I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3238 

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

Amendments of 1996 to reauthorize certain grant programs providing 

assistance to colonias, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 14, 2021 

Ms. ESCOBAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments of 1996 to reauthorize certain grant programs providing assistance to colonias, 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 ‘‘Colonia Infrastructure 

5 Improvement Act of 2021’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. DRINKING WATER ASSISTANCE TO COLONIAS. 

2 Section 1456 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 

3 U.S.C. 300j–16) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (a)— 

5 (A) by redesignating paragraph (2) as 

6 paragraph (3); and 

7 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

8 following new paragraph: 

9 ‘‘(2) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘covered en10 tity’ means each of the following: 

11 ‘‘(A) A border State. 

12 ‘‘(B) A local government with jurisdiction 

13 over an eligible community.’’; 

14 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘border 

15 State’’ and inserting ‘‘covered entity’’; 

16 (3) by striking subsection (d); 

17 (4) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub18 section (d); and 

19 (5) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 

20 (A) by striking ‘‘$25,000,000’’ and insert21 ing ‘‘$100,000,000’’; and 

22 (B) by striking ‘‘1997 through 1999’’ and 

23 inserting ‘‘2022 through 2026’’. 

24 SEC. 3. WASTEWATER ASSISTANCE TO COLONIAS. 

25 Section 307 of the Safe Drinking Water Act Amend26 ments of 1996 (33 U.S.C. 1281 note) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 

3 (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively; and 

4 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(2) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘covered en7 tity’ means each of the following: 

8 ‘‘(A) A border State. 

9 ‘‘(B) A local government with jurisdiction 

10 over an eligible community.’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘border 

12 State’’ and inserting ‘‘covered entity’’; 

13 (3) by striking subsection (d); 

14 (4) by redesignating subsection (e) as sub15 section (d); and 

16 (5) in subsection (d), as so redesignated— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘$25,000,000’’ and insert18 ing ‘‘$100,000,000’’; and 

19 (B) by striking ‘‘1997 through 1999’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘2022 through 2026’’. 

21 SEC. 4. COLONIAS STATE OF GOOD REPAIR GRANT PRO22 GRAM. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after the 

24 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of TransporVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:40 Jun 18, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3238.IH H3238

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1 tation shall establish a program under which the Secretary 

2 may award grants to assist projects that— 

3 (1) facilitate the state of good repair of surface 

4 infrastructure; and 

5 (2) are carried out in, or for the benefit of, a 

6 colonia. 

7 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may award 

8 a grant under this section to the following: 

9 (1) A State. 

10 (2) A metropolitan planning organization. 

11 (3) A unit of local government. 

12 (4) A Federal land management agency. 

13 (5) A Tribal Government. 

14 (c) COLONIA DEFINED.—In this section, the term 

15 ‘‘colonia’’ means a low-income community with economic 

16 hardship that— 

17 (1) is commonly referred to as a colonia; and 

18 (2) is located along the United States-Mexico 

19 border (generally in an unincorporated area). 

20 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

21 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

22 $125,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025. 

Æ 


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