Water Emergency and Technical Assistance Act

Key Points

• This bill would provide $50 million every year to help local communities handle drinking water emergencies. It makes it easier for the government to step in when repairs are too expensive for local families to pay for through their monthly water bills.
• The plan also creates a new $50 million annual grant program for wastewater and sewer systems. This money would be used to fix urgent problems like sewer overflows that could leak waste into the streets, making people sick or polluting the local environment.
• For the first time, this bill specifically allows the government to provide emergency help if a water system is hit by a cyberattack. This helps protect the digital controls that keep our water moving and safe from hackers who want to disrupt public services.
• The funding would be available from 2027 through 2031. By increasing the budget for these programs, the bill aims to make sure the government has enough money to help many different towns at once if a major crisis happens.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.