Sponsor
Frederica Wilson
Representative · D-FL
Representative · D-FL
Formalizes a tribal Title VI wastewater set‑aside (greater of 2% or $30M annually) and authorizes $500M/year (FY2026–2031) in additional no‑match tribal water infrastructure grants.
Official title: To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act with respect to assistance for Indian Tribes, and for other purposes.
Introduced October 28, 2025 by Frederica Wilson · Last progress October 28, 2025
The bill secures substantial, easier-to-access federal funding and support for tribal drinking water and wastewater projects—improving infrastructure and workforce safeguards—while creating added compliance costs, potential delays, a small diversion of Title VI funds from states, and modest increases in federal spending.
Tribal governments and Native villages receive predictable, dedicated funding (at least 2% of Title VI or $30M annually) plus a new $500M/year grant authorization (FY2026–2031) with no matching requirement, making it much easier for tribes to plan, build, and upgrade wastewater and drinking water treatment projects.
Tribes can use grant funds for training, technical assistance, and operator education, improving long-term operation and management of treatment works and increasing system sustainability.
Applying labor standards and other statutory requirements to construction grants promotes worker protections and consistent oversight on projects funded under the program.
New labor and statutory requirements on construction grants may raise administrative and compliance costs for tribal recipients and slow project delivery, reducing the speed and net benefit of funded projects.
Directing at least $30M each year to tribes reduces the portion of Title VI funds available for state projects in those years, potentially delaying or shrinking state-led drinking water and wastewater investments.
The $500M/year authorization (FY2026–2031) increases federal spending and could raise concerns about budgetary trade-offs or impacts on deficits, which may affect taxpayers or other federal priorities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Raises and formalizes a tribal set‑aside from EPA Title VI wastewater treatment funds and creates a new, separate multi‑year authorization to expand water infrastructure grants for tribes and related Native entities. It requires the EPA to reserve the greater of 2% of Title VI funds or $30 million each year for grants to Tribes, former Oklahoma reservations, and Native villages for construction, operation, and related training; it also authorizes $500 million per year for FY2026–FY2031 in additional grants (no match) to those same entities, limits annual training/technical assistance spending, and applies prevailing‑wage and other construction requirements to the new grant funds.