Husted leads bill to provide rural communities with emergency water aid

WASHINGTON - Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) joined Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in introducing the bipartisan Emergency Rural Water Response Act. This bill would expand and expedite emergency water assistance for rural communities facing natural disasters and infrastructure failures.

"Rural communities are often hit the hardest by water-related disasters, yet they face long delays before emergency funding reaches them. This commonsense bill cuts red tape so communities can respond immediately during times of emergency and get critical water systems back online faster. In a crisis, communities need action, and this bipartisan effort will deliver help when they need it most," said Husted.

"When disasters strike, neighborhoods need access to water without delay in order to respond, save lives and recover. This legislation will play an important role in making sure we protect our water supply and provide the support our communities need to assist thousands of people in times of emergency," said Schiff.

"The Emergency Rural Water Response Act will ensure rural communities are not left waiting for help when disaster strikes, thus protecting public health and economic stability through access to safe and reliable water services in rural America. By streamlining emergency funding and expanding eligibility, this legislation empowers local water systems to respond quickly and protect the families, farms, and businesses that depend on them every day," said Matt Holmes, CEO of National Rural Water Association.

The bill would add a new category of eligible water projects for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants, allowing grant funds to be used for broader infrastructure needs such as potable water, wastewater, storm drainage and solid waste facilities.

The bill would also raise the population threshold for eligible communities, increasing the limit from 10,000 to 35,000 residents, allowing larger rural towns to access these emergency funds.

The USDA's Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants program provides critical funding to help rural communities prepare for or recover from disasters that threaten safe, reliable drinking water. These funds can be deployed for emergencies such as droughts, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, disease outbreaks and chemical spills without the need for a federal disaster declaration.

This bill builds on Husted's work to support Ohio's rural communities. He introduced the Water Resources Technical Assistance Act, which would help rural communities navigate water funding resource programs.

Husted also fought aggressively for the creation of the Rural Health Transformation Fund in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to support Ohio's network of rural hospitals. Continued funding for Ohio under this program will provide more than $1 billion over the next five years to support rural health care access in the state.

Full text of the bill is available here.