Title: Decentralized Wastewater Grant Act of 2020
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Decentralized Wastewater Grant Act of 2020
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a grant program for decentralized wastewater treatment systems in households with certain incomes.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5856 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5856

    To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to establish a 
    decentralized wastewater grant program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 11, 2020

Ms. Sewell of Alabama 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 
    decentralized wastewater grant program, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Decentralized Wastewater Grant Act 
of 2020''.

SEC. 2. DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control 
Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:

``SEC. 222. GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR, OR REPLACEMENT OF 
              INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER TREATMENT 
              SYSTEMS.

    ``(a) Definition.--In this section, the term `eligible individual' 
means a member of a household, the members of which have a combined 
income (for the most recent 12-month period for which information is 
available) equal to not more than 50 percent of the median 
nonmetropolitan household income for the State in which the household 
is located, according to the most recent decennial census.
    ``(b) Grant Program.--The Administrator shall establish a program 
to provide a grant to a qualified nonprofit organization, as determined 
by the Administrator, to provide a subgrant to an eligible individual--
            ``(1) for the construction, repair, or replacement of an 
        individual household decentralized wastewater treatment system;
            ``(2) if the eligible individual resides in a household 
        that could be cost-effectively connected to an available 
        publicly owned treatment works, for the connection of the 
        household of the eligible individual to the publicly owned 
        treatment works; or
            ``(3) for the installation of a larger decentralized 
        wastewater system designed to provide treatment for 2 or more 
        households in which eligible individuals reside, if--
                    ``(A) site conditions at the households are 
                unsuitable for the installation of an individually 
                owned decentralized wastewater system;
                    ``(B) multiple examples of unsuitable site 
                conditions exist in close geographic proximity to each 
                other; and
                    ``(C) a larger decentralized wastewater system 
                could be cost-effectively installed.
    ``(c) Priority.--In awarding subgrants under this section, a 
qualified nonprofit organization that receives a grant under this 
section shall give priority to--
            ``(1) an eligible individual who does not have access to a 
        functioning sanitary sewage disposal system; and
            ``(2) a group of eligible individuals that do not have 
        access to a functioning sanitary sewage disposal system.
    ``(d) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this 
section, a qualified nonprofit organization shall submit to the 
Administrator an application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Administrator may require.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Administrator such sums as are necessary to carry 
out this section.''.
    (b) Water Pollution Control Revolving Loan Funds.--Section 603 of 
the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (10), by adding ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (11)(B), by striking ``; and'' at 
                the end and inserting a period; and
                    (C) by striking paragraph (12); and
            (2) by striking subsection (j).
    (c) No Reporting Requirement.--Section 4107 of the America's Water 
Infrastructure Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-270; 132 Stat. 3877) is 
amended by striking subsection (b).
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