II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3830 

To authorize the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2024 

Mr. PADILLA introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To authorize the Low-Income Household 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 ‘‘Low-Income House5 hold Water Assistance Program Establishment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLD WATER ASSISTANCE 

7 PROGRAM. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ3 mental Protection Agency. 

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

5 means any individual or group of individuals who 

6 are living together as 1 economic unit. 

7 (3) LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLD.—The term 

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

9 (A) in which 1 or more individuals are re10 ceiving— 

11 (i) assistance under the State pro12 gram funded under part A of title IV of 

13 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et 

14 seq.); 

15 (ii) supplemental security income pay16 ments under title XVI of the Social Secu17 rity Act (42 U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 

18 (iii) supplemental nutrition assistance 

19 program benefits under the Food and Nu20 trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et 

21 seq.); 

22 (iv) payments under— 

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

24 1542 of title 38, United States Code; 

25 or 


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1 (II) section 306 of the Veterans’ 

2 and Survivors’ Pension Improvement 

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

4 Public Law 95–588); or 

5 (v) assistance under the Low-Income 

6 Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981; or 

7 (B) that has a household income that, as 

8 determined by the State or Indian tribe, does 

9 not exceed the greater of— 

10 (i) an amount equal to 150 percent of 

11 the poverty level; 

12 (ii) an amount equal to 60 percent of 

13 the State median income for that State or 

14 the State in which the Indian tribe is pri15 marily located; or 

16 (iii) an amount equal to 60 percent of 

17 the area median income for the area in 

18 which the household is located. 

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

20 level’’ means the poverty line determined pursuant 

21 to section 673 of the Community Services Block 

22 Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902). 

23 (5) PUBLIC WATER SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘public 

24 water system’’ has the meaning given the term in 


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1 section 1401 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

2 U.S.C. 300f). 

3 (6) QUALIFIED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.— 

4 The term ‘‘qualified nonprofit organization’’ includes 

5 a nonprofit organization described in section 

6 680(a)(3)(B) of the Community Services Block 

7 Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9921(a)(3)(B)). 

8 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

10 (8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 

11 the 50 States, the District of Columbia, the Com12 monwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the United States 

13 Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Common14 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

15 (9) TREATMENT WORKS.—The term ‘‘treatment 

16 works’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

17 212 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 

18 U.S.C. 1292). 

19 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta21 tion with the Administrator, shall establish the Low22 Income Household Water Assistance Program to 

23 award grants, in accordance with paragraph (3), to 

24 eligible entities described in paragraph (2) to provide 

25 funds to owners and operators of public water sysVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Mar 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3830.IS S3830

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1 tems or treatment works to assist low-income house2 holds in paying arrearages and other rates charged 

3 to such households for drinking water or wastewater 

4 services. 

5 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An eligible entity de6 scribed in this paragraph is a State, or Indian tribe, 

7 that is eligible to receive or previously received a 

8 grant under the Low-Income Home Energy Assist9 ance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et seq.). 

10 (3) FORMULA.—In awarding grants under this 

11 subsection to eligible entities, the Secretary shall— 

12 (A) allot amounts made available for 

13 grants under this subsection to an eligible enti14 ty that is a State or Indian tribe based on— 

15 (i) the percentage of households in the 

16 State, or under the jurisdiction of the In17 dian tribe, with income equal to or less 

18 than 150 percent of the poverty level; or 

19 (ii) the percentage of households in 

20 the State, or under the jurisdiction of the 

21 Indian tribe, that spend more than 30 per22 cent of monthly income on housing; and 

23 (B) reserve up to 3 percent of amounts 

24 made available for grants under this subsection 

25 to eligible entities that are Indian tribes. 


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1 (c) RURAL, UNDERSERVED, AND INDIAN TRIBE AC2 CESS GRANTS.—The Secretary shall provide grants to 

3 qualified nonprofit organizations to assist owners or oper4 ators of public water systems or treatment works, in rural 

5 or underserved areas or in the jurisdiction of an Indian 

6 tribe, in accessing funds through the Low-Income House7 hold Water Assistance Program. 

8 (d) APPLICATIONS.—Each eligible entity seeking a 

9 grant under subsection (b) shall submit an application to 

10 the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con11 taining such information as the Secretary shall require. 

12 (e) LIMITATIONS.—A recipient of a grant under sub13 section (b) or (c)— 

14 (1) shall not use the funds from the grant to 

15 supplant any other funds for any program that as16 sists low-income households in maintaining access to 

17 affordable drinking water or wastewater services; 

18 and 

19 (2) may use the funds from the grant to supple20 ment or otherwise enhance any such program that 

21 satisfies the requirements under this section. 

22 (f) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR ELIGIBILITY RE23 QUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall provide technical as24 sistance to eligible entities receiving a grant under sub25 section (b) for such eligible entities to establish data sharVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Mar 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3830.IS S3830

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1 ing agreements to streamline categorical eligibility re2 quirements for low-income households. 

3 (g) TRANSFER TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTEC4 TION AGENCY.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—On the date on which the 

6 final report described in section 50109(d) of the In7 frastructure Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 

8 300j–19a note; Public Law 117–58; 135 Stat. 1148) 

9 is submitted to Congress under such section, the 

10 Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator, 

11 shall transfer the Low-Income Household Water As12 sistance Program established under this section to 

13 the Environmental Protection Agency for adminis14 tration of such program by the Administrator in ac15 cordance with this section. 

16 (2) ADMINISTRATION.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date 

18 described in paragraph (1)— 

19 (i) the Administrator shall carry out 

20 all functions of the Secretary under this 

21 section; and 

22 (ii) for purposes of administering the 

23 program established under this section, 

24 each reference in subsections (b)(3), (c), 


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1 (d), and (f) to the Secretary shall be 

2 deemed a reference to the Administrator. 

3 (B) GRANTS PREVIOUSLY AWARDED.— 

4 Notwithstanding paragraph (1) and subpara5 graph (A), the Secretary shall continue, after 

6 the transfer under paragraph (1), administering 

7 each grant awarded under this section prior to 

8 such transfer until the expiration of the term of 

9 such grant. 

10 (3) UNOBLIGATED BALANCES.—On the date de11 scribed in paragraph (1) and subject to section 1531 

12 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary shall 

13 initiate transfer of all unobligated balances of appro14 priations, authorizations, allocations, or other funds 

15 available to the Low-Income Household Water As16 sistance Program established under this section (ex17 cept for any such balances related to grants awarded 

18 prior to the transfer under paragraph (1)) to the 

19 Administrator. The amounts of any such unobligated 

20 balances so transferred shall be used only for the 

21 purposes for which the amounts were originally au22 thorized and appropriated. 


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1 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

3 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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