,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #efba ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #ah1 #bjad ,mr4 ,langevin 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,price of ,north ,carolina1 ,ms4 ,duckworth1 ,mr4 ,cohen1 ,mr4 ,quigley1 ,mr4 ,ryan of ,ohio1 and ,mr4 ,holt7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 to direct the ,secretary of ,transportation to carry out a transit accessibility innovation program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,transit ,accessibility ,innovation ,act of #bjad4 #b4 ,transit accessibility innovation program 7a7 ,in general ,chapter #ec of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after section #ecjg the following3 #ecjh4 ,transit accessibility innovation program 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out a transit accessibility innovation program in accordance with the requirements of this section to encourage public transit systems to take actions to address deficiencies in service for individuals with disabilities4 7b7 ,grants authority 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary shall distribute amounts made available to carry out this section as competitive discretionary grants to public transit agencies for eligible projects4 7#b7 ,selection criteria ,the ,secretary shall develop criteria to ensure that projects receiving funding under the program are innovative and replicable in other communities1 and will result in a substantive improvement in service for individuals with disabilities4 7c7 ,applications 7#a7 ,in general ,in order to be eligible to receive a grant under the program1 a public transit agency shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such form1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7#b7 ,contents ,an application for a grant under the program shall contain1 at a minimum1 a description of-- 7,a7 the project for which the applicant is seeking funding2 7,b7 the anticipated benefits the project will deliver for the following long-term outcomes3 community integration1 safety1 accessibility1 quality1 coordination1 and customer service2 7,c7 the expected contribution of the project to the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the delivery of public transportation and ,,ada paratransit service2 7,d7 the ability of the project to facilitate innovation in providing public transportation to individuals with disabilities2 and 7,e7 the ability of the project to attract new partnerships and non-,federal funding1 including ,state1 local1 private1 and philanthropic funding4 7#c7 ,community coordination requirements 7,a7 ,certification ,to ensure that projects receiving funding under this section address the needs of individuals with disabilities in a geographic area1 an application for a grant under the program shall contain a certification that-- 7i7 each project for which the applicant is seeking funding is included in a locally developed1 coordinated public transit-human services transportation plan2 and 7ii7 the plan was developed and approved through a process that included community participation1 including by-- 7,i7 seniors2 7,,ii7 individuals with disabilities2 7,,iii7 representatives of public1 private1 and nonprofit transportation and human service providers2 and 7,,iv7 other members of the public4 7,b7 ,use of existing plans ,a plan used to coordinate the funding of projects under section #ecaj may be used to satisfy the requirements of subparagraph 7,a74 7,c7 ,limitation ,the requirements of this paragraph shall not apply to the transportation promotion pilot program established under this section4 7d7 ,factors ,in providing grant funds for projects under the program1 the ,secretary shall consider1 at a minimum1 the ability of the project to-- 7#a7 enhance accessibility to rail and fixed route bus service2 7#b7 promote paratransit coordination with other programs and utilize other revenue streams2 7#c7 increase service quality to address customer complaints2 7#d7 provide fixed route travel training for passengers and specialized training for paratransit personnel2 7#e7 reduce turnover through increased wages and benefits1 and increase monitoring1 in the provision of ,,ada paratransit2 7#f7 provide ,,ada complementary paratransit services in a way that maximizes quality1 reliability1 safety1 customer satisfaction1 and a stable workforce by determining what factors within contracting might impact the quality of ,,ada paratransit services2 7#g7 improve ,,ada paratransit on-time performance and interoperability with other transportation services available to people with disabilities1 both public and private2 7#h7 delay or suspend proposed ,,ada paratransit service cuts triggered by the elimination or cutting of fixed route bus routes2 7#i7 delay or suspend cuts for paratransit services that exceed ,,ada requirements1 except that grant funds may not be issued under this section more than once for the same route 7or a significantly similar route72 7#aj7 increase opportunities for community integration and independence of people with disabilities by promoting access to employment and other resources2 and 7#aa7 augment passenger safety1 without compromising passengers' rights under the ,,ada4 7e7 ,practices ,to promote successful outcomes and sharing of information 7#a7 ,priority ,in providing grant funds for eligible projects under the program1 the ,secretary shall give priority to projects that are replicable in other communities using existing resources4 7#b7 ,set aside for activities to promote sharing of best practices ,for each fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 set aside #b percent of the funds made available to carry out this section2 and 7,b7 use those amounts to carry out activities to ensure that innovative practices1 program models1 and new service delivery options are collected1 reviewed1 and disseminated to other public transit agencies1 so that the practices1 models1 and options can be replicated in other communities4 7#c7 ,technical assistance ,the ,secretary shall provide technical assistance to recipients of grant funds under the program to ensure that the projects carried out using the funds are successful4 7f7 ,maintenance of effort 7#a7 ,,ada minimum standards ,funds received under the program may not be used to meet the minimum standards of the ,,ada1 including ,,ada complementary paratransit service requirements4 7#b7 ,certification ,to ensure that grant activities are not supplanting existing1 budgeted services and that public transit agencies are upholding maintenance of effort on existing programs1 a public transit agency receiving grant funds under the program shall-- 7,a7 certify that the funds will not be used to pay for existing services2 or 7,b7 provide an explanation as to why the existing services are justified grant activities4 7g7 ,grant requirements ,a grant under this section shall be subject to the same requirements as a grant under section #ecjg1 except that any public transit agency may use grant funds received under the program for operating expenses4 7h7 ,transportation promotion pilot program 7#a7 ,set aside ,for each fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 set aside #a percent of the funds made available to carry out this section or #ajj1jjj1 whichever amount is greater2 and 7,b7 use those amounts to carry out a transportation promotion pilot program under this subsection4 7#b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the transportation promotion pilot program shall be to ensure that-- 7,a7 public transit agencies fulfill their requirements under the ,,ada2 and 7,b7 individuals with disabilities have advocates to ensure greater opportunities for integration and access into transit systems4 7#c7 ,grant authority 7,a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the transportation promotion pilot program1 the ,secretary shall make grants to-- 7i7 agencies implementing a system established under section #adc of the ,developmental ,disabilities ,assistance and ,bill of ,rights ,act of #bjjj 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aejdc7 that have demonstrated histories of transportation expertise or advocacy2 and 7ii7 nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated histories of transportation expertise or advocacy4 7,b7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this paragraph1 an agency or organization shall demonstrate to the ,secretary that the agency or organization-- 7i7 has a mission that includes individual or systemic advocacy and monitoring to address the transportation needs of individuals with disabilities2 and 7ii7 has the support of other organizations in the disability community4 7,c7 ,use of grants ,grants funds received under this paragraph shall be used to fund individual or systemic advocacy and monitoring to address the transportation needs of people with disabilities4 7i7 ,limitation on statutory construction ,nothing in this section may be construed to affect projects or activities carried out under section #ecaj or the funding of such projects or activities4 7j7 ,definitions ,in this section1 the following definitions apply3 7#a7 ,,ada ,the term ,,ada means the ,americans with ,disabilities ,act of #aiij 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #abaja et seq474 7#b7 ,,ada paratransit ,the term ,,ada paratransit means the provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services in accordance with section #bbc of the ,,ada 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #abadc74 7k7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #ajj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjae through #bjbj4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the analysis for such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #ecjg the following3 #ecjh4 ,transit accessibility innovation program4 4 #c4 ,raising caps on use of formula funds for provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services ,section #ecjb7c77;,i7 of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking #aj percent and inserting #ae percent4