[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3427 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3427

 To require the Comptroller General of the United States to review all 
      clean water-related technical assistance authorities of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 15, 2025

  Mr. Taylor introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Comptroller General of the United States to review all 
      clean water-related technical assistance authorities of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Water Resources Technical Assistance 
Review Act''.

SEC. 2. GAO REPORT ON CLEAN WATER TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
initiate a comprehensive review of all covered technical assistance.
    (b) Requirements.--The Comptroller General shall include in the 
review required under subsection (a) the following:
            (1) A description of all covered technical assistance 
        available to States, Tribes, local governments, and non-
        governmental organizations, including--
                    (A) the regions and populations that are served 
                through the provision of technical assistance; and
                    (B) a summary of the activities and actions carried 
                out through covered technical assistance during the 5-
                year period preceding this Act.
            (2) A comprehensive review of how the Administrator of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency, through the Water Technical 
        Assistance initiative (known as ``WaterTA initiative''), 
        identifies, selects, and partners with technical assistance 
        providers to support communities, including--
                    (A) a description of the criteria, evaluation 
                process, and contracting mechanisms used for selecting 
                such providers;
                    (B) a description of the extent of coordination 
                with State, Tribal, and regional partners in the 
                selection and deployment of such providers;
                    (C) a description of how such providers are matched 
                to meet the needs of local communities, including any 
                pre-engagement scoping activities or community 
                consultations;
                    (D) a description of how such providers identify 
                communities in need of technical assistance, including 
                economically distressed communities, and conduct 
                outreach to such communities;
                    (E) a description of the scope and types of 
                assistance delivered through such initiative; and
                    (F) a list of communities that received technical 
                assistance support through such initiative, including 
                the type and cost of assistance received by each such 
                community and a summary of the outcomes associated with 
                the provision of such assistance.
            (3) An analysis of any duplication of covered technical 
        assistance available through multiple programs of the 
        Environmental Protection Agency.
            (4) An evaluation of how the provision of covered technical 
        assistance builds capacity in communities to access other water 
        infrastructure programs carried out by the Administrator.
            (5) An assessment of the needs of economically distressed 
        communities eligible to receive assistance under a clean water 
        infrastructure program carried out by the Administrator that 
        are not addressed through covered technical assistance.
            (6) An evaluation of how the Administrator carries out 
        covered technical assistance in coordination with other Federal 
        agencies providing technical assistance related to water 
        infrastructure.
    (c) Report.--Upon the completion of the review conducted under 
subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a 
report containing--
            (1) the findings of such review; and
            (2) any recommendations to improve covered technical 
        assistance.
    (d) Plan for Compliance.--Not later than 90 days after the 
Comptroller General submits the report required under subsection (c), 
and annually thereafter for a period of 5 years, the Administrator 
shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and 
Public Works of the Senate a plan detailing any actions the 
Administrator has taken to comply with the recommendations contained in 
such a report.
    (e) Covered Technical Assistance Defined.--In this section, the 
term ``covered technical assistance'' means a technical assistance 
authority, initiative, or program of the Environmental Protection 
Agency that is related to clean water infrastructure.
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