Sponsors (2)
The bill would expand federal support—via subgrants, loans, and nonprofit-administered assistance—to help rural households obtain and maintain private water and wastewater systems, but its impact is limited by unspecified funding and legal ambiguities and may shift costs onto borrowers.
Low-income rural households (under 60% of area median) can receive federal subgrants to build or repair private wells and decentralized wastewater systems, lowering their out-of-pocket costs and improving access to safe household water and sanitation.
Moderate-income rural households (60–100% of area median) gain access to subsidized loans to install or refurbish household water and wastewater systems, increasing availability of safe water and sanitation where centralized systems are absent.
Local nonprofit grantees are authorized to make loans and subgrants, enabling community-based organizations to deliver tailored water and wastewater assistance in rural service areas.
Nonprofits and households may not receive timely assistance because the new program obligations are created without a specified funding authorization or appropriation, risking delay or non-implementation.
Moderate-income households using subsidized loans will incur new debt to obtain household water and wastewater services, increasing financial burdens for some rural homeowners.
Ambiguity in the statutory amendment language (garbled strike/insert and unspecified edits) could create legal uncertainty for grantees and state implementers about program limits or eligibility until the text is clarified.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 12, 2026 by Cory Anthony Booker · Last progress March 12, 2026
Authorizes the Secretary to give grants to private nonprofit organizations so those nonprofits can make loans and subgrants to rural homeowners to build, repair, or service individually owned household water wells and decentralized household wastewater systems. Households under 60% of the local nonmetropolitan median income may receive subgrants; households between 60% and 100% may receive loans. The amendment also allows subgrants for decentralized wastewater systems to cover the cost of a performance warranty of at least five years. The text includes a garbled numeric change that is unclear from the provided version, and no specific funding amounts, appropriation authority, or effective date are included in the provided material.