February 5, 2026
Mr. Hernández (for himself, Mr. Soto, and Mr. Goldman of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
To require the Secretary of the Army to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the water and wastewater infrastructure modernization needs of Puerto Rico, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Puerto Rico Water Infrastructure Resilience Act
.
Sec. 2. Corps of Engineers report on water infrastructure needs in Puerto Rico
(a) Assessment
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority and any other relevant local and Federal agencies, shall conduct a comprehensive assessment of the water and wastewater infrastructure modernization needs of Puerto Rico.
(b) Report
Upon completion of the assessment described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that includes—
(1)
a description of the current condition and vulnerabilities of water infrastructure in Puerto Rico;
(2)
the status of ongoing and planned projects in Puerto Rico authorized under section 219 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1992 (Public Law 102–580), including any delays or gaps in project execution;
(3)
a description of water infrastructure modernization needs of Puerto Rico to enhance resilience against future natural disasters, droughts, and system failures; and
(4)
recommendations for improving coordination across Federal and local agencies to accelerate project delivery in Puerto Rico.
(c) Secretary defined
In this section, the term Secretary
means the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Corps of Engineers.