Water Infrastructure for Rural and Impoverished Communities Act
Bill: H.R.5907 | Sponsor: Rep. Vela, Filemon (D-TX)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Water Infrastructure for Rural and Impoverished Communities Act
This bill makes rural communities with up to 30,000 residents eligible to apply, under certain conditions, for grants and loans for water and waste disposal infrastructure. (Current law limits eligibility to communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.)
In making the grants and loans, the Department of Agriculture must prioritize communities in counties where at least 20% of the population has persistently lived in poverty.

To authorize the provision of water and waste facility direct loans and 
     grants to communities with greater populations under certain 
                             circumstances.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Water Infrastructure for Rural and 
Impoverished Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION TO PROVIDE WATER AND WASTE FACILITY DIRECT LOANS 
              AND GRANTS TO COMMUNITIES WITH GREATER POPULATIONS UNDER 
              CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES.

    (a) List of Persistent Poverty Counties.--
            (1) In general.--Within 180 days after the date of the 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall 
        generate a list of all counties in the United States that are 
        persistent poverty counties.
            (2) Persistent poverty county.--In subsection (a), the term 
        ``persistent poverty county'' means a county that has had 20 
        percent or more of its population living in poverty over the 
        past 30 years, as measured by the 1990 and 2000 decennial 
        censuses, and the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-year 
        average, or any territory or possession of the United States.
    (b) Authorization.--Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by inserting after 
paragraph (6) the following:
    ``(7)(A) In the making of direct loans and grants for community 
waste disposal and water facilities under paragraphs (1) and (2) of 
this subsection, using any funds made available to the State in which 
the communities are located for the direct loans or grants for the 
fiscal year that remain available after June 30 of the fiscal year--
            ``(i) section 343(a)(13)(B) shall be applied by 
        substituting `not less than 10,000 and not more than 30,000 
        inhabitants' for `no more than 10,000 inhabitants'; and
            ``(ii) the Secretary shall prioritize the making of the 
        direct loans and grants to communities in persistent poverty 
        counties.
    ``(B) In subparagraph (A), the term `persistent poverty county' 
means a county that has had 20 percent or more of its population living 
in poverty over the past 30 years, as measured by the 1990 and 2000 
decennial censuses, and the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-year 
average, or any territory or possession of the United States.''.
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