I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4832 

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal Water Pollution 

Control Act to establish pilot programs to assist low-income households 

in maintaining access to sanitation services and drinking water, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 23, 2019 

Ms. FUDGE (for herself and Mr. KATKO) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 

in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Ways and 

Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 

each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal 

Water Pollution Control Act to establish pilot programs 

to assist low-income households in maintaining access 

to sanitation services and drinking water, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Low-Income Water 

5 Customer Assistance Programs Act of 2019’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 4832 IH

1 SEC. 2. LOW-INCOME DRINKING WATER ASSISTANCE PILOT 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 Part E of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 

4 300j et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 1459E. LOW-INCOME DRINKING WATER ASSISTANCE 

7 PILOT PROGRAM. 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en10 tity’ means a municipality or public entity that owns 

11 or operates a community water system. 

12 ‘‘(2) HOUSEHOLD.—The term ‘household’ 

13 means any individual or group of individuals who 

14 are living together as 1 economic unit. 

15 ‘‘(3) LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLD.—The term 

16 ‘low-income household’ means a household— 

17 ‘‘(A) in which 1 or more individuals are re18 ceiving— 

19 ‘‘(i) assistance under a State program 

20 funded under part A of title IV of the So21 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

22 ‘‘(ii) supplemental security income 

23 payments under title XVI of the Social Se24 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 

25 ‘‘(iii) supplemental nutrition assist26 ance program benefits under the Food and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 4832 IH

1 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

2 seq.); or 

3 ‘‘(iv) payments under— 

4 ‘‘(I) section 1315, 1521, 1541, or 

5 1542 of title 38, United States Code; 

6 or 

7 ‘‘(II) section 306 of the Veterans’ 

8 and Survivors’ Pension Improvement 

9 Act of 1978 (38 U.S.C. 1521 note; 

10 Public Law 95–588); or 

11 ‘‘(B) that has an income that, as deter12 mined by the State in which the household is lo13 cated, does not exceed the greater of— 

14 ‘‘(i) an amount equal to 150 percent 

15 of the poverty level; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) an amount equal to 60 percent of 

17 the State median income for that State. 

18 ‘‘(4) POVERTY LEVEL.—The term ‘poverty 

19 level’ means, with respect to a household in a State, 

20 the income poverty guidelines for the nonfarm popu21 lation of the United States, as prescribed by the Of22 fice of Management and Budget, as applicable to the 

23 State. 

24 ‘‘(5) SMALL COMMUNITY-SERVING ELIGIBLE

25 ENTITY.—The term ‘small community-serving eligiVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:20 Oct 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4832.IH H4832

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ble entity’ means an eligible entity that provides 

2 drinking water services to a city, county, or munici3 pality with a population of fewer than 10,000 resi4 dents, at least 20 percent of whom are at or below 

5 the Federal poverty level. 

6 ‘‘(6) STATE MEDIAN INCOME.—The term ‘State 

7 median income’ has the meaning given the term in 

8 section 2603 of Public Law 97–35 (42 U.S.C. 

9 8622). 

10 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es12 tablish a pilot program to award grants to not fewer 

13 than 32 eligible entities in accordance with para14 graph (2) to develop and implement programs to as15 sist low-income households in maintaining access to 

16 affordable drinking water. 

17 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

19 shall award grants under the pilot program de20 scribed in paragraph (1) to— 

21 ‘‘(i) not fewer than 8 eligible entities 

22 that provide drinking water services to a 

23 population of 1,000,000 or more residents; 

24 ‘‘(ii) not fewer than 8 eligible entities 

25 that provide drinking water services to a 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 4832 IH

1 population of 100,000 or more, but fewer 

2 than 1,000,000, residents; 

3 ‘‘(iii) not fewer than 8 eligible entities 

4 that provide drinking water services to a 

5 population of 10,000 or more, but fewer 

6 than 100,000, residents; 

7 ‘‘(iv) subject, as applicable, to sub8 paragraph (B), not fewer than 8 eligible 

9 entities that provide drinking water serv10 ices to a population of fewer than 10,000 

11 residents; and 

12 ‘‘(v) not more than 2 eligible entities 

13 in each State. 

14 ‘‘(B) SMALL COMMUNITY-SERVING ELIGI15 BLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a 

16 grant under the pilot program under this sub17 section, a small community-serving eligible enti18 ty shall enter into a memorandum of under19 standing with the State in which the small com20 munity-serving eligible entity is located, under 

21 which the State shall— 

22 ‘‘(i) submit to the Administrator an 

23 application under paragraph (6) on behalf 

24 of the small community-serving eligible en25 tity; and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) on receipt of a grant under the 

2 pilot program, administer the low-income 

3 household assistance program developed by 

4 the small community-serving eligible entity. 

5 ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) USE.—A grant awarded under the 

7 pilot program— 

8 ‘‘(i) shall not be used to replace funds 

9 for any existing similar program; but 

10 ‘‘(ii) may be used to supplement or 

11 enhance an existing program. 

12 ‘‘(B) GRANTS UNDER MULTIPLE PRO13 GRAMS.—An eligible entity— 

14 ‘‘(i) may apply for a grant under the 

15 pilot program and under the low-income 

16 wastewater assistance pilot program estab17 lished under section 124(b)(1) of the Fed18 eral Water Pollution Control Act; but 

19 ‘‘(ii) may be awarded a grant under 

20 only 1 of the programs described in clause 

21 (i). 

22 ‘‘(4) TERM.—The term of a grant awarded 

23 under the pilot program shall be 5 years. 

24 ‘‘(5) MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

2 after the date of enactment of this section, the 

3 Administrator shall develop, in consultation 

4 with all relevant stakeholders, the minimum re5 quirements for a program carried out by an eli6 gible entity (or a State, on behalf of a small 

7 community-serving eligible entity) using a grant 

8 under this subsection. 

9 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The program require10 ments developed under subparagraph (A) may 

11 include— 

12 ‘‘(i) direct financial assistance; 

13 ‘‘(ii) a lifeline rate; 

14 ‘‘(iii) bill discounting; 

15 ‘‘(iv) special hardship provisions; 

16 ‘‘(v) a percentage-of-income payment 

17 plan; or 

18 ‘‘(vi) water efficiency assistance, in19 cluding direct installation of water efficient 

20 fixtures and leak repair, which may be 

21 completed through a contracted third 

22 party. 

23 ‘‘(C) ASSISTANCE EXEMPT FROM TAX24 ATION.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 

25 law, assistance provided to a low-income houseVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:20 Oct 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4832.IH H4832

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 4832 IH

1 hold under a program carried out by an eligible 

2 entity (or a State, on behalf of a small commu3 nity-serving eligible entity) using a grant under 

4 this subsection shall be exempt from income tax 

5 under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

6 ‘‘(6) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under 

7 this subsection, an eligible entity (or a State, on be8 half of a small community-serving eligible entity) 

9 shall submit to the Administrator an application 

10 that demonstrates that— 

11 ‘‘(A) the proposed program of the eligible 

12 entity or small community-serving eligible enti13 ty, as applicable, meets the requirements devel14 oped under paragraph (5)(A); 

15 ‘‘(B) the proposed program of the eligible 

16 entity or small community-serving eligible enti17 ty, as applicable, will treat owners and renters 

18 equitably; 

19 ‘‘(C) the eligible entity or small commu20 nity-serving eligible entity, as applicable, has, to 

21 fund the activities necessary to achieve or main22 tain compliance with this Act— 

23 ‘‘(i) a long-term financial plan based 

24 on a rate analysis; 

25 ‘‘(ii) an asset management plan; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(iii) a capital improvement plan with 

2 a period of not less than 20 years; 

3 ‘‘(iv) a fiscal management plan; or 

4 ‘‘(v) another plan similar to the plans 

5 described in clauses (i) through (iv); 

6 ‘‘(D) a grant awarded under this sub7 section would support the efforts of the eligible 

8 entity or the small community-serving entity, as 

9 applicable, to generate the necessary funds to 

10 achieve or maintain compliance with this title 

11 while mitigating the cost to low-income house12 holds; and 

13 ‘‘(E) the eligible entity or the small com14 munity-serving entity, as applicable, has the ca15 pacity to create and implement an effective 

16 community outreach plan to inform eligible cus17 tomers of the program and assist with enroll18 ment. 

19 ‘‘(7) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 

20 subsection, the Administrator shall give priority to 

21 eligible entities or small community-serving eligible 

22 entities, as applicable— 

23 ‘‘(A) that— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(i) in addition to owning or oper2 ating community water systems, own or 

3 operate 1 or more— 

4 ‘‘(I) publicly owned treatment 

5 works (as defined in section 212 of 

6 the Federal Water Pollution Control 

7 Act (33 U.S.C. 1292)); 

8 ‘‘(II) municipal wastewater treat9 ment systems; or 

10 ‘‘(III) municipal separate 

11 stormwater sewer systems; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) are subject to consent decrees re13 lating to compliance with the Federal 

14 Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 

15 1251 et seq.) for a facility described in 

16 clause (i); 

17 ‘‘(B) the residential customers of which 

18 have experienced rate or fee increases for 

19 wastewater, stormwater, or drinking water serv20 ices that is greater than or equal to 30 percent 

21 during the 3-year period ending on the date of 

22 enactment of this section; or 

23 ‘‘(C) that— 

24 ‘‘(i) develop an equivalent program, as 

25 determined by the Administrator, that is 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 4832 IH

1 administered separately by the eligible en2 tity or small community-serving eligible en3 tity, as applicable; or 

4 ‘‘(ii) provide matching funds equal to 

5 or greater than the amount of the grant 

6 from— 

7 ‘‘(I) the applicable State or unit 

8 of local government; or 

9 ‘‘(II) a State-sponsored nonprofit 

10 organization or private entity. 

11 ‘‘(8) LOWER INCOME LIMIT.—For purposes of 

12 this section, an eligible entity (or a State, on behalf 

13 of a small community-serving eligible entity) may 

14 adopt an income limit that is lower than the limit 

15 described in subsection (a)(3)(B), except that the el16 igible entity or State, respectively, may not exclude 

17 a household from eligibility in a fiscal year based 

18 solely on household income if that income is less 

19 than 110 percent of the poverty level. 

20 ‘‘(9) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any 

22 other applicable Federal or agency-specific 

23 grant reporting requirements, as a condition of 

24 receiving a grant under this subsection, an eli25 gible entity (or a State, on behalf of a small 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 4832 IH

1 community-serving eligible entity) shall submit 

2 to the Administrator an annual report that 

3 summarizes, in a manner determined by the 

4 Administrator, the low-income household assist5 ance program developed by the eligible entity or 

6 small community-serving eligible entity, as ap7 plicable, using the grant, including— 

8 ‘‘(i) key features, including rate struc9 tures, rebates, discounts, and related ini10 tiatives that assist households, including— 

11 ‘‘(I) budget billing; 

12 ‘‘(II) bill timing; and 

13 ‘‘(III) pretermination protections; 

14 ‘‘(ii) sources of funding; 

15 ‘‘(iii) eligibility criteria; 

16 ‘‘(iv) participation rates by eligible 

17 households; 

18 ‘‘(v) the monetary benefit per partici19 pant; 

20 ‘‘(vi) program costs; 

21 ‘‘(vii) the demonstrable impacts of the 

22 program on arrearage and service dis23 connection for residential customers, based 

24 on data from before and after the impleVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:20 Oct 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4832.IH H4832

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 4832 IH

1 mentation of the pilot program, to the 

2 maximum extent practicable; 

3 ‘‘(viii) the outreach and stakeholder 

4 process used by the eligible entity or small 

5 community-serving eligible entity, as appli6 cable, to design the program, including— 

7 ‘‘(I) the selection process for any 

8 stakeholder committee members; and 

9 ‘‘(II) the number and location of 

10 community outreach events; 

11 ‘‘(ix) the methods used to enroll cus12 tomers, including the outreach plan and 

13 the status of implementation of that out14 reach plan; and 

15 ‘‘(x) other relevant information re16 quired by the Administrator. 

17 ‘‘(B) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator 

18 shall publish each report submitted under sub19 paragraph (A). 

20 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 

21 shall provide technical assistance to each eligible entity, 

22 and each State, on behalf of a small community-serving 

23 eligible entity, that receives a grant under this section to 

24 ensure— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(1) full implementation of the pilot program; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(2) maximum enrollment of low-income house4 holds, including through— 

5 ‘‘(A) community outreach campaigns; 

6 ‘‘(B) coordination with local health depart7 ments to determine the eligibility of households 

8 for assistance; or 

9 ‘‘(C) a combination of the campaigns and 

10 coordination described in subparagraphs (A) 

11 and (B). 

12 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

13 on which grant funds are first disbursed to an eligible enti14 ty (or a State, on behalf of a small community-serving eli15 gible entity) under this section, and every year thereafter 

16 for the duration of the terms of the grants, the Adminis17 trator shall submit to Congress a report on the results 

18 of the pilot program established under this section.’’. 

19 SEC. 3. LOW-INCOME WASTEWATER ASSISTANCE PILOT 

20 PROGRAM. 

21 Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act 

22 (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

23 the following: 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘SEC. 124. LOW-INCOME WASTEWATER ASSISTANCE PILOT 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en5 tity’ means— 

6 ‘‘(A) a municipality or public entity that 

7 owns or operates— 

8 ‘‘(i) a publicly owned treatment 

9 works; 

10 ‘‘(ii) a municipal wastewater treat11 ment system; or 

12 ‘‘(iii) a municipal separate stormwater 

13 sewer system; and 

14 ‘‘(B) 2 or more municipalities or public en15 tities described in subparagraph (A) that have 

16 entered into a partnership agreement or a coop17 erative agreement. 

18 ‘‘(2) HOUSEHOLD.—The term ‘household’ 

19 means any individual or group of individuals who 

20 are living together as 1 economic unit. 

21 ‘‘(3) LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLD.—The term 

22 ‘low-income household’ means a household— 

23 ‘‘(A) in which 1 or more individuals are re24 ceiving— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(i) assistance under a State program 

2 funded under part A of title IV of the So3 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

4 ‘‘(ii) supplemental security income 

5 payments under title XVI of the Social Se6 curity Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 

7 ‘‘(iii) supplemental nutrition assist8 ance program benefits under the Food and 

9 Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

10 seq.); or 

11 ‘‘(iv) payments under— 

12 ‘‘(I) section 1315, 1521, 1541, or 

13 1542 of title 38, United States Code; 

14 or 

15 ‘‘(II) section 306 of the Veterans’ 

16 and Survivors’ Pension Improvement 

17 Act of 1978 (38 U.S.C. 1521 note; 

18 Public Law 95–588); or 

19 ‘‘(B) that has an income that, as deter20 mined by the State in which the household is lo21 cated, does not exceed the greater of— 

22 ‘‘(i) an amount equal to 150 percent 

23 of the poverty level; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) an amount equal to 60 percent of 

25 the State median income for that State. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(4) POVERTY LEVEL.—The term ‘poverty 

2 level’ means, with respect to a household in a State, 

3 the income poverty guidelines for the nonfarm popu4 lation of the United States, as prescribed by the Of5 fice of Management and Budget, as applicable to the 

6 State. 

7 ‘‘(5) SMALL COMMUNITY-SERVING ELIGIBLE

8 ENTITY.—The term ‘small community-serving eligi9 ble entity’ means an eligible entity that provides 

10 wastewater or municipal stormwater services to a 

11 city, county, or municipality with a population of 

12 fewer than 10,000 residents, at least 20 percent of 

13 whom are at or below the Federal poverty level. 

14 ‘‘(6) STATE MEDIAN INCOME.—The term ‘State 

15 median income’ has the meaning given the term in 

16 section 2603 of Public Law 97–35 (42 U.S.C. 

17 8622). 

18 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall es20 tablish a pilot program to award grants to not fewer 

21 than 32 eligible entities in accordance with para22 graph (2) to develop and implement programs to as23 sist low-income households in maintaining access to 

24 affordable wastewater or municipal stormwater serv25 ices. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

3 shall award grants under the pilot program de4 scribed in paragraph (1) to— 

5 ‘‘(i) not fewer than 8 eligible entities 

6 that provide wastewater services, 

7 stormwater services, or both to a popu8 lation of 1,000,000 or more residents; 

9 ‘‘(ii) not fewer than 8 eligible entities 

10 that provide wastewater services, 

11 stormwater services, or both to a popu12 lation of 100,000 or more, but fewer than 

13 1,000,000, residents; 

14 ‘‘(iii) not fewer than 8 eligible entities 

15 that provide wastewater services, 

16 stormwater services, or both to a popu17 lation of 10,000 or more, but fewer than 

18 100,000, residents; 

19 ‘‘(iv) subject, as applicable, to sub20 paragraph (B), not fewer than 8 eligible 

21 entities that provide wastewater services, 

22 stormwater services, or both to a popu23 lation of fewer than 10,000 residents; and 

24 ‘‘(v) not more than 2 eligible entities 

25 in each State. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(B) SMALL COMMUNITY-SERVING ELIGI2 BLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a 

3 grant under the pilot program under this sub4 section, a small community-serving eligible enti5 ty shall enter into a memorandum of under6 standing with the State in which the small com7 munity-serving eligible entity is located, under 

8 which the State shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) submit to the Administrator an 

10 application under paragraph (6) on behalf 

11 of the small community-serving eligible en12 tity; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) on receipt of a grant under the 

14 pilot program, administer the low-income 

15 household assistance program developed by 

16 the small community-serving eligible entity. 

17 ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(A) USE.—A grant awarded under the 

19 pilot program— 

20 ‘‘(i) shall not be used to replace funds 

21 for any existing similar program; but 

22 ‘‘(ii) may be used to supplement or 

23 enhance an existing program. 

24 ‘‘(B) GRANTS UNDER MULTIPLE PRO25 GRAMS.—An eligible entity— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(i) may apply for a grant under the 

2 pilot program and under the low-income 

3 drinking water assistance pilot program es4 tablished under section 1459E(b)(1) of the 

5 Safe Drinking Water Act; but 

6 ‘‘(ii) may be awarded a grant under 

7 only 1 of the programs described in clause 

8 (i). 

9 ‘‘(4) TERM.—The term of a grant awarded 

10 under the pilot program shall be 5 years. 

11 ‘‘(5) MINIMUM PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years 

13 after the date of enactment of this section, the 

14 Administrator shall develop, in consultation 

15 with all relevant stakeholders, the minimum re16 quirements for a program to be carried out by 

17 an eligible entity (or a State, on behalf of a 

18 small community-serving eligible entity) using a 

19 grant under this subsection. 

20 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The program require21 ments developed under subparagraph (A) may 

22 include— 

23 ‘‘(i) direct financial assistance; 

24 ‘‘(ii) a lifeline rate; 

25 ‘‘(iii) bill discounting; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(iv) special hardship provisions; 

2 ‘‘(v) a percentage-of-income payment 

3 plan; or 

4 ‘‘(vi) water efficiency assistance, in5 cluding direct installation of water efficient 

6 fixtures and leak repair, which may be 

7 completed through a contracted third 

8 party. 

9 ‘‘(C) ASSISTANCE EXEMPT FROM TAX10 ATION.—Notwithstanding any other provision of 

11 law, assistance provided to a low-income house12 hold under a program carried out by an eligible 

13 entity (or a State, on behalf of a small commu14 nity-serving eligible entity) using a grant under 

15 this subsection shall be exempt from income tax 

16 under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

17 ‘‘(6) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under 

18 this subsection, an eligible entity (or a State, on be19 half of a small community-serving eligible entity) 

20 shall submit to the Administrator an application 

21 that demonstrates that— 

22 ‘‘(A) the proposed program of the eligible 

23 entity or small community-serving eligible enti24 ty, as applicable, meets the requirements devel25 oped under paragraph (5)(A); 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(B) the proposed program of the eligible 

2 entity or small community-serving eligible enti3 ty, as applicable, will treat owners and renters 

4 equitably; 

5 ‘‘(C) the eligible entity or small commu6 nity-serving eligible entity, as applicable, has, to 

7 fund the activities necessary to achieve or main8 tain compliance with this Act— 

9 ‘‘(i) a long-term financial plan based 

10 on a rate analysis; 

11 ‘‘(ii) an asset management plan; 

12 ‘‘(iii) a capital improvement plan with 

13 a period of not less than 20 years; 

14 ‘‘(iv) a fiscal management plan; or 

15 ‘‘(v) another plan similar to the plans 

16 described in clauses (i) through (iv); 

17 ‘‘(D) a grant awarded under this sub18 section would support the efforts of the eligible 

19 entity or the small community-serving entity, as 

20 applicable, to generate the necessary funds to 

21 achieve or maintain compliance with this title 

22 while mitigating the cost to low-income house23 holds; and 

24 ‘‘(E) the eligible entity or the small com25 munity-serving entity, as applicable, has the caVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:20 Oct 29, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00022 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4832.IH H4832

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 4832 IH

1 pacity to create and implement an effective 

2 community outreach plan to inform eligible cus3 tomers of the program and assist with enroll4 ment. 

5 ‘‘(7) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this 

6 subsection, the Administrator shall give priority to 

7 eligible entities or small community-serving eligible 

8 entities, as applicable— 

9 ‘‘(A) that are affected by consent decrees 

10 relating to compliance with this Act; 

11 ‘‘(B) the residential customers of the eligi12 ble entity or small community-serving eligible 

13 entity, as applicable, have experienced a rate or 

14 fee increase for wastewater, stormwater, or 

15 drinking water services that is greater than or 

16 equal to 30 percent during the 3-year period 

17 ending on the date of enactment of this section; 

18 ‘‘(C) that— 

19 ‘‘(i) develop an equivalent program, as 

20 determined by the Administrator, that is 

21 administered separately by the eligible en22 tity or small community-serving eligible en23 tity, as applicable; or 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
24 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) provide matching funds equal to 

2 or greater than the amount of the grant 

3 from— 

4 ‘‘(I) the applicable State or unit 

5 of local government; or 

6 ‘‘(II) a State-sponsored nonprofit 

7 organization or private entity; or 

8 ‘‘(D) that are described in subsection 

9 (a)(1)(B). 

10 ‘‘(8) LOWER INCOME LIMIT.—For purposes of 

11 this section, an eligible entity (or a State, on behalf 

12 of a small community-serving eligible entity) may 

13 adopt an income limit that is lower than the limit 

14 described in subsection (a)(3)(B), except that the el15 igible entity or State, respectively, may not exclude 

16 a household from eligibility in a fiscal year based 

17 solely on household income if that income is less 

18 than 110 percent of the poverty level. 

19 ‘‘(9) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any 

21 other applicable Federal or agency-specific 

22 grant reporting requirements, as a condition of 

23 receiving a grant under this subsection, an eli24 gible entity (or a State, on behalf of a small 

25 community-serving eligible entity) shall submit 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
25 

•HR 4832 IH

1 to the Administrator an annual report that 

2 summarizes, in a manner determined by the 

3 Administrator, the low-income household assist4 ance program developed by the eligible entity or 

5 small community-serving eligible entity, as ap6 plicable, using the grant amount, including— 

7 ‘‘(i) key features, including rate struc8 tures, rebates, discounts, and related ini9 tiatives that assist households, including— 

10 ‘‘(I) budget billing; 

11 ‘‘(II) bill timing; and 

12 ‘‘(III) pretermination protections; 

13 ‘‘(ii) sources of funding; 

14 ‘‘(iii) eligibility criteria; 

15 ‘‘(iv) participation rates by eligible 

16 households; 

17 ‘‘(v) the monetary benefit per partici18 pant; 

19 ‘‘(vi) program costs; 

20 ‘‘(vii) the demonstrable impacts of the 

21 program on arrearage and service dis22 connection for residential customers, based 

23 on data from before and after the imple24 mentation of the pilot program, to the 

25 maximum extent practicable; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
26 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(viii) the outreach and stakeholder 

2 process used by the eligible entity or small 

3 community-serving eligible entity, as appli4 cable, to design the program, including— 

5 ‘‘(I) the selection process for any 

6 stakeholder committee members; and 

7 ‘‘(II) the number and location of 

8 community outreach events; 

9 ‘‘(ix) the methods used to enroll cus10 tomers, including the outreach plan and 

11 the status of implementation of that out12 reach plan; and 

13 ‘‘(x) other relevant information re14 quired by the Administrator. 

15 ‘‘(B) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator 

16 shall publish each report submitted under sub17 paragraph (A). 

18 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator 

19 shall provide technical assistance to each eligible entity, 

20 and each State, on behalf of a small community-serving 

21 eligible entity, that receives a grant under this section to 

22 ensure— 

23 ‘‘(1) full implementation of the pilot program; 

24 and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
27 

•HR 4832 IH

1 ‘‘(2) maximum enrollment of low-income house2 holds, including through— 

3 ‘‘(A) community outreach campaigns; 

4 ‘‘(B) coordination with local health depart5 ments to determine the eligibility of households 

6 for assistance; or 

7 ‘‘(C) a combination of the campaigns and 

8 coordination described in subparagraphs (A) 

9 and (B). 

10 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

11 on which grant funds are first disbursed to an eligible enti12 ty (or a State, on behalf of a small community-serving eli13 gible entity) under this section, and every year thereafter 

14 for the duration of the terms of the grants, the Adminis15 trator shall submit to Congress a report on the results 

16 of the pilot program established under this section.’’. 

17 SEC. 4. NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR NATIONWIDE RURAL AND 

18 URBAN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY WATER AS19 SISTANCE PROGRAM. 

20 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

21 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis22 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ23 mental Protection Agency. 

24 (2) LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLD.—The term 

25 ‘‘low-income household’’ means a household— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
28 

•HR 4832 IH

1 (A) in which 1 or more individuals are re2 ceiving— 

3 (i) assistance under a State program 

4 funded under part A of title IV of the So5 cial Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 

6 (ii) supplemental security income pay7 ments under title XVI of the Social Secu8 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 

9 (iii) supplemental nutrition assistance 

10 program benefits under the Food and Nu11 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

12 seq.); or 

13 (iv) payments under— 

14 (I) section 1315, 1521, 1541, or 

15 1542 of title 38, United States Code; 

16 or 

17 (II) section 306 of the Veterans’ 

18 and Survivors’ Pension Improvement 

19 Act of 1978 (38 U.S.C. 1521 note; 

20 Public Law 95–588); or 

21 (B) that has an income that, as deter22 mined by the State in which the household is lo23 cated, does not exceed the greater of— 

24 (i) an amount equal to 150 percent of 

25 the poverty level; and 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
29 

•HR 4832 IH

1 (ii) an amount equal to 60 percent of 

2 the State median income for that State. 

3 (3) POVERTY LEVEL.—The term ‘‘poverty 

4 level’’ means, with respect to a household in a State, 

5 the income poverty guidelines for the nonfarm popu6 lation of the United States, as prescribed by the Of7 fice of Management and Budget, as applicable to the 

8 State. 

9 (4) STATE MEDIAN INCOME.—The term ‘‘State 

10 median income’’ has the meaning given the term in 

11 section 2603 of Public Law 97–35 (42 U.S.C. 

12 8622). 

13 (b) STUDY; REPORT.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years after 

15 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 

16 shall conduct, and submit to Congress a report de17 scribing the results of, a study regarding the preva18 lence throughout the United States of low-income 

19 households that do not have access to— 

20 (A) affordable and functional centralized 

21 or onsite wastewater services that protect the 

22 health of individuals in the households; 

23 (B) affordable municipal stormwater serv24 ices; or 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
30 

•HR 4832 IH

1 (C) affordable public drinking water serv2 ices to meet household needs. 

3 (2) INCLUSIONS.—The report under paragraph 

4 (1) shall include— 

5 (A) recommendations of the Administrator 

6 regarding the best methods to increase access 

7 to affordable and functional centralized and on8 site wastewater, stormwater, and drinking 

9 water services; 

10 (B) a description of the cost of each meth11 od described in subparagraph (A); 

12 (C) with respect to the development of the 

13 report, a consultation with all relevant stake14 holders; and 

15 (D) a description of the results of the 

16 study with respect to low-income renters who do 

17 not receive bills for wastewater, stormwater, 

18 and drinking water services but pay for the 

19 services indirectly through rent payments. 

20 (3) AGREEMENTS.—The Administrator may 

21 enter into an agreement with another Federal agen22 cy to carry out the study under paragraph (1). 

Æ 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS