I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10150 

To establish a low-income water assistance program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 15, 2024 

Ms. TLAIB (for herself, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. BROWNLEY, Ms. BUSH, Mr. CARSON, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. GOMEZ, Mr. HUFFMAN, 

Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 

OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. SEWELL, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. TOKUDA, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in 

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

and Oversight and Accountability, 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 establish a low-income water assistance program, 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 ‘‘Half-Century Update 

5 for Water Access and Affordability Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Safe, accessible, and affordable drinking 

2 water is essential to the protection of public health. 

3 (2) After 50 years, the Safe Drinking Water 

4 Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.) has demonstrably im5 proved drinking water quality across the nation. 

6 However, millions of Americans are unable to afford 

7 their water bills and many water utilities have been 

8 unable to fund and maintain infrastructure critical 

9 to providing high quality, reliable, and affordable 

10 drinking water. Therefore, the Federal Government 

11 needs to increase water assistance to households and 

12 communities. 

13 (3) The Federal Government provides low-in14 come household assistance for basic necessities, in15 cluding food, housing, and energy. Water is also a 

16 basic necessity and requires assistance from the 

17 Federal Government. 

18 (4) Every low-income household should be able 

19 to access water assistance. 

20 (5) Other programs that provide financial and 

21 technical assistance for safe drinking water should 

22 incorporate water affordability as a goal. 

23 (6) More effective protection of public health re24 quires— 


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1 (A) a Federal commitment to ensuring the 

2 collection and transparency of data on water 

3 safety, access, and affordability at a national 

4 level; 

5 (B) a Federal commitment to water access 

6 for all Native American Tribes; and 

7 (C) a Federal commitment to having water 

8 utilities capable of serving safe and affordable 

9 drinking water to all households, including sup10 port for and oversight of State drinking water 

11 programs in the areas of financial and technical 

12 assistance, equitable utility consolidations, 

13 workforce development and training, community 

14 engagement, and enforcement. 

15 (7) Consumers served by public water systems 

16 should be provided with easy-to-understand informa17 tion on the cost of their water, opportunities to re18 duce their bill, and bill payment assistance pro19 grams. 

20 SEC. 3. LOW-INCOME WATER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

21 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

22 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis23 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ24 mental Protection Agency. 


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1 (2) AREA MEDIAN INCOME.—The term ‘‘area 

2 median income’’ means the unadjusted median in3 come for an area determined by the Secretary of 

4 Housing and Urban Development under section 

5 16(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 

6 U.S.C. 1437n(a)). 

7 (3) COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEM.—The term 

8 ‘‘community water system’’ has the meaning given 

9 that term in section 1401 of the Safe Drinking 

10 Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f). 

11 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti12 ty’’ means an eligible water system, a State, or an 

13 Indian Tribe. 

14 (5) ELIGIBLE WATER SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘eli15 gible water system’’ means— 

16 (A) a community water system that serves 

17 a population of 100,000 or more; or 

18 (B) a treatment works that serves a popu19 lation of 100,000 or more. 

20 (6) HOUSEHOLD.—The term ‘‘household’’ 

21 means any individual or group of individuals who 

22 are living together as 1 economic unit. 

23 (7) LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLD.—The term 

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


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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.); 

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); 

21 (v) assistance under the Low-Income 

22 Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981 (42 

23 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.); or 

24 (vi) assistance under the special sup25 plemental nutrition program for women, 


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1 infants, and children under section 17 of 

2 the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 

3 U.S.C. 1786); or 

4 (B) that has an income that, as deter5 mined by the entity that is implementing a 

6 water service access program in the area in 

7 which the household is located, does not exceed 

8 the greater of— 

9 (i) an amount equal to 200 percent of 

10 the poverty level; and 

11 (ii) an amount equal to 80 percent of 

12 the area median income. 

13 (8) POVERTY LEVEL.—The term ‘‘poverty 

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

15 the income described in the poverty guidelines issued 

16 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

17 pursuant to section 673 of the Community Services 

18 Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902), as applicable to 

19 the household. 

20 (9) SMALL AND MID-SIZE WATER SYSTEMS.— 

21 The term ‘‘small and mid-size water systems’’ 

22 means— 

23 (A) community water systems that serve a 

24 population of less than 100,000; and 


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1 (B) treatment works that serve a popu2 lation of less than 100,000. 

3 (10) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means a State, 

4 the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 

5 Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American 

6 Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern 

7 Mariana Islands. 

8 (11) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDER.—The 

9 term ‘‘technical assistance provider’’ means a com10 munity-based organization, environmental justice or11 ganization, university, rural assistance corporation, 

12 energy utility, business, or other organization identi13 fied by the Administrator as having relevant exper14 tise in community outreach, assistance program en15 rollment processes and administration, utility data 

16 and billing systems, developing applications for fund17 ing, or other areas determined appropriate by the 

18 Administrator. 

19 (12) TREATMENT WORKS.—The term ‘‘treat20 ment works’’ has the meaning given that term in 

21 section 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control 

22 Act (33 U.S.C. 1292). 

23 (13) WATER CRISIS.—The term ‘‘water crisis’’ 

24 means a weather-related or supply shortage emer25 gency or other household water-related emergency, 


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1 including disconnection of water service for non2 payment, imminent disconnection of water service 

3 for nonpayment, or other emergency threatening a 

4 household’s access to safe water services. 

5 (14) WATER SERVICE.—The term ‘‘water serv6 ice’’ means— 

7 (A) drinking water service provided by a 

8 community water system; or 

9 (B) sanitary sewer service provided by a 

10 treatment works. 

11 (15) WATER SERVICE ACCESS PROGRAM.—The 

12 term ‘‘water service access program’’ means a pro13 gram to provide low-income households the ability to 

14 maintain access to water services through the receipt 

15 of Federal financial assistance. 

16 (b) FEDERAL LOW-INCOME WATER ASSISTANCE

17 PROGRAM.— 

18 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 12 

19 months after the date of enactment of this section, 

20 the Administrator shall establish a Federal low-in21 come water assistance program to assist low-income 

22 households in maintaining access to affordable water 

23 services, which program shall include— 


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1 (A) development and implementation of 

2 water service access programs that include 

3 funding to assist low-income households; 

4 (B) technical assistance for the implemen5 tation of such water service access programs; 

6 and 

7 (C) data collection and reporting. 

8 (2) COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEES.— 

9 (A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator 

10 shall establish a community advisory committee 

11 for each region of the Environmental Protection 

12 Agency to provide advice and recommendations 

13 to each entity implementing a water service ac14 cess program under subsection (c) within the 

15 region. 

16 (B) MEMBERSHIP.—The Administrator 

17 shall include in each community advisory com18 mittee established under this paragraph mem19 bers from low-income communities, non-govern20 mental organizations, and other stakeholders 

21 determined relevant by the Administrator. 

22 (c) WATER SERVICE ACCESS PROGRAMS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall— 

24 (A) develop a water service access pro25 gram; and 


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1 (B) implement such water service access 

2 program in each State. 

3 (2) DELEGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION.— 

4 (A) AUTHORITY TO DELEGATE.— 

5 (i) DELEGATION OF AREAS.—Except 

6 as provided in clause (ii), upon application 

7 by an eligible entity under subparagraph 

8 (B), the Administrator may delegate to the 

9 eligible entity the implementation of a 

10 water service access program for— 

11 (I) with respect to an eligible en12 tity that is an eligible water system, 

13 the service area of such eligible water 

14 system; 

15 (II) with respect to an eligible 

16 entity that is an Indian Tribe, the ge17 ographic area under the jurisdiction of 

18 the Indian Tribe; and 

19 (III) with respect to an eligible 

20 entity that is a State, the area within 

21 the geographic boundaries of the 

22 State. 

23 (ii) NON-OVERLAPPING PROGRAMS.— 

24 If the Administrator delegates the imple25 mentation of a water service access proVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:56 Nov 16, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10150.IH H10150

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1 gram for an area to an eligible entity that 

2 is an eligible water system or an Indian 

3 Tribe, the Administrator shall withhold or 

4 withdraw, as applicable, delegation for 

5 such area from the State in which such 

6 area is located. 

7 (B) APPLICATION.—To implement a water 

8 service access program under this subsection, 

9 an eligible entity shall submit to the Adminis10 trator an application that demonstrates that— 

11 (i) the water service access program 

12 proposed to be implemented by the eligible 

13 entity— 

14 (I) meets the requirements estab15 lished under paragraph (3); and 

16 (II) was developed in accordance 

17 with paragraph (4); and 

18 (ii) the eligible entity has the capacity 

19 to— 

20 (I) make assistance under the 

21 water service access program available 

22 to all low-income households in its ju23 risdiction or service area, without re24 gard to where that household resides 

25 within the jurisdiction or service area; 


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1 (II) fulfill the data collection and 

2 management requirements set forth in 

3 subsection (e); and 

4 (III) develop and implement, in 

5 coordination with technical assistance 

6 providers, an effective community out7 reach plan to inform low-income 

8 households of the water service access 

9 program and assist with enrollment. 

10 (C) GRANTS.— 

11 (i) AWARD.—If the Administrator del12 egates implementation of a water service 

13 access program to an eligible entity under 

14 this paragraph, the Administrator shall 

15 award a grant to the eligible entity to im16 plement such program. 

17 (ii) LIMITATIONS.—A grant awarded 

18 under this paragraph— 

19 (I) shall not be used to replace 

20 funds for any existing similar pro21 gram of a State, community water 

22 system, or treatment works to assist 

23 low-income households in maintaining 

24 access to affordable water services in 

25 the area for which the water service 


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1 access program will be implemented; 

2 but 

3 (II) may be used to supplement 

4 or enhance such a program. 

5 (D) REVOCATION.— 

6 (i) NOTIFICATION AND OPPORTUNITY

7 TO REMEDY.—If the Administrator deter8 mines, based on information required to be 

9 submitted to the Administrator under this 

10 section by an eligible entity implementing a 

11 water service access program under this 

12 subsection, that the water service access 

13 program is not being implemented in com14 pliance with all requirements of this sec15 tion, the Administrator shall promptly no16 tify the eligible entity of such noncompli17 ance, the necessary remedial actions, and a 

18 deadline for promptly implementing such 

19 remedial actions. 

20 (ii) FAILURE TO REMEDY.—The Ad21 ministrator shall revoke delegation under 

22 this subsection to an eligible entity if the 

23 eligible entity fails to take the necessary 

24 remedial actions by the deadline set by the 

25 Administrator under clause (i). 


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1 (iii) EFFECT.—If the Administrator 

2 revokes delegation under this subsection to 

3 an eligible entity, implementation of a 

4 water service access program under this 

5 subsection for the previously delegated 

6 area shall revert to the Administrator, who 

7 may delegate such implementation to the 

8 State in which such area is located if such 

9 State is implementing a water service ac10 cess program pursuant to subparagraph 

11 (A). 

12 (3) MINIMUM WATER SERVICE ACCESS PRO13 GRAM REQUIREMENTS.— 

14 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 

15 months after the date of enactment of this sec16 tion, the Administrator shall establish minimum 

17 requirements for water service access programs 

18 developed and implemented under this sub19 section. 

20 (B) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out sub21 paragraph (A), the Administrator shall— 

22 (i) consult with relevant stakeholders, 

23 including frontline community groups, 

24 Tribal communities, and technical assist25 ance providers; and 


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1 (ii) provide an opportunity for public 

2 comment on the proposed requirements. 

3 (C) INCLUSIONS.—The minimum require4 ments established under subparagraph (A) for a 

5 water service access program shall include— 

6 (i) provisions to promote universal ac7 cess for low-income households to assist8 ance under the water service access pro9 gram (including low-income households in 

10 which none of the individual members is a 

11 named account holder of the applicable 

12 community water system or treatment 

13 works), including provisions for— 

14 (I) sharing of data from other 

15 administrators of Federal, State, or 

16 local income-qualified assistance pro17 grams to facilitate automatic enroll18 ment in the water service access pro19 gram of all households participating 

20 in those other programs that are eligi21 ble to receive assistance under the 

22 water service access program, without 

23 the need for those households to apply 

24 separately for the water service access 

25 program; 


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1 (II) allowance for community 

2 water systems and treatment works to 

3 receive program funds for low-income 

4 household debt reduction and directly 

5 apply such funds to customer ac6 counts; 

7 (III) allowance for self-attesta8 tion by households served by commu9 nity water systems or treatment works 

10 of eligibility, including self-attestation 

11 of income qualification or enrollment 

12 in an existing Federal, State, or local 

13 assistance program on the basis of in14 come; 

15 (IV) with respect to any portion 

16 of the process for enrollment in the 

17 water service access program for 

18 which a signature of a member of a 

19 low-income household is required, al20 lowance for the use of an electronic 

21 signature; and 

22 (V) prohibitions on— 

23 (aa) asset tests and in-per24 son enrollment appointments as 

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1 ance under the water service ac2 cess program; and 

3 (bb) citizenship or legal resi4 dency requirements for members 

5 of a low-income household in 

6 order for the household to receive 

7 assistance under the water serv8 ice access program; and 

9 (ii) assistance to low-income house10 holds served by community water systems 

11 or treatment works (including low-income 

12 households in which none of the individual 

13 members is a named account holder of the 

14 applicable community water system or 

15 treatment works), with greater assistance 

16 amounts provided to households with high17 er water service costs and lower incomes, 

18 taking into account household size, in the 

19 form of— 

20 (I) direct financial assistance, in21 cluding bill discounting, percentage-of22 income payment plan, a lifeline rate, 

23 or any other form of direct assistance 

24 identified by the Administrator; 

25 (II) debt relief; 


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1 (III) water crisis assistance; and 

2 (IV) water efficiency assistance, 

3 including providing or subsidizing the 

4 cost of installation of water-efficient 

5 appliances and fixtures or leak detec6 tion and plumbing repair work; 

7 (iii) provisions prohibiting the inclu8 sion of eligibility restrictions or enrollment 

9 requirements not specifically required by 

10 this section; 

11 (iv) provisions, including penalties on 

12 community water systems and treatment 

13 works for violations, as established by the 

14 Administrator, to ensure that no household 

15 receiving assistance under the program— 

16 (I) is disconnected from water 

17 service, loses access to or ownership of 

18 its current housing, or is otherwise 

19 denied access to an amount and flow 

20 of water sufficient to meet its essen21 tial needs because of the household’s 

22 inability to pay bills owed to a com23 munity water system or treatment 

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1 ing is not a member of the household, 

2 due to the failure of the account-hold3 er to pay bills owed to the community 

4 water system or treatment works; or 

5 (II) is required to pay any fees, 

6 charges, or deposits associated with 

7 late payments, unpaid bills, service 

8 initiation, or service reconnection; 

9 (v) procedures that minimize burdens 

10 on low-income households of filing a com11 plete application for assistance under the 

12 program, including allowing for alternative 

13 forms of identification; 

14 (vi) provisions that require equal ac15 cess to assistance to households that pay 

16 bills for water services directly and house17 holds the water services of which are in18 cluded in rent or other payments, including 

19 by providing for households that cannot re20 ceive assistance through a bill for water 

21 services other types of assistance, such as 

22 cash assistance, credits on a different util23 ity bill, and receipt of water quality and ef24 ficiency upgrades and devices; and 


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1 (vii) coordination of development and 

2 implementation of the water service access 

3 program with other existing water assist4 ance programs, energy assistance pro5 grams, and other relevant Federal, State, 

6 and local programs that provide financial 

7 or other assistance to low-income house8 holds. 

9 (4) PUBLIC PROCESS.—Each entity developing 

10 or implementing a water service access program 

11 under this subsection shall, each fiscal year— 

12 (A) consult with the applicable community 

13 advisory committee established under subsection 

14 (b)(2), Tribal communities, and other commu15 nity representatives, as applicable; and 

16 (B) provide an opportunity for a public 

17 hearing and public comment on the water serv18 ice access program. 

19 (d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall pro21 vide funding to technical assistance providers to— 

22 (A) facilitate enrollment by low-income 

23 households in water service access programs im24 plemented under this section; and 


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1 (B) assist small and mid-size water sys2 tems in participating in water service access 

3 programs implemented under this section. 

4 (2) MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS.—The Adminis5 trator shall establish minimum requirements for 

6 technical assistance provided under paragraph (1), 

7 which shall include requirements for— 

8 (A) outreach to low-income households in 

9 communities with high incidence of disconnec10 tions of water service or that may face difficulty 

11 enrolling in or accessing assistance through a 

12 water service access program, including house13 holds in geographically remote locations, house14 holds lacking access to telecommunications net15 works (including home broadband internet serv16 ice), households with limited English pro17 ficiency, and households in which an individual 

18 with a disability (as defined in section 3 of the 

19 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 

20 U.S.C. 12102)) resides; and 

21 (B) developing the capacity of small and 

22 mid-size water systems to— 

23 (i) carry out any applicable activities 

24 necessary for assistance to be provided 


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1 pursuant to a water service access program 

2 implemented under this section; and 

3 (ii) provide complete and accurate in4 formation to the entity implementing an 

5 applicable water service access program as 

6 necessary for such entity to comply with 

7 the reporting requirements of this section. 

8 (3) SET-ASIDES.— 

9 (A) DATA MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.—Of 

10 the funds made available to carry out this sub11 section, the Administrator shall ensure that a 

12 minimum of 20 percent is used for— 

13 (i) the improvement of data manage14 ment systems, including billing systems, 

15 websites, and electronic customer commu16 nications, for small and mid-size water sys17 tems; and 

18 (ii) implementation of easily accessible 

19 enrollment and data transmission tech20 nologies, such as smartphone applications. 

21 (B) UNDER-RESOURCED COMMUNITIES.— 

22 Of the funds made available to carry out this 

23 subsection, the Administrator shall ensure that 

24 a minimum of 20 percent is provided to tech25 nical service providers that are environmental 


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1 justice organizations and community-based or2 ganizations to build capacity and provide assist3 ance for under-resourced communities to fully 

4 access a water service access program. 

5 (4) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.—The Adminis6 trator shall engage with environmental justice orga7 nizations and community-based organizations— 

8 (A) in establishing the minimum require9 ments under paragraph (2); and 

10 (B) to encourage their participation in the 

11 provision of technical assistance under this sub12 section, including by making them aware of the 

13 funds set aside under paragraph (3)(B). 

14 (e) DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING.— 

15 (1) REPORTING TO THE ADMINISTRATOR.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity im17 plementing a water service access program 

18 under this section shall annually submit to the 

19 Administrator, in a manner determined by the 

20 Administrator, information regarding the appli21 cable water service access program, including— 

22 (i) the demonstrable impacts of the 

23 program on bill debt and timely bill pay24 ments for low-income households that re25 ceive assistance under the program, based 


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1 on data from before and after the imple2 mentation of the program, including, for 

3 each county and ZIP code within the geo4 graphic area served by the program— 

5 (I) the number of households 

6 that experienced a disconnection of 

7 water service for nonpayment and the 

8 number of households for which dis9 connection was avoided directly due to 

10 the provision of assistance under the 

11 program; 

12 (II) the number of households 

13 and amount of debt subject to sale or 

14 enforcement of property liens and the 

15 number of households for which sale 

16 or enforcement of property liens was 

17 avoided directly due to the provision 

18 of assistance under the program; 

19 (III) the number of households 

20 enrolled in the program; 

21 (IV) the benefit levels, amount of 

22 debt reduction, and total amount of 

23 assistance provided to enrolled house24 holds; and 


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1 (V) the number of enrolled 

2 households reconnected to water serv3 ice and a summary of the fees and 

4 charges waived for enrolled house5 holds, including disconnection and re6 connection charges, late payment fees, 

7 and interest charges; 

8 (ii) revenue collection information 

9 from each community water system and 

10 treatment works within the geographic 

11 area served by the program, including— 

12 (I) rate design for residential 

13 customers; 

14 (II) billing frequency; 

15 (III) fees, taxes, and other 

16 charges that are included on every 

17 residential bill or that are billed to a 

18 residential customer under specific 

19 circumstances but are not included on 

20 every residential bill; and 

21 (IV) projected rate increases dur22 ing the 5-year period following sub23 mission of the information under this 

24 subsection; 


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1 (iii) information regarding any other 

2 water service customer assistance pro3 grams within the geographic area served 

4 by the program, including information 

5 about such other programs relating to rate 

6 structures, rebates, discounts, billing meth7 ods that average rates over the course of 

8 a year (known as ‘‘budget billing’’), and 

9 procedures that ensure that households re10 ceive notice and an opportunity to dispute 

11 charges before service is disconnected or 

12 interrupted due to non-payment; and 

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

15 (B) ADDITIONAL TIME FOR COMPLETION

16 OF CERTAIN REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—The 

17 Administrator may postpone a requirement to 

18 include in an annual submission data required 

19 under subparagraph (A), taking into consider20 ation the availability of technical assistance 

21 pursuant to subsection (d) related to data re22 porting. 

23 (C) PUBLICATION.—The Administrator 

24 shall annually— 


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1 (i) make information on water service 

2 access programs implemented under this 

3 section available in an easily accessible for4 mat on the website of the Environmental 

5 Protection Agency, including— 

6 (I) a list of all such water service 

7 access programs and contact informa8 tion for the entities implementing 

9 such programs; and 

10 (II) the information submitted 

11 under subparagraph (A); and 

12 (ii) publish a report that compiles and 

13 summarizes the information submitted 

14 under this paragraph. 

15 (2) REPORTING TO STATES.—An eligible water 

16 system that is implementing a water service access 

17 program pursuant to this section shall report to each 

18 agency or office of the State in which the water serv19 ice access program is implemented that funds or 

20 regulates water systems— 

21 (A) the amount of all grants it receives 

22 under this section; and 

23 (B) all information it submits to the Ad24 ministrator under paragraph (1) and subsection 

25 (c)(2)(B). 


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1 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.— 

2 (1) ASSISTANCE EXEMPT FROM INCLUSION AS

3 INCOME.— 

4 (A) INDIVIDUAL ASSISTANCE.—In the case 

5 of any individual who is a member of a low-in6 come household receiving assistance under a 

7 water service access program implemented 

8 under this section— 

9 (i) for purposes of the Internal Rev10 enue Code of 1986, gross income shall not 

11 include any such assistance provided to 

12 such individual; and 

13 (ii) notwithstanding any other provi14 sion of law, any such assistance provided 

15 to such individual shall not be considered 

16 income or resources of such household (or 

17 any member thereof) for any purpose 

18 under any other Federal or State law, in19 cluding any law relating to taxation or gov20 ernmental assistance programs. 

21 (B) ASSISTANCE TO ELIGIBLE WATER SYS22 TEMS.—A grant received under this section by 

23 an eligible water system that is subject to Fed24 eral or State income tax shall not be considered 

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1 come tax law if the Administrator determines 

2 that the eligible water system complied with the 

3 requirements established under subsection 

4 (c)(3)(C)(iv) during the year in which the grant 

5 was received. 

6 (2) ASSISTANCE NOT A FEDERAL PUBLIC BEN7 EFIT.—Notwithstanding section 401(c) of the Per8 sonal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Rec9 onciliation Act of 1996 (8 U.S.C. 1611(c)), assist10 ance provided to a low-income household under a 

11 water service access program implemented under 

12 this section shall not be considered a Federal public 

13 benefit for purposes of title IV of such Act (8 U.S.C. 

14 1601 et seq.). 

15 (3) FINANCIAL TERMS FOR PRIVATE UTILI16 TIES.—A community water system or treatment 

17 works that is not wholly-owned by a governmental 

18 entity may not use any funds received under or pur19 suant to this section to provide any financial benefits 

20 to the owners of the community water system or 

21 treatment works, including increased rates of return 

22 on capital investments, dividends, and interest. 

23 (g) REPORT.—Not later than 5 years after the date 

24 on which grant funds are first disbursed to an eligible enti25 ty under this section, and every 5 years thereafter, the 


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1 Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on the 

2 results of the Federal low-income water assistance pro3 gram established under this section, which report shall in4 clude— 

5 (1) an assessment of the remaining need and 

6 obstacles to achieving universal water service access 

7 and affordability; and 

8 (2) relevant findings and information from 

9 other programs and assessments, including— 

10 (A) State revolving fund programs under 

11 the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Federal 

12 Water Pollution Control Act; 

13 (B) State drinking water program plans, 

14 as applicable; 

15 (C) the national drinking water infrastruc16 ture needs survey and assessment conducted 

17 under section 1452(h) of the Safe Drinking 

18 Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12(h)); and 

19 (D) the National Climate Assessment car20 ried out pursuant to the Global Change Re21 search Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2921 et seq.). 

22 (h) USE OF NATIONAL SURVEYS.— 

23 (1) QUESTIONS.—The Director of the United 

24 States Census Bureau shall, in coordination with the 

25 Administrator, add one or more questions into the 


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1 American Community Survey to ascertain whether 

2 households have faced difficulty paying for water 

3 services. 

4 (2) USE.—The Administrator shall use infor5 mation from the American Community Survey to in6 form the reports submitted under subsection (g). 

7 (i) FUNDING.— 

8 (1) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

9 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

10 this section $20,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

11 2025 through 2035. 

12 (2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 

13 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator 

14 shall establish a formula to annually allocate 

15 funds made available to carry out this section 

16 among entities implementing water service ac17 cess programs, based on— 

18 (i) number of low-income persons and 

19 households served by each such program; 

20 (ii) technical assistance needs of eligi21 ble entities implementing such programs, 

22 including needs for enrollment support, 

23 community outreach, and data collection 

24 and reporting; 


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1 (iii) administrative costs of imple2 menting such programs; 

3 (iv) water service costs in the area 

4 served by each such program; 

5 (v) exceptional community needs 

6 owing to water quality and water scarcity; 

7 and 

8 (vi) any other criteria determined rel9 evant by the Administrator. 

10 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—In establishing the 

11 allocation formula under subparagraph (A), the 

12 Administrator shall— 

13 (i) ensure that equal amounts of 

14 funds are made available with respect to 

15 drinking water services and sanitary sewer 

16 services; and 

17 (ii) determine appropriate allotments 

18 for the provision of technical assistance 

19 through each water service access program. 

20 (C) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—The Ad21 ministrator may reserve up to 10 percent of 

22 funds made available to carry out this section 

23 for each fiscal year to provide supplementary 

24 funds for water service access programs that 

25 serve— 


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1 (i) territories, or areas under the ju2 risdiction of an Indian Tribe, that have 

3 historically lacked equitable access to Fed4 eral and State financial assistance for 

5 drinking water and wastewater infrastruc6 ture; and 

7 (ii) communities experiencing lack of 

8 access to safe public drinking water serv9 ices to meet essential household needs. 

10 SEC. 4. STATE REVOLVING LOAN FUNDS. 

11 (a) SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT.— 

12 (1) INTENDED USE PLANS.—Section 1452(b) of 

13 the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j– 

14 12(b)) is amended— 

15 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘in ac16 cordance with paragraph (4)’’ after ‘‘public re17 view and comment’’; and 

18 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(4) PUBLIC REVIEW AND COMMENT.—In pre20 paring an intended use plan under paragraph (1), a 

21 State shall— 

22 ‘‘(A) before adopting a final plan— 

23 ‘‘(i) make a draft of the plan, and in24 structions for how to provide comments on 


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1 the draft, available on a publicly accessible 

2 website; 

3 ‘‘(ii) provide a minimum of 30 days 

4 for public comment on the draft; 

5 ‘‘(iii) provide written responses to 

6 timely submitted written public comments 

7 on the draft; and 

8 ‘‘(iv) after providing such written re9 sponses, hold at least one public hearing 

10 on the draft; 

11 ‘‘(B) make the final plan available on a 

12 publicly accessible website; and 

13 ‘‘(C) allow for submission of applications 

14 for financial and technical assistance at any 

15 time. 

16 ‘‘(5) TRANSPARENCY AND EVALUATION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) REGULATIONS.— 

18 ‘‘(i) PROMULGATION.—Not later than 

19 one year after the date of enactment of 

20 this paragraph, the Administrator shall 

21 promulgate regulations to increase trans22 parency and promote evaluation of— 

23 ‘‘(I) the distribution by States of 

24 the amounts available to the State 

25 loan fund among the intended uses 


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1 identified in a plan under this sub2 section; and 

3 ‘‘(II) the criteria and methods es4 tablished by States under paragraph 

5 (2)(B) for the distribution of funds. 

6 ‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.—The Adminis7 trator shall include in the regulations pro8 mulgated under clause (i)— 

9 ‘‘(I) a requirement that States 

10 provide to the Administrator data 

11 about— 

12 ‘‘(aa) funded and unfunded 

13 projects that are eligible for as14 sistance from the State loan 

15 fund; and 

16 ‘‘(bb) the geographic and so17 cioeconomic distribution of such 

18 funded projects, including the 

19 amount and percentage of assist20 ance allocated to projects that 

21 serve disadvantaged communities; 

22 ‘‘(II) creation of a central online 

23 repository for intended use plans and 

24 data provided pursuant to subclause 

25 (I); and 


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1 ‘‘(III) creation of an advisory 

2 group within each State to provide ad3 vice and recommendations on intended 

4 use plans, State loan fund policies, 

5 and implementation of such plans and 

6 policies. 

7 ‘‘(B) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Adminis8 trator shall make available on a publicly acces9 sible website an annual report, prepared based 

10 on the data provided pursuant to subparagraph 

11 (A)(ii)(I) and feedback from State advisory 

12 groups created under subparagraph (A)(ii)(III), 

13 which shall include— 

14 ‘‘(i) information on and analysis of 

15 the use by each State of the amounts avail16 able to the State loan fund of the State, 

17 including, for each State, the amount of 

18 assistance provided under this section, and 

19 the number of public water systems receiv20 ing such assistance; 

21 ‘‘(ii) data and metrics on disadvan22 taged communities served and technical as23 sistance and outreach efforts; and 

24 ‘‘(iii) ongoing challenges at the na25 tional and State level.’’. 


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1 (2) ASSISTANCE FOR DISADVANTAGED COMMU2 NITIES.—Section 1452(d) of the Safe Drinking 

3 Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12(d)) is amended— 

4 (A) in paragraph (3), by adding at the end 

5 the following: ‘‘Each State shall, during cal6 endar year 2026 and every three years there7 after, conduct a review of, and if appropriate 

8 revise, the affordability criteria established by 

9 the State under this subsection.’’; and 

10 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(4) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—Not later 

12 than one year after the date of enactment of this 

13 paragraph, the Administrator shall promulgate regu14 lations to expedite the provision of assistance to, and 

15 provide flexible repayment options for, disadvan16 taged communities receiving assistance under this 

17 section.’’. 

18 (3) ADMINISTRATION OF STATE LOAN

19 FUNDS.—Section 1452(g)(2)(A)(i) of the Safe 

20 Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j–12(g)(2)(A)(i)) 

21 is amended— 

22 (A) in the matter preceding subclause (I), 

23 by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’; and 

24 (B) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 

25 and inserting ‘‘, except that a State may not 


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1 use more than 30 percent of such amount to 

2 cover costs under this subclause; and’’. 

3 (b) FEDERAL WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ACT.— 

4 (1) WATER POLLUTION CONTROL REVOLVING

5 LOAN FUNDS.— 

6 (A) ADDITIONAL SUBSIDIZATION.—Section 

7 603(i)(2) of the Federal Water Pollution Con8 trol Act (33 U.S.C. 1383(i)(2)) is amended by 

9 adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(D) REVIEW AND REVISION.—Each State 

11 shall, during calendar year 2026 and every 

12 three years thereafter, conduct a review of, and 

13 if appropriate revise, the affordability criteria 

14 established by the State under this paragraph. 

15 ‘‘(E) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.—Not 

16 later than one year after the date of enactment 

17 of this subparagraph, the Administrator shall 

18 promulgate regulations to expedite the provision 

19 by a State of assistance to, and flexible repay20 ment options for, municipalities that meet the 

21 affordability criteria established by the State 

22 under this paragraph.’’. 

23 (B) ADDITIONAL USE OF FUNDS.—Section 

24 603(k) of the Federal Water Pollution Control 


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1 Act (33 U.S.C. 1383(k)) is amended by striking 

2 ‘‘may’’ and inserting ‘‘shall’’. 

3 (2) AUDITS, REPORTS, AND FISCAL CONTROLS; 

4 INTENDED USE PLAN.—Section 606 of the Federal 

5 Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1386) is 

6 amended— 

7 (A) in subsection (c), in the matter pre8 ceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘in accord9 ance with subsection (g)’’ after ‘‘public com10 ment and review’’; and 

11 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(g) PUBLIC COMMENT AND REVIEW.—In preparing 

13 an intended use plan under subsection (c), a State shall— 

14 ‘‘(1) before adopting a final plan— 

15 ‘‘(A) make a draft of the plan, and instruc16 tions for how to provide comments on the draft, 

17 available on a publicly accessible website; 

18 ‘‘(B) provide a minimum of 30 days for 

19 public comment on the draft; 

20 ‘‘(C) provide written responses to timely 

21 submitted written public comments on the 

22 draft; and 

23 ‘‘(D) after providing such written re24 sponses, hold at least one public hearing on the 

25 draft; 


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1 ‘‘(2) make the final plan available on a publicly 

2 accessible website; and 

3 ‘‘(3) allow for submission of applications for fi4 nancial and technical assistance at any time. 

5 ‘‘(h) TRANSPARENCY AND EVALUATION.— 

6 ‘‘(1) REGULATIONS.— 

7 ‘‘(A) PROMULGATION.—Not later than one 

8 year after the date of enactment of this sub9 section, the Administrator shall promulgate reg10 ulations to increase transparency and promote 

11 evaluation of— 

12 ‘‘(i) the distribution by States of the 

13 amounts available to the State water pollu14 tion control revolving fund among the in15 tended uses identified in a plan under sub16 section (c); and 

17 ‘‘(ii) the criteria and methods estab18 lished by States under subsection (c)(5) for 

19 the distribution of funds. 

20 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The Administrator 

21 shall include in the regulations promulgated 

22 under subparagraph (A)— 

23 ‘‘(i) a requirement that States provide 

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1 port provided under subsection (d), data 

2 about— 

3 ‘‘(I) funded and unfunded 

4 projects that are eligible for assistance 

5 from the State water pollution control 

6 revolving fund; and 

7 ‘‘(II) the geographic and socio8 economic distribution of such funded 

9 projects, including the amount and 

10 percentage of assistance allocated to 

11 projects that serve municipalities that 

12 meet the affordability criteria estab13 lished by the State under section 

14 603(i)(2); 

15 ‘‘(ii) creation of a central online re16 pository for intended use plans and data 

17 provided pursuant to clause (i); and 

18 ‘‘(iii) creation of an advisory group 

19 within each State to provide advice and 

20 recommendations on intended use plans, 

21 State water pollution control revolving 

22 fund policies, and implementation of such 

23 plans and policies. 

24 ‘‘(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator 

25 shall make available on a publicly accessible website 


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1 an annual report, prepared based on the data pro2 vided pursuant to paragraph (1)(B)(i) and feedback 

3 from State advisory groups created under paragraph 

4 (1)(B(iii), which shall include— 

5 ‘‘(A) information on and analysis of the 

6 use by each State of the amounts available to 

7 the State water pollution control revolving fund 

8 of the State, including, for each State, the 

9 amount of assistance provided under this title, 

10 and the number of treatment works with re11 spect to which such assistance was provided; 

12 ‘‘(B) data and metrics on disadvantaged 

13 communities served and technical assistance 

14 and outreach efforts; and 

15 ‘‘(C) ongoing challenges at the national 

16 and State level.’’. 

Æ 


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