The first-ever water bill assistance program is being funded with $638 million allocated by the U.S. Congress as part of the latest round of Coronavirus relief legislation passed on December 21, 2020. This relief couldn’t come at a more critical time as many customers are struggling to stay current with bills due to the widespread financial impacts of the pandemic. The implementation of the aid program will be through the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Department will send money to states and tribes, which in turn, will distribute the funds to utilities. Utilities will have the option of either reducing customer bills that are in arrears or reducing rates for certain customers. State funding will be based on both the percent of households whose income is less than 150 percent of the Federal poverty line and the number of households whose housing requires more than 30 percent of their income.