,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ebca ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #ba1 #bjai,mr4 ,espaillat 7for himself and ,mr4 ,larsen of ,washington7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,a ,,bill ,to amend title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 to improve the transportation alternatives program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,transportation ,alternatives ,enhancements ,act4 #b4 ,transportation alternatives program 7a7 ,set-,aside ,section #acc7;h77#a7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in the heading1 by striking ,reservation of funds and inserting ,in general2 and 7#b7 by striking for each fiscal year1 and all that follows through the end and inserting for fiscal year #bjba and each fiscal year thereafter1 the ,secretary shall set aside an amount equal to #aj percent to carry out this subsection44 7b7 ,allocation ,section #acc7;h7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking paragraph 7#b7 and inserting the following3 7#b7 ,allocation within a state 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b71 funds set aside for a ,state under paragraph 7#a7 shall be obligated within that ,state in the manner described in subsection 7d71 except that1 for purposes of this paragraph 7after funds are made available under paragraph 7#e77-- 7i7 for fiscal year #bjba and each fiscal year thereafter1 the percentage referred to in paragraph 7#a77;,a7 of that subsection shall be deemed to be #ff percent2 and 7ii7 paragraph 7#c7 of subsection 7d7 shall not apply4 7,b7 ,local control ,a ,state may allocate up to #ajj percent of the funds referred to in subparagraph 7,a77i7 if-- 7i7 the ,state submits to the ,secretary a plan that describes-- 7,i7 how funds will be allocated to counties1 metropolitan planning organizations1 regional transportation planning organizations as described in section #ace7m71 or local governments2 7,,ii7 how the entities described in subclause 7,i7 will carry out a competitive process to select projects for funding and report selected projects to the ,state2 7,,iii7 how input was gathered from the entities described in subclause 7,i7 to ensure those entities are able and willing to comply with the requirements of this subsection2 and 7,,iv7 how the ,state will comply with paragraph 7#h72 and 7ii7 the ,secretary approves the plan submitted under clause 7i74 4 7c7 ,eligible projects ,section #acc7;h77#c7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking reserved and inserting set aside4 7d7 ,eligible entities ,section #acc7;h77#d77;,b7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating clauses 7vii7 and 7viii7 as clauses 7viii7 and 7ix71 respectively2 7#b7 by inserting after clause 7vi7 the following3 7vii7 a metropolitan planning organization that serves an urbanized area with a population of #bjj1jjj or fewer2 2 7#c7 in clause 7viii7 7as so redesignated71 by striking responsible and all that follows through programs2 and 7#d7 in clause 7ix7 7as so redesignated71 by inserting that serves an urbanized area with a population of over #bjj1jjj after metropolitan planning organization4 7e7 ,continuation of certain recreational trails projects ,section #acc7;h77#e77;,a7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking reserved under this section and inserting set aside under this subsection4 7f7 ,state flexibility ,section #acc7;h77#f7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in subparagraph 7,b71 by striking reserved and inserting set aside2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 7,c7 ,improving accessibility and efficiency 7i7 ,in general ,a ,state may use an amount equal to not more than #e percent of the funds set aside for the ,state under this subsection1 after allocating funds in accordance with paragraph 7#b77;,a71 to improve the ability of applicants to access funding for projects under this subsection in an efficient and expeditious manner by-- 7,i7 providing to applicants for projects under this subsection application assistance1 technical assistance1 and assistance in reducing the period of time between the selection of the project and the obligation of funds for the project2 and 7,,ii7 by providing funding for #a or more full-time ,state employee positions to administer this subsection4 7ii7 ,use of funds ,amounts used under clause 7i7 may be expended-- 7,i7 directly by the ,state2 or 7,,ii7 through contracts with ,state agencies1 private entities1 or nonprofit entities4 4 7g7 ,federal share ,section #acc7;h7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating paragraph 7#g7 as paragraph 7#h72 and 7#b7 by inserting after paragraph 7#f7 the following3 7#g7 ,federal share 7,a7 ,required aggregate non-federal share ,the average annual non-,federal share of the total cost of all projects for which funds are obligated under this subsection in a ,state for a fiscal year shall be not less than the non-,federal share authorized for the ,state under section #abj7;b74 7,b7 ,flexible financing ,subject to subparagraph 7,a71 notwithstanding section #abj-- 7i7 funds made available to carry out section #adh may be credited toward the non-,federal share of the costs of a project under this subsection if the project-- 7,i7 is an eligible project described in section #adh7;e77#a72 and 7,,ii7 contributes to the annual safety performance targets of the ,state2 7ii7 the non-,federal share for a project under this subsection may be calculated on a project1 multiple-project1 or program basis2 and 7iii7 the ,federal share of the cost of an individual project in this section may be up to #ajj percent4 4 7h7 ,state transferability ,section #abf7;b77#b7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by striking the period at the end of 7#b7 and inserting3 and may only be transferred if the ,secretary certifies that the ,state-- 7#a7 held a competition in compliance with the guidance on ,section #acc7;h7 with sufficient time for applicants to apply2 7#b7 offered technical assistance to all eligible entities and provided it to those who requested it2 and 7#c7 can demonstrate that there were not sufficiently suitable applications from eligible entities to use the funds to be transferred4 4 7i7 ,improved transparency ,paragraph 7#h77;,a7 of section #acc7;h7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code 7as so redesignated by subsection 7g771 is amended by striking clause 7ii7 and inserting the following3 7ii7 the list of each project selected for funding for each year1 including for each project the year selected1 the fiscal year in which the project is anticipated to be funded1 the recipient1 the location1 the type1 and a brief description4 4 7j7 ,safe routes to high schools ,section #adjd of ,,safetea-,,lu 7#bc ,u4,s4,c4 #djb note7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a7 by striking primary and middle and inserting primary1 middle1 and high2 and 7#b7 in subsection 7k77#b7-- 7,a7 in the heading1 by striking ,primary and middle and inserting ,primary1 middle1 and high2 7,b7 by striking primary and middle and inserting primary1 middle1 and high2 and 7,c7 by striking eighth grade and inserting #abth grade4 7k7 ,effective date ,this section and the amendments made by this section shall take effect on ,october #a1 #bjbj4