Title: Rural Septic Tank Access Act
Policy area: Water Resources Development

Summary:
Rural Septic Tank Access Act
This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to reauthorize and modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Water Well System Grant Program.
(Under current law, the program awards grants for private nonprofit organizations to provide loans to eligible individuals for the construction, refurbishing, and servicing of individual household water well systems that are or will be owned by the eligible individuals in rural areas.)
The bill modifies the program to:
In the event of well water contamination, USDA must allow a subgrant to be used to install water treatment measures as needed beyond the point of entry, with or without the installation of new well equipment.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5837 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5837

  To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to modify 
 provisions relating to the household water well system grant program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 16, 2018

     Ms. Sewell of Alabama (for herself and Mr. Rogers of Alabama) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                              Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to modify 
 provisions relating to the household water well system grant program.

    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 ``Rural Septic Tank Access Act''.

SEC. 2. HOUSEHOLD WATER WELL SYSTEM GRANT PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS.

    Section 306E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
U.S.C. 1926e) is amended--
            (1) by striking the section designation and heading and 
        inserting the following:

``SEC. 306E. GRANTS TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR CONSTRUCTION, 
              REFURBISHING, AND SERVICING OF INDIVIDUALLY OWNED 
              HOUSEHOLD WATER WELL SYSTEMS AND HOUSEHOLD DECENTRALIZED 
              WASTEWATER SYSTEMS IN RURAL AREAS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH 
              LOW OR MODERATE INCOME.'';

            (2) in subsection (a), by striking ``100 percent'' and 
        inserting ``60 percent'';
            (3) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``loans'' and inserting 
                        ``subgrants''; and
                            (ii) by inserting ``or household 
                        decentralized wastewater systems'' after 
                        ``water well systems''; and
                    (B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(2) Subgrants.--
                    ``(A) Amounts.--The amount of a subgrant provided 
                to an eligible individual using grant funds under this 
                section shall not exceed $20,000 for each water well 
                system or decentralized wastewater system described in 
                paragraph (1).
                    ``(B) Use in cases of well water contamination.--In 
                the event of well water contamination, the Secretary 
                shall allow the use of a subgrant provided using grant 
                funds under this section for the installation of water 
                treatment measures as needed beyond the point of entry, 
                with or without the installation of new well 
                equipment.'';
            (4) in subsection (c), by striking ``productive use of 
        individually-owned household water well systems'' and inserting 
        ``effective use of individually owned household water well 
        systems or household decentralized wastewater systems''; and
            (5) in subsection (d), by striking ``$5,000,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2014 through 2018'' and inserting ``$100,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023''.
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