,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #cifg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #c1 #bjbf,mr4 ,boozman 7for himself and ,mr4 ,kelly7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,a ,,bill ,to establish a rural area digital infrastructure technology grant program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,futureproofing ,local ,operations for ,water ,systems ,act of #bjbf or the ,,flows ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,rural area digital infrastructure technology grant program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency4 7#b7 ,digital infrastructure technology ,the term digital infrastructure technology means information technology or operational technology that utilizes-- 7,a7 remote sensing1 flow or pressure monitoring1 real-time monitoring1 management1 analytics1 data1 or acoustic data collection tools and technologies that may detect or reduce water loss1 identify damaged or nonfunctioning infrastructure1 or improve the efficiency of the operations and asset condition assessment of a public water system or treatment works2 7,b7 industrial control systems1 including supervisory control and data acquisition technology2 7,c7 artificial or embedded intelligence1 or other intelligent optimization tools2 and 7,d7 hydraulic analysis1 digital design software1 and advanced digital design and construction management tools or software that may aid in the development of digital models and engineering plans4 7#c7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means-- 7,a7 the owner or operator of a publicly owned public water system or treatment works that serves a rural area2 7,b7 a rural area2 and 7,c7 a ,state or ,tribe1 on behalf of an entity described in subparagraph 7,a7 or 7,b74 7#d7 ,program ,the term program means the grant program established under subsection 7b77#a74 7#e7 ,public water system ,the term public water system has the meaning given the term in section #adja of the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;f74 7#f7 ,rural area ,the term rural area has the meaning given the term in section #fji7;a7 of the ,public ,utility ,regulatory ,policies ,act of #aigh 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #iah;c7a774 7#g7 ,treatment works ,the term treatment works has the meaning given the term in section #bab of the ,federal ,water ,pollution ,control ,act 7#cc ,u4,s4,c4 #abib74 7b7 ,grant program 7#a7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator shall establish a grant program to provide infrastructure assistance to eligible entities in accordance with this subsection4 7#b7 ,form of grants 7,a7 ,in general ,subject to subparagraph 7,b71 the ,administrator may award a grant under the program to assist an eligible entity in-- 7i7 designing1 constructing1 operating1 and maintaining digital infrastructure technology for water infrastructure1 source water protection1 and water development projects in rural areas1 including for-- 7,i7 facilities that supply1 collect1 and treat water1 including drinking water1 wastewater1 and stormwater1 including through desalination and water reuse2 7,,ii7 water distribution or wastewater conveyance systems2 and 7,,iii7 the protection or development of surface water or groundwater resources1 including through banking or recharging of aquifers2 7ii7 providing training and workforce development activities to help project and construction managers and owners and operators of drinking water1 wastewater1 and stormwater utilities manage water infrastructure projects using digital infrastructure technology2 and 7iii7 mitigating risks and employing countermeasures to reduce the vulnerabilities of digital infrastructure technology for water infrastructure from cyber-attacks through on-site cybersecurity training and technical assistance4 7,b7 ,acquisition and maintenance of software ,with respect to digital infrastructure technology that is software and notwithstanding any other provision of law1 including the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;f71 the recipient of a grant under the program may use grant funds for the initial acquisition and ongoing maintenance costs of that software4 7#c7 ,prioritization ,in selecting recipients of grants under the program1 the ,administrator shall give priority to eligible entities that-- 7,a7 own or operate public water systems or treatment works that serve fewer than #c1cjj people2 and 7,b7 serve people or comprise people that1 as determined by the ,administrator1 are most in need1 such as-- 7i7 pre-fabricated home community organizations or associations that are controlled by a local public body2 and 7ii7 other organizations that-- 7,i7 own or operate a public water system or treatment works2 and 7,,ii7 are owned or controlled by members of the community served by the public water system or treatment works1 as opposed to investor-owned4 7#d7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,administrator to carry out the program #ej1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca1 to remain available until expended4 7c7 ,applicability of other ,federal and ,state laws ,nothing in this ,act waives1 limits1 or otherwise affects the applicability of any provision of ,federal or ,state law that would apply to a project to be carried out with grants provided under the program4 7d7 ,digital transformation study ,not later than #e years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall conduct a study to determine the impact of adopting digital infrastructure technology in water infrastructure projects in rural areas1 including-- 7#a7 identification of-- 7,a7 water loss and inadequate fire flow capacity in public water systems that serve rural areas2 7,b7 potential bottlenecks in combined sewer systems that serve rural areas that could prevent an overflow in a wastewater infrastructure system caused by extreme precipitation or excess runoff2 and 7,c7 models and simulations that are effective in assessing the challenges of water resource management in rural areas2 and 7#b7 recommendations for-- 7,a7 developing water resource management plans to accommodate population growth in rural areas2 7,b7 prioritizing areas for improvement of the infrastructure and operations of public water systems and treatment works in rural areas2 7,c7 maximizing interoperability of digital infrastructure technology with other systems1 products1 tools1 and applications2 7,d7 reducing project delays and cost overruns in projects that serve rural areas2 7,e7 reducing the total cost of drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects in rural areas2 7,f7 understanding the impact of digital infrastructure technology in rural areas on sustainability and resiliency of a public water system or treatment works2 and 7,g7 using digital infrastructure technology to increase the affordability of drinking water1 wastewater1 and stormwater services in rural areas4 7e7 ,report ,not later than ,december #ca1 #bjcj1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives a report describing-- 7#a7 the results of the study under subsection 7d72 and 7#b7 the results of the program4