S783Referred to Committee

Assistance for Rural Water Systems Act of 2025

Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both

Signed into Law

119th

Congress

2025-02-27

Introduced

Cosponsors

ⓘ

Type

Sponsor

Jeanne Shaheen

Democrat · NH · Senator

Votes with party: 47.2% (318 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/S001181

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (1)

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

Thom Tillis (R-NC)Original· 2025-02-27

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 →

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

2025-02-27

Source: Congress.gov

Plain-English Summary

This bill would provide financial assistance and support to rural water systems that struggle to maintain safe drinking water infrastructure and services for their communities. It likely aims to help small towns and agricultural areas upgrade aging pipes, treatment facilities, and equipment that many cannot afford on their own. Rural residents and farmers who depend on these water systems would be the primary beneficiaries.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Affected Industries

Industries and interest groups with a stake in how this bill is resolved. Compare with each member's outside-money backers on their finance page.

Agriculture

Why this matters: Look up any member who voted on this bill and check their finance page — do the industries listed above match the groups funding their campaigns? That's the kind of connection this tool is built to help you find.

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] [S. 783 Introduced in Senate (IS)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 783 To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide additional assistance to rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal systems, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 27, 2025 Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Tillis) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide additional assistance to rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal 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 ``Assistance for Rural Water Systems Act of 2025''. SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL WATER SYSTEMS. Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act is amended by inserting after section 306A (7 U.S.C. 1926a) the following: ``SEC. 306B. ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL WATER SYSTEMS. ``(a) Definition of Eligible Entity.--In this section, the term `eligible entity' means a rural water, wastewater, or waste disposal facility with respect to which assistance may be provided under a water, wastewater, or waste disposal program under section 306(a), 306A, 306C, or 306D. ``(b) Additional Assistance.-- ``(1) Grants and loans.--The Secretary may provide a grant, a zero percent interest loan, or a 1 percent interest loan to an eligible entity. ``(2) Existing loans.--The Secretary may-- ``(A) forgive principal or interest or modify any term or condition of an outstanding loan made to an eligible entity; or ``(B) refinance part or all of any other loan (if the purpose of the loan is an eligible purpose under section 306(a)(1) or 306C) made to an eligible entity. ``(3) Limitation.--The Secretary may not provide assistance under paragraph (2) with respect to a loan made under paragraph (1). ``(c) Eligible Purposes.--The Secretary may provide assistance to an eligible entity under subsection (b) as the Secretary determines is necessary-- ``(1) to ensure that the eligible entity has the necessary resources to maintain public health, safety, or order; or ``(2) to address financial hardships of the eligible entity, if the eligible entity is located in a disadvantaged or economically distressed area, as determined under subsection (d). ``(d) Determination.--To determine whether an eligible entity may receive assistance pursuant to subsection (c)(2), the Secretary shall establish-- ``(1) a residential indicator of affordable water services in each State or local or geographic area, calculated using the cost per household as a percentage of median household income; and ``(2) factors relating to disadvantaged or economically distressed areas.''. <all>

Open clean-text view Read on Congress.gov →

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