Bill Details
S.783 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-02-27 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced Date
2025-02-27
Policy Area
Water Resources Development
Committees
View committees (1)
Cosponsors
View cosponsors (1)
6
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would give the federal government more ways to help small rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal systems. It would let the Agriculture Secretary offer grants, very low-interest loans, and in some cases loan forgiveness or loan changes to help these systems stay running, protect public health, and deal with financial problems. The bill is aimed especially at rural systems in places that are poor or economically stressed, and it would require the government to set up a way to measure whether water service is affordable in each area.
- The bill allows assistance in the form of grants, zero-percent loans, or 1-percent loans for eligible rural water and waste systems.
- It also lets the Secretary forgive part of an existing loan, change loan terms, or refinance other qualifying loans for these systems.
- Help can be used when it is needed to protect public health, safety, or order, or to ease financial hardship in disadvantaged or economically distressed areas.
- The bill would require a standard for measuring affordable water service by looking at household water costs as a share of median household income, along with other local economic factors.
Official Summaries
No summaries available
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 783 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 783
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide
additional assistance to rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal
systems, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 27, 2025
Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide
additional assistance to rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal
systems, 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 ``Assistance for Rural Water Systems
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL WATER SYSTEMS.
Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act is
amended by inserting after section 306A (7 U.S.C. 1926a) the following:
``SEC. 306B. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL WATER SYSTEMS.
``(a) Definition of Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term
`eligible entity' means a rural water, wastewater, or waste disposal
facility with respect to which assistance may be provided under a
water, wastewater, or waste disposal program under section 306(a),
306A, 306C, or 306D.
``(b) Additional Assistance.--
``(1) Grants and loans.--The Secretary may provide a grant,
a zero percent interest loan, or a 1 percent interest loan to
an eligible entity.
``(2) Existing loans.--The Secretary may--
``(A) forgive principal or interest or modify any
term or condition of an outstanding loan made to an
eligible entity; or
``(B) refinance part or all of any other loan (if
the purpose of the loan is an eligible purpose under
section 306(a)(1) or 306C) made to an eligible entity.
``(3) Limitation.--The Secretary may not provide assistance
under paragraph (2) with respect to a loan made under paragraph
(1).
``(c) Eligible Purposes.--The Secretary may provide assistance to
an eligible entity under subsection (b) as the Secretary determines is
necessary--
``(1) to ensure that the eligible entity has the necessary
resources to maintain public health, safety, or order; or
``(2) to address financial hardships of the eligible
entity, if the eligible entity is located in a disadvantaged or
economically distressed area, as determined under subsection
(d).
``(d) Determination.--To determine whether an eligible entity may
receive assistance pursuant to subsection (c)(2), the Secretary shall
establish--
``(1) a residential indicator of affordable water services
in each State or local or geographic area, calculated using the
cost per household as a percentage of median household income;
and
``(2) factors relating to disadvantaged or economically
distressed areas.''.
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