HR7921Referred to Committee

To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to modify provisions relating to rural decentralized water systems grants.

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-03-12
Introduced
1
Cosponsors
HR
Type

Sponsor

Terri A. Sewell
Terri A. Sewell
Democrat · AL · Representative
Votes with party: 96.1% (543 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/S001185

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (1)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

2026-03-12

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Plain-English Summary

This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2031 a program that provides financial assistance for rural water systems under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act. Under the existing program, the Department of Agriculture may provide grants to nonprofit organizations that in turn must provide subgrants and loans to individuals for household water well systems or individually owned household decentralized wastewater systems in rural areas. This bill modifies the eligibility requirements for subgrants. To be eligible for a subgrant, an individual must be a member of a household with an annual combined income that is no more than 60% of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the area served by the nonprofit (currently, the state or territory in which the individual resides). The bill also allows a subgrant for a household decentralized wastewater system to include sufficient additional funding to cover the cost of a performance warranty with a duration of at least five years. In addition, the bill allows loans to be awarded to an individual who is a member of a household with an annual combined income that is 60% or more of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the area.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

Subjects

Water Resources Development

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7921 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7921 To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to modify provisions relating to rural decentralized water systems grants. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 12, 2026 Ms. Sewell (for herself and Mr. Rogers of Alabama) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to modify provisions relating to rural decentralized water systems grants. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. RURAL DECENTRALIZED WATER SYSTEMS GRANT PROGRAM MODIFICATIONS. Section 306E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926e) is amended-- (1) by striking the section designation and heading and all that follows through the end of subsection (b)(1) and inserting the following: ``SEC. 306E. GRANTS TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS MAKING LOANS AND SUBGRANTS FOR CONSTRUCTION, REFURBISHING, AND SERVICING OF INDIVIDUALLY OWNED HOUSEHOLD WATER WELL SYSTEMS AND HOUSEHOLD DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS IN RURAL AREAS. ``(a) Grants to Nonprofit Organizations.--The Secretary may provide grants to private nonprofit organizations for the purpose of providing subgrants and loans in accordance with subsection (b) to individuals for the construction, refurbishing, and servicing of individual household water well systems and individually owned household decentralized wastewater systems in rural areas that are or will be owned by the individuals. ``(b) Loans and Subgrants to Individuals.-- ``(1) In general.--A nonprofit organization shall use grant amounts received under subsection (a) to provide-- ``(A) subgrants for use in accordance with this section to individuals residing in the service area of the nonprofit organization who are members of a household with a combined income (for the most recent 12-month period for which the information is available) that is less than 60 percent of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the area, according to the most recent decennial census; and ``(B) loans for use in accordance with this section to individuals residing in the service area of the nonprofit organization who are members of a household with a combined income (for the most recent 12-month period for which the information is available) that is 60 percent or more of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the area, according to the most recent decennial census.''; (2) in subsection (b)-- (A) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ``$15,000'' and inserting ``$20,000''; and (B) by adding at the end the following: ``(5) Funding to cover cost of performance warranties.--A subgrant provided to an individual under this subsection for an individually owned household decentralized wastewater system may include sufficient additional funding to cover the cost of a performance warranty with a duration of at least 5 years.''; and (3) in subsection (d), by striking ``2023'' and inserting ``2031''. <all>

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