US Sen. Russ Feingold, D-WI, announced new economic legislation on September 2 that would prioritize federal funding for research-intensive water technology innovation projects at small businesses, according to a September 2 article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The proposed legislation centers on two existing programs meant to promote small business innovations. The first program, the Small Business Innovation Research, would increase grants given to small businesses from 2.5 percent to 10 percent over a four-year period. The second program, the Small Business Technology Transfer, would increase grants given to small businesses from 0.3 percent to 1 percent.

The senator called funding for water innovation the “pre-eminent example” of what this legislation is intended to accomplish. If the legislation becomes law, it would apply to as many as 11 federal agencies, including the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to the article.