Michigan lawmakers reintroduce federal water affordability legislation
Detroit Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Ann Arbor Rep. Debbie Dingell push for EPA program to help low-income families afford water bills.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN — U.S. Representatives Rashida Tlaib and Debbie Dingell reintroduced federal legislation Monday aimed at creating a nationwide program to help low-income Americans access affordable drinking water.
Tlaib, a Democrat representing Detroit, and Dingell, a Democrat from Ann Arbor, first introduced the Water Access and Affordability Act in 2024. The renewed legislation would establish a low-income water affordability program within the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Program Requirements and Timeline
Under the proposed legislation, the EPA administrator must launch the program within one year of the bill becoming law. The program would provide financial assistance to low-income households and technical support to community water systems while establishing data collection and reporting requirements.
“Our families can’t live without access to water,” Tlaib said in a statement. “We have a federal program for electricity and gas, but no permanent program for water. Millions of our neighbors across our country are having their water shut off simply because they cannot afford the rising bills.”
Tlaib emphasized that safe, accessible, and affordable drinking water remains essential to public health. She noted that many water utilities struggle to afford maintaining their infrastructure.
Comprehensive Assistance Features
The bill outlines specific minimum program requirements designed to address water accessibility challenges. The program would include provisions promoting universal access to drinking water assistance for low-income households, featuring automatic enrollment and requirements that minimize enrollment burdens.
Financial assistance components would encompass direct financial aid, debt relief, water crisis and disconnection assistance, and water efficiency assistance including plumbing repairs. The legislation also prohibits water service disconnections and associated fees for program participants.
Broad Coalition Support
The Water Access and Affordability Act has gained endorsement from the Congressional Progressive Caucus and multiple organizations focused on economic and environmental justice. Supporting organizations include Earthjustice, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Mothering Justice, Clean Water Action and the National Wildlife Federation.
The reintroduction comes more than a year after the 50th anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act, which established federal regulations for drinking water quality across the United States. The current legislation would build upon existing water quality protections by addressing affordability barriers that prevent access to essential water services.
Both representatives highlighted the urgent need for federal intervention in addressing water affordability challenges facing communities nationwide. The bill now awaits consideration by both chambers of Congress.
