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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) applauded the passage in the Energy and Commerce Committee of both the Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act of 2021, which Dingell introduced with Reps. Blunt Rochester, Katko, and Tlaib, and the Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2021, which included the provisions from her Water Debt Relief Act and an amendment from Dingell as well.

Both pieces of legislation now await consideration by the full U.S. House of Representatives:

• The Low-Income Water Customer Assistance Programs Act of 2021 would establish a new permanent water assistance program through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for low-income households to access affordable drinking water and wastewater services.
• The Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2021 would provide funding to local communities to address critical water infrastructure needs, including improving drinking water safety and affordability. Dingell, in collaboration with Rep. Tlaib, offered an amendment, which passed on a voice vote, that would create discretion for water systems to use some of the provided funds for costs associated with reconnecting or restoring water service and adds additional reporting requirements for the EPA on implementation of the emergency water debt relief program.

“Across this country, there has been a growing strain on working families to cover the costs of water bills for far too long and the pandemic has only exacerbated this problem,” said Rep. Dingell. “Both of these bills will push us forward so that no one, regardless of race, zip code, or income, is left without access to safe and affordable drinking water. Water is a human right – we need to have strong federal policy to ensure that right.”

Dingell has continuously led on water accessibility, recently introducing legislation to address the water debt crisis, which is now included in the aforementioned Assistance, Quality, and Affordability Act of 2021 as well as urging for a federal response to water shutoffs during the pandemic last year.

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