Decentralized Wastewater Grant Act of 2020

I 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 estab- lish a decentralized wastewater grant program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Decentralized Waste- 4 water Grant Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER GRANT PROGRAM. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Federal Water Pol- 7 lution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 et seq.) is amended 8 by adding at the end the following: 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5856.IH H5856 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5856 IH ‘‘SEC. 222. GRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION, REPAIR, OR RE- 1 PLACEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL HOUSEHOLD DE- 2 CENTRALIZED WASTEWATER TREATMENT 3 SYSTEMS. 4 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘eligible 5 individual’ means a member of a household, the members 6 of which have a combined income (for the most recent 12- 7 month period for which information is available) equal to 8 not more than 50 percent of the median nonmetropolitan 9 household income for the State in which the household is 10 located, according to the most recent decennial census. 11 ‘‘(b) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Administrator shall es- 12 tablish a program to provide a grant to a qualified non- 13 profit organization, as determined by the Administrator, 14 to provide a subgrant to an eligible individual— 15 ‘‘(1) for the construction, repair, or replacement 16 of an individual household decentralized wastewater 17 treatment system; 18 ‘‘(2) if the eligible individual resides in a house- 19 hold that could be cost-effectively connected to an 20 available publicly owned treatment works, for the 21 connection of the household of the eligible individual 22 to the publicly owned treatment works; or 23 ‘‘(3) for the installation of a larger decentral- 24 ized wastewater system designed to provide treat- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5856.IH H5856 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5856 IH ment for 2 or more households in which eligible indi- 1 viduals reside, if— 2 ‘‘(A) site conditions at the households are 3 unsuitable for the installation of an individually 4 owned decentralized wastewater system; 5 ‘‘(B) multiple examples of unsuitable site 6 conditions exist in close geographic proximity to 7 each other; and 8 ‘‘(C) a larger decentralized wastewater sys- 9 tem could be cost-effectively installed. 10 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding subgrants under this 11 section, a qualified nonprofit organization that receives a 12 grant under this section shall give priority to— 13 ‘‘(1) an eligible individual who does not have 14 access to a functioning sanitary sewage disposal sys- 15 tem; and 16 ‘‘(2) a group of eligible individuals that do not 17 have access to a functioning sanitary sewage dis- 18 posal system. 19 ‘‘(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 20 under this section, a qualified nonprofit organization shall 21 submit to the Administrator an application at such time, 22 in such manner, and containing such information as the 23 Administrator may require. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5856.IH H5856 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5856 IH ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 1 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator 2 such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.’’. 3 (b) WATER POLLUTION CONTROL REVOLVING LOAN 4 FUNDS.—Section 603 of the Federal Water Pollution 5 Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1383) is amended— 6 (1) in subsection (c)— 7 (A) in paragraph (10), by adding ‘‘and’’ at 8 the end; 9 (B) in paragraph (11)(B), by striking ‘‘; 10 and’’ at the end and inserting a period; and 11 (C) by striking paragraph (12); and 12 (2) by striking subsection (j). 13 (c) NO REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Section 4107 of 14 the America’s Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 (Public 15 Law 115–270; 132 Stat. 3877) is amended by striking 16 subsection (b). 17 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:45 Feb 18, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H5856.IH H5856 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS