[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1427 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1427

     To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize technical 
   assistance to small public water systems, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 7, 2011

  Mr. Harper (for himself, Mr. Matheson, Mr. Jones, Mr. McKinley, Mr. 
 Nunnelee, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Filner, Mr. Blumenauer, and Mr. Palazzo) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                          Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize technical 
   assistance to small public water 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 ``Grassroots Rural and Small Community 
Water Systems Assistance Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act 
        authorized technical assistance for small and rural communities 
        to assist them with compliance with rules and regulations 
        promulgated under the Act. Technical assistance and compliance 
        training ensures that Federal regulations do not overwhelm 
        small and rural communities' resources. It also allows small 
        communities lacking technical resources access to assistance 
        necessary to improve and protect their water resources.
            (2) Across the States, over 90 percent of the community 
        water systems serve a population of less than 10,000. Small 
        communities have the greatest difficulty providing safe, 
        affordable public drinking water and wastewater services due to 
        limited economies of scale and less technical expertise.
            (3) In addition to being the main source of compliance 
        assistance, rural water technical assistance has been the main 
        source of assistance in emergency response in small and rural 
        communities.
            (4) Technical assistance ensures that Federal regulations 
        do not overwhelm small and rural communities' resources. It 
        also allows small communities lacking technical resources 
        access to assistance necessary to improve and protect their 
        water resources.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) to most effectively assist small communities, the 
        Environmental Protection Agency should prioritize the type of 
        technical assistance that small communities find is the most 
        beneficial;
            (2) it is essential for the Environmental Protection Agency 
        to consider and prioritize the type and manner of technical 
        assistance that has the most support of each State's local 
        communities; and
            (3) local support is the fundamental key to making the 
        Federal funding (the Federal assistance initiatives) work in 
        small and rural communities to the maximum benefit.

SEC. 4. FUNDING PRIORITIES.

    Section 1442(e) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-
1(e)) is amended as follows:
            (1) In the fifth sentence by striking ``1997 through 2003'' 
        and inserting ``2011 through 2016''.
            (2) By inserting ``(1)'' immediately before the first 
        sentence.
            (3) By adding at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(2) The Administrator may provide technical assistance, 
        with funds under this subsection, to nonprofit organizations 
        providing onsite technical assistance, circuit-rider technical 
        assistance programs, onsite and regional training, assistance 
        with implementing source water protection plans, and assistance 
        with implementation monitoring plans, rules, regulations, and 
        water security enhancements. To assure technical assistance 
        funding under this subsection is used in a manner most 
        beneficial to small and rural communities in each State, the 
        Administrator shall give preference to nonprofit organizations 
        that, as determined by the Administrator, are the most 
        qualified, experienced, effective, and most supported by small 
        community water systems in the States.''.
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