Title: Low-Income Sewer and Water Assistance Program Act of 2017
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Low Income Sewer and Water Assistance Program Act of 2017
This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a pilot program that awards grants to at least 10 eligible entities for assisting low-income households maintain access to sanitation (water and sewer) services. In order to be eligible for grants, entities must be municipalities, or public entities that own or operate public water systems, that are affected by consent decrees related to compliance with standards under that Act.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2328 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2328

  To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a low-
            income sewer and water assistance pilot program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2017

Ms. Fudge (for herself, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, Mr. Kildee, 
Mr. Conyers, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. 
  McGovern, Ms. Norton, and Mr. Rush) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a low-
            income sewer and water assistance pilot 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 ``Low-Income Sewer and Water 
Assistance Program Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. LOW-INCOME SEWER AND WATER ASSISTANCE PILOT PROGRAM.

    Title I of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 124. LOW-INCOME SEWER AND WATER ASSISTANCE PILOT PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Administrator shall establish a pilot 
program to award grants to not fewer than 10 eligible entities to 
assist low-income households in maintaining access to sanitation 
services.
    ``(b) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of enactment 
of this section, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on 
the results of the program established under this section.
    ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a 
        municipality, or a public entity that owns or operates a public 
        water system, that is affected by a consent decree relating to 
        compliance with this Act.
            ``(2) Household.--The term `household' means any individual 
        or group of individuals who are living together as one economic 
        unit.
            ``(3) Low-income household.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `low-income household' 
                means a household--
                            ``(i) in which one or more individuals are 
                        receiving--
                                    ``(I) assistance under a State 
                                program funded under part A of title IV 
                                of the Social Security Act;
                                    ``(II) supplemental security income 
                                payments under title XVI of the Social 
                                Security Act;
                                    ``(III) supplemental nutrition 
                                assistance program benefits under the 
                                Food and Nutrition Act of 2008; or
                                    ``(IV) payments under section 1315, 
                                1521, 1541, or 1542 of title 38, United 
                                States Code, or under section 306 of 
                                the Veterans' and Survivors' Pension 
                                Improvement Act of 1978; or
                            ``(ii) that has an income determined by the 
                        State in which the eligible entity is located 
                        to not exceed the greater of--
                                    ``(I) an amount equal to 150 
                                percent of the poverty level for the 
                                State; or
                                    ``(II) an amount equal to 60 
                                percent of the State median income.
                    ``(B) Lower income limit.--For purposes of this 
                section, a State may adopt an income limit that is 
                lower than the limit described in subparagraph (A)(ii), 
                except that the State may not exclude a household from 
                eligibility in a fiscal year solely on the basis of 
                household income if such income is less than 110 
                percent of the poverty level for such State.
            ``(4) Public water system.--The term `public water system' 
        has the meaning given that term in section 1401 of the Safe 
        Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f).
            ``(5) Sanitation services.--The term `sanitation services' 
        has the meaning given that term in section 113(g).''.
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