. 1442. (a)(1) The Administrator may conduct research, studies, and demonstrations relating to the causes, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of physical and mental diseases and 

other impairments of man resulting directly or indirectly from contaminants in water, or to the provision of a dependably safe supply 

of drinking water, including— 

(A) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE— (1) The Administrator may provide technical assistance to 

small public water systems to enable such systems to achieve 

and maintain compliance with applicable national primary 

drinking water regulations. 

(2) Such assistance may include circuit-rider and multi-State 

regional technical assistance programs, training, and preliminary engineering evaluations. 

(3) The Administrator shall ensure that technical assistance 

pursuant to this subsection is available in each State. 

(4) Each nonprofit organization receiving assistance under 

this subsection shall consult with the State in which the assistance is to be expended or otherwise made available before 

using assistance to undertake activities to carry out this subsection. 

(5) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to be used for such technical assistance $15,000,000 for 


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each of the fiscal years ø1997 through 2003¿ 2015 through 

2020. 

(6) No portion of any State loan fund established under section 1452 (relating to State loan funds) and no portion of any 

funds made available under this subsection may be used for 

lobbying expenses. 

(7) Of the total amount appropriated under this subsection, 

3 percent shall be used for technical assistance to public water 

systems owned or operated by Indian Tribes. 

(8) Nonprofit organizations.— 

(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may use amounts 

made available to carry out this section to provide grants 

or cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations that 

provide to small public water systems onsite technical assistance, circuit-rider technical assistance programs, 

multistate, regional technical assistance programs, onsite 

and regional training, assistance with implementing source 

water protection plans, and assistance with implementing 

monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and water security enhancements. 

(B) PREFERENCE.—To ensure that technical assistance 

funding is used in a manner that is most beneficial to the 

small and rural communities of a State, the Administrator 

shall give preference under this paragraph to nonprofit organizations that, as determined by the Administrator, are 

the most qualified and experienced in providing training 

and technical assistance to small public water systems and 

that the small community water systems in that State find 

to be the most beneficial and effective. 

(C) LIMITATION.—No grant or cooperative agreement provided or otherwise made available under this section may 

be used for litigation pursuant to section 1449. 

Æ 


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