,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #dcch  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,september #af1      
#bjai,ms4 ,finkenauer 7for herself and  
,mr4 ,westerman7 introduced the         
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,transportation and   
,infrastructure  ,a ,,bill  ,to amend   
title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 to    
require the ,secretary of               
,transportation to ensure that ,states  
set aside certain funds for construction
 and operational improvements on high   
risk rural roads1 and for other         
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,rural ,road ,safety
 ,act4  #b4 ,highway safety improvement 
program  7a7 ,in general ,section #adh  
of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is 
amended--  7#a7 in subsection 7g77#a7-- 
7,a7 by striking ,if the fatality rate  
and inserting 7,a7 ,in general--,if the 
fatality rate2  7,b7 by striking for    
fiscal year #bjji and all that follows  
through the period at the end and       

inserting for the previous fiscal year  
for high risk rural roads under         
subsection 7l742 and  7,c7 by adding at 
the end the following3  7,b7 ,treatment 
of projects ,notwithstanding any other  
provision of law1 projects carried out  
under this paragraph shall be treated as
 projects on a ,federal-aid highway     
under this chapter4  2 and  7#b7 by     
adding at the end the following3  7l7   
,high risk rural roads  7#a7 ,in general
 ,of the amounts apportioned to a ,state
 for fiscal year #bjbj and each fiscal  
year thereafter under this section1 the 
,state shall obligate for construction  
and operational improvements on high    
risk rural roads an amount that is not  
less than #g4e percent of such amount   
apportioned for such fiscal year4  7#b7 
,special rule ,a ,state may use funds   
apportioned to the ,state pursuant to   
this subsection for any project under   
this section if the ,state certifies to 
the ,secretary that the ,state has met  
all of ,state needs for construction and

 operational improvements on high risk  
rural roads4  7#c7 ,treatment of        
construction and operational            
improvements ,notwithstanding any other 
provision of law1 construction and      
operational improvements under this     
subsection shall be treated as a project
 on a ,federal-aid highway under this   
chapter4  4  7b7 ,update of high ,risk  
rural roads best practices ,not later   
than #ahj days after the date of        
enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary  
of ,transportation shall submit to      
,congress an update to the manual       
described in section #aaab of ,,map-#ba 
7#bc ,u4,s4,c4 #adh note7 to include any
 best practices not listed in such      
manual for communities to reduce        
fatalities on rural roads4  7c7 ,,gao   
report ,not later than #a year after the
 date of enactment of this ,act1 the    
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall submit to ,congress an    
update to the report published by the   
,government ,accountability ,office on  

,may #bh1 #bjjd1 titled ,highway        
,safety3 ,federal and ,state ,efforts to
 ,address ,rural ,road ,safety          
,challenges describing--  7#a7 ongoing  
funding and policy challenges to        
addressing rural road safety2 and  7#b7 
successful risk mitigation measures     
taken on the ,federal and ,state levels4