Rural Septic Tank Access Act

Bill: 115-hr-5837
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Sewell, Terri A. [D-AL-7]
Introduced: 2018-05-16
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Public-private cooperation

Rural conditions and development

Water resources funding

Water use and supply
Latest action: action_date: 2018-06-22
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-05-16
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Rural Septic Tank Access Act </b></p> <p>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. </p> <p>(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.) </p> <p>The bill modifies the program to: </p> <ul> <li> prohibit the household income of an eligible individual from exceeding 60% (currently 100%) of the median nonmetropolitan household income, </li> <li> require grant recipients to provide subgrants to eligible individuals instead of loans, </li> <li> authorize subgrants for household decentralized wastewater systems, and</li> <li>limit the amount of each subgrant provided to an individual to $20,000 for each water well system or decentralized wastewater system.</li> </ul> <p>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.</p>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5837 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.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Septic Tank Access Act . 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: 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 .