Title 15Commerce and TradeRelease 119-73not60

§9058b Funding for Water Assistance Program

Title 15 › Chapter 116— CORONAVIRUS ECONOMIC STABILIZATION (CARES ACT) › Subchapter III— ECONOMIC STABILIZATION AND ASSISTANCE TO SEVERELY DISTRESSED SECTORS OF THE UNITED STATES ECONOMY › Part A— Coronavirus Economic Stabilization › § 9058b

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Gives $500,000,000 to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for fiscal year 2021, on top of other money. The money will be available until spent. It must fund grants to States and Indian Tribes to help low-income households—especially the poorest—who pay a large share of their income for drinking water and wastewater. Grants go to public water system owners or operators to lower past-due bills and reduce the rates charged to those households. The Secretary must divide the money to each State or Tribe based on (1) the share of households with income at or below 150 percent of the Federal poverty line and (2) the share of households that spend more than 30 percent of monthly income on housing. Up to 3 percent of the money is set aside for Indian Tribes and tribal organizations. “State” here includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Full Legal Text

Title 15, §9058b

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In addition to amounts otherwise available, there is appropriated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) for fiscal year 2021, out of any amounts in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $500,000,000, to remain available until expended, for grants to States and Indian Tribes to assist low-income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes, that pay a high proportion of household income for drinking water and wastewater services, by providing funds to owners or operators of public water systems or treatment works to reduce arrearages of and rates charged to such households for such services.
(b)The Secretary shall—
(1)allot amounts appropriated in this section to a State or Indian Tribe based on—
(A)the percentage of households in the State, or under the jurisdiction of the Indian Tribe, with income equal or less than 150 percent of the Federal poverty line; and
(B)the percentage of households in the State, or under the jurisdiction of the Indian Tribe, that spend more than 30 percent of monthly income on housing; and
(2)reserve up to 3 percent of the amount appropriated in this section for Indian Tribes and tribal organizations.
(c)In this section, the term “State” means each of the 50 States of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and not as part of the CARES Act which in part comprises this chapter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

15 U.S.C. § 9058b

Title 15Commerce and Trade

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60