,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fgia ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,december #ag1 #bjbe,mr4 ,tony ,gonzales of ,texas 7for himself and ,ms4 ,johnson of ,texas7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,ways and ,means1 the ,judiciary1 ,homeland ,security1 and ,energy and ,commerce1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to authorize the ,land ,port of ,entry ,community ,infrastructure ,program to address deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of land ports of entry1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,community infrastructure ,the term community infrastructure means a project or facility that-- 7,a7 is-- 7i7 a transportation project2 7ii7 a water1 wastewater1 telecommunications1 electric1 gas1 or other utility project2 or 7iii7 any other project directly supporting a land port of entry or infrastructure that is disproportionately impacted by the nearby presence of a land port of entry1 as designated by the ,secretary2 7,b7 is-- 7i7 owned by a ,state1 ,tribal1 or local government2 or 7ii7 a not-for-profit1 member-owned utility service2 and 7,c7 is-- 7i7 focused on the modernization of a land port of entry2 or 7ii7 located within #be miles of a land port of entry and is supportive of1 or disproportionately impacted by the nearby presence of1 a land port of entry4 7#b7 ,rural area ,the term rural area means a city1 town1 or unincorporated area that has a population of not more than #ajj1jjj inhabitants4 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security4 #b4 ,land ,port of ,entry ,community ,infrastructure ,program 7a7 ,funding authorized ,the ,secretary may award grants and supplement funds available under existing ,federal programs administered by agencies other than the ,department of ,homeland ,security to assist ,state1 ,tribal1 and local governments and not-for-profit1 member-owned utility services to address deficiencies in community infrastructure supportive of a land port of entry4 7b7 ,eligibility criteria2 project categories ,the ,secretary shall establish criteria for determining which community infrastructure projects are eligible for assistance under this section in the following categories3 7#a7 ,projects designed to improve the safety1 efficiency1 and reliability of legitimate trade and travel across the international borders of the ,united ,states1 such as local transportation or water infrastructure projects to support the modernization or construction of a port of entry4 7#b7 ,projects designed to enhance border security1 as measured by their predicted impact on illicit drug seizure rates and other relevant metrics for securing the border at ports of entry established pursuant to section #ajib7;c7 of the ,national ,defense ,authorization ,act for ,fiscal ,year #bjag 7#f ,u4,s4,c4 #bbc7;c774 7#c7 ,projects designed to enhance resilience of land ports of entry and supportive infrastructure1 including projects that bolster the emergency preparedness of such ports and infrastructure4 7#d7 ,projects designed to enhance ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection personnel family quality of life1 as determined in accordance with subsection 7c77#c74 7#e7 ,projects designed to address the direct impacts that land ports of entry may have on surrounding communities1 such as projects related to transportation infrastructure1 traffic congestion1 waste and wastewater infrastructure1 pollution1 and environmental degradation4 7c7 ,additional considerations ,in selecting community infrastructure projects to receive financial assistance under this section1 the ,secretary shall consider-- 7#a7 infrastructure improvements identified in the ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection's #bjbd report entitled1 ,land ,port of ,entry ,modernization3 ,promoting ,security1 ,travel1 and ,trade2 7#b7 infrastructure improvements identified in ,state capital investment plans that directly support a land port of entry2 and 7#c7 for the purposes of determining whether a proposed community infrastructure project will enhance family quality of life-- 7,a7 the impact of such project on alleviating port of entry commuter workforce issues2 and 7,b7 the benefit of local infrastructure funded by such project that will support ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,protection personnel and their dependents while residing in the community in which such infrastructure will be constructed4 7d7 ,standardization of processes for determining project eligibility and selection ,in accordance with the eligibility criteria described in subsection 7b7 and the selection considerations described in subsection 7c71 the ,secretary shall develop and implement guidance to standardize the process of identifying1 validating1 and prioritizing community infrastructure projects4 7e7 ,interagency consultation ,in assessing the merits and viability of community infrastructure projects seeking financial assistance under this section1 the ,secretary1 to the extent possible1 shall consult with appropriate officials in the ,department of ,transportation1 the ,department of ,commerce1 the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development1 the ,department of ,energy1 the ,department of ,agriculture1 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 and other ,federal agencies with relevant expertise4 7f7 ,matching requirement 7#a7 ,in general ,except as provided in paragraph 7#b71 a community infrastructure project may not receive financial assistance under this section unless the recipient of such assistance agrees to contribute not less than #cj percent of the total funding for such project from non-,federal sources4 7#b7 ,exceptions ,if a proposed community infrastructure project will be carried out in a rural area or if the ,secretary determines such project is advantageous for reasons related to homeland security1 the ,secretary-- 7,a7 shall not penalize a ,state or local government for offering to make a non-,federal contribution equal to less than #cj percent of the total funding for such project2 7,b7 may reduce the matching requirement for a ,state or local government to an amount that is less than #cj percent of the cost of such project2 or 7,c7 may waive the matching requirement entirely4 7g7 ,reimbursement ,if a ,state1 ,tribal1 or local government or a not-for-profit1 member-owned utility service expends its own funds1 on or after ,november #ae1 #bjba1 and1 within a reasonable amount of time1 seeks reimbursement for a community infrastructure project that meets the eligibility criteria described in subsection 7b7 and the selection considerations described in subsection 7c71 the ,secretary may reimburse such entity for up to #gj percent of the costs incurred for such project unless such project qualifies for an adjusted matching requirement authorized under subsection 7f77#b74 #c4 ,authorization of appropriations 7a7 ,in general ,there are authorized to be appropriated to the ,department of ,homeland ,security such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year to carry out the ,land ,port of ,entry ,community ,infrastructure ,program authorized under section #b4 7b7 ,limitation ,the authority of the ,secretary to award grants or other funding under section #b in any fiscal year is subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose in such fiscal year4 7c7 ,availability of funds ,amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to carry out section #b may remain available until expended4