Sponsors (8)
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Provides new federal funding authority and program changes to expand access to safe drinking water, sanitation, and related community facilities for Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian communities. It authorizes the Department of Agriculture to make loans, grants, and technical-assistance agreements for water and sanitation projects serving Tribal residents and Tribal lands, requires consultation with the Indian Health Service, and directs the Department of the Interior (Bureau of Reclamation) to receive $18 million per year for a Native American technical assistance program for fiscal years 2026–2030.
Includes statutory definitions for Tribal and Native Hawaiian entities, establishes priorities and rules for project funding and post-construction support, and makes the appropriated technical-assistance funds available until expended to help Tribes plan, build, operate, and maintain water and sanitation infrastructure.
Alters the meaning of the term used in section 7(a)(1) of the cited Act by explicitly including non-commercial community structures that are essential to the life of an Indian Tribe or to Tribal government services on Tribal land, and provides examples of such structures.
Amends subsection (a) of 7 U.S.C. 1926c by inserting text in paragraph (1) (matter preceding subparagraph (A)) and by adding a new subparagraph (C) to paragraph (2) to permit loans and grants to be made when funds will be used primarily to provide water or waste services to residents on Tribal land (as defined in 47 U.S.C. 1705(a)).
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Introduced July 14, 2025 by Michael F. Bennet · Last progress July 14, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
Introduced in Senate