,,ii ,calendar ,no4 #cdj #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #hfd ,report ,no4 #aac-adb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #f1 #bjac,mr4 ,wicker 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,heitkamp1 ,mr4 ,cochran1 ,mr4 ,udall of ,new ,mexico1 ,mr4 ,crapo1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 ,mr4 ,risch1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,south ,dakota1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,ms4 ,landrieu1 ,mr4 ,boozman1 ,mr4 ,tester1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,ms4 ,hirono1 ,mr4 ,baucus1 ,mr4 ,vitter1 ,mr4 ,levin1 and ,mr4 ,schatz7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,april #a1 #bjad,reported by ,mrs4 ,boxer1 with an amendment,strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act to reauthorize technical assistance to small public water systems1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,grassroots ,rural and ,small ,community ,water ,systems ,assistance ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act ,amendments of #aiif 7,public ,law #ajd-ahb7 authorized technical assistance for small and rural communities to assist those communities in complying with regulations promulgated pursuant to the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;f et seq472 7#b7 technical assistance and compliance training-- 7,a7 ensures that ,federal regulations do not overwhelm the resources of small and rural communities2 and 7,b7 provides small and rural communities lacking technical resources with the necessary skills to improve and protect water resources2 7#c7 across the ,united ,states1 more than #ij percent of the community water systems serve a population of less than #aj1jjj individuals2 7#d7 small and rural communities have the greatest difficulty providing safe1 affordable public drinking water and wastewater services due to limited economies of scale and lack of technical expertise2 and 7#e7 in addition to being the main source of compliance assistance1 small and rural water technical assistance has been the main source of emergency response assistance in small and rural communities4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 to most effectively assist small and rural communities1 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency should prioritize the types of technical assistance that are most beneficial to those communities1 based on input from those communities2 and 7#b7 local support is the key to making ,federal assistance initiatives work in small and rural communities to the maximum benefit4 #d4 ,funding priorities ,section #addb7;e7 of the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;j-#a7;e77 is amended-- 7#a7 by designating the first through seventh sentences as paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#g71 respectively2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#e7 7as so designated71 by striking #aiig through #bjjc and inserting #bjad through #bjai2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#h7 ,nonprofit organizations 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator may use amounts made available to carry out this section to provide technical assistance to nonprofit organizations that provide to small public water systems onsite technical assistance1 circuit-rider technical assistance programs1 onsite and regional training1 assistance with implementing source water protection plans1 and assistance with implementation monitoring plans1 rules1 regulations1 and water security enhancements4 7,b7 ,preference ,to ensure that technical assistance funding is used in a manner that is most beneficial to the small and rural communities of a ,state1 the ,administrator shall give preference under this paragraph to nonprofit organizations that1 as determined by the ,administrator1 are the most qualified and experienced and that the small community water systems in that ,state find to be the most beneficial and effective4 4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,grassroots ,rural and ,small ,community ,water ,systems ,assistance ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act ,amendments of #aiif 7,public ,law #ajd-ahb7 authorized technical assistance for small and rural communities to assist those communities in complying with regulations promulgated pursuant to the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;f et seq472 7#b7 technical assistance and compliance training-- 7,a7 ensures that ,federal regulations do not overwhelm the resources of small and rural communities2 and 7,b7 provides small and rural communities lacking technical resources with the necessary skills to improve and protect water resources2 7#c7 across the ,united ,states1 more than #ij percent of the community water systems serve a population of less than #aj1jjj individuals2 7#d7 small and rural communities have the greatest difficulty providing safe1 affordable public drinking water and wastewater services due to limited economies of scale and lack of technical expertise2 and 7#e7 in addition to being the main source of compliance assistance1 small and rural water technical assistance has been the main source of emergency response assistance in small and rural communities4 #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 to most effectively assist small and rural communities1 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency should prioritize the types of technical assistance that are most beneficial to those communities1 based on input from those communities2 and 7#b7 local support is the key to making ,federal assistance initiatives work in small and rural communities to the maximum benefit4 #d4 ,funding priorities ,section #addb7;e7 of the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;j-#a7;e77 is amended-- 7#a7 by designating the first through seventh sentences as paragraphs 7#a7 through 7#g71 respectively2 7#b7 in paragraph 7#e7 7as so designated71 by striking #aiig through #bjjc and inserting #bjad through #bjai2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7#h7 ,nonprofit organizations 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator may use amounts made available to carry out this section to provide grants or cooperative agreements to nonprofit organizations that provide to small public water systems onsite technical assistance1 circuit-rider technical assistance programs1 multistate1 regional technical assistance programs1 onsite and regional training1 assistance with implementing source water protection plans1 and assistance with implementing monitoring plans1 rules1 regulations1 and water security enhancements4 7,b7 ,preference ,to ensure that technical assistance funding is used in a manner that is most beneficial to the small and rural communities of a ,state1 the ,administrator shall give preference under this paragraph to nonprofit organizations that1 as determined by the ,administrator1 are the most qualified and experienced in providing training and technical assistance to small public water systems and that the small community water systems in that ,state find to be the most beneficial and effective4 7,c7 ,limitation ,no grant or cooperative agreement provided or otherwise made available under this section may be used for litigation pursuant to section #addi4 4 ,april #a1 #bjad,reported with an amendment