In this section, the term "public works department or agency" means a political subdivision of a local, county, or regional government that designs, builds, operates, and maintains water infrastructure, sewage and refuse disposal systems, and other public water systems and facilities.
It is the sense of Congress that-
The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (referred to in this section as the "Administrator"), in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall establish a competitive grant program to assist the development and utilization of innovative activities relating to workforce development and career opportunities in the water utility sector, which may include-
In awarding grants under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall, to the extent practicable, select nonprofit professional or service organizations, labor organizations, community colleges, institutions of higher education, or other training and educational institutions, or public works departments and agencies-
Grants awarded under paragraph (1) may be used for activities such as-
The Administrator shall establish and coordinate a Federal interagency working group to address recruitment, training, and retention challenges in the water and wastewater utility workforce, which shall include representatives from-
Not later than 2 years after November 15, 2021, the Administrator, in coordination with the working group established under subparagraph (A), shall submit to Congress a report describing potential solutions to recruitment, training, and retention challenges in the water and wastewater utility workforce.
In carrying out the duties of the working group established under subparagraph (A), the working group shall consult with State operator certification programs.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
42 U.S.C. § 300j-19e
EDITORIAL NOTES
CODIFICATIONSection enacted as part of the America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018, and not as part of the Public Health Service Act which comprises this chapter.
AMENDMENTS2021-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(4), added subsec. (a). Former subsec. (a) redesignated (b).Subsec. (a)(3)(A). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(1)(A), inserted "Tribal," after "State,".Subsec. (a)(3)(B). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(1)(B), substituted "community-based organizations and public works departments or agencies to align water and wastewater utility workforce recruitment efforts, training programs, retention efforts, and community resources with water and wastewater utilities-" and cls. (i) to (iii) for "community-based organizations to align workforce training programs and community resources with water and wastewater utilities to accelerate career pipelines and provide access to workforce opportunities." Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(3), redesignated subsec. (a) as (b). Former subsec. (b) redesignated (c).Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(2)(A), added subpars. (A) to (C), struck out former subpar. (A) designation before "to assist", substituted "program" for "program-" and ",which may include-" for ";and" in introductory provsions, and struck out former subpar. (B) which read as follows: "to expand public awareness about water utilities and connect individuals to careers in the water utility sector."Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(2)(B)(i), substituted "institutions, or public works departments and agencies-" for "institutions-" in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b)(2)(A). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(2)(B)(ii), added cls. (i) and (iii), redesignated former cl. (i) as (ii), and struck out former cls. (ii) and (iii) which read as follows:"(ii) working in cooperation with water utilities; or"(iii) developing public education materials appropriate for communicating with groups of different ages and educational backgrounds; and".Subsec. (b)(3)(D)(ii). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(2)(C)(i), inserted "or certification" after "training".Subsec. (b)(3)(E). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(2)(C)(ii), substituted "are designed to retain incumbent water and wastewater utility workforce workers by ensuring that those workers" for "ensure that incumbent water and waste water utilities workers". Subsec. (b)(4), (5). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(2)(D), added pars. (4) and (5) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text of par. (4) read as follows: "There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 and 2020." Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117-58, §50211(3), redesignated subsec. (b) as (c).
- Administrator
- The term "Administrator" means the Administrator of General Services.
- Secretary
- The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.1See References in Text note below.
- Service
- The term "Service" means the Public Health Service;