[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9690 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9690

To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize emergency technical 
    assistance, to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to 
  authorize emergency technical assistance and grants, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2026

 Mrs. Trahan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to reauthorize emergency technical 
    assistance, to amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to 
  authorize emergency technical assistance and grants, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Water Emergency 
and Technical Assistance Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
                        TITLE I--DRINKING WATER

Sec. 101. Emergency situations.
                         TITLE II--CLEAN WATER

Sec. 201. Emergency technical assistance and grants for treatment 
                            works.

                        TITLE I--DRINKING WATER

SEC. 101. EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.

    Section 1442 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-1) is 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b), in the second sentence, in clause 
        (ii), by inserting ``or be economically feasible for 
        ratepayers'' after ``be taken''; and
            (2) in subsection (d), by striking ``$35,000,000 for each 
        of fiscal years 2022 through 2026'' and inserting ``$50,000,000 
        for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031''.

                         TITLE II--CLEAN WATER

SEC. 201. EMERGENCY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANTS FOR TREATMENT 
              WORKS.

    Title II of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 
et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 228. EMERGENCY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND GRANTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator may provide technical 
assistance and grants to States or publicly owned treatment works to 
assist in responding to and alleviating an emergency situation 
affecting treatment works (including an emergency situation resulting 
from a cybersecurity event) that, as determined by the Administrator, 
present substantial danger to the public health, such as heightened 
exposure to contaminants from sewer overflows.
    ``(b) Use of Funds.--A grant under this section shall only be used 
to support an activity that--
            ``(1) is necessary for preventing, limiting, or mitigating 
        danger to the public health in the applicable emergency 
        situation; and
            ``(2) would not, in the judgment of the Administrator, be 
        taken or be economically feasible for ratepayers without the 
        grant.
    ``(c) Coordination With Other Programs.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator may, subject to 
        paragraph (2), carry out this section as part of, and in 
        accordance with the terms and conditions of, any other program 
        of assistance for environmental emergencies that the 
        Administrator is authorized to carry out under any other 
        provision of law.
            ``(2) Applicability of limitations.--No limitation on 
        appropriations for any program described in paragraph (1) shall 
        apply to amounts made available under this section.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2027 through 2031.''.
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