,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gdcg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #i1 #bjbf,ms4 ,mc,donald ,rivet 7for herself and ,mr4 ,bresnahan7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,a ,,bill ,to improve ,federal transportation programs1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,bridges ,and ,safety ,infrastructure for ,community ,success ,act or the ,,basics ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,transportation4 7#b7 ,metropolitan planning organization ,the term ,metropolitan planning organization has the meaning given such term in section #acd of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#c7 ,urbanized area ,the term urbanized area has the meaning given such term in section #acd of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#d7 ,off-system bridge ,the term off-system bridge means a highway bridge or low water crossing 7as defined by the ,secretary7 located on a public road1 other than a bridge or low water crossing 7as defined by the ,secretary7 on a ,federal-aid highway4 7#e7 ,regional transportation planning organization ,the term regional transportation planning organization means the policy board of an organization established as the result of a designation under section #ace7m7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 #c4 ,apportionment ,section #ajd of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7b77#a7 by-- 7,a7 striking paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 and 7#f7 and inserting 7paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 7#i71 and 7#aj772 and 7,b7 striking #ei4jggaaieibadfa and inserting #ec4ga2 7#b7 in subsection 7b77#b7 by-- 7,a7 striking paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 and 7#f7 and inserting 7paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 7#i71 and 7#aj772 and 7,b7 striking #bh4gdjbbjcdbabea and inserting #ca4jg2 7#c7 in subsection 7b77#c7 by-- 7,a7 striking paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 and 7#f7 and inserting 7paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 7#i71 and 7#aj772 and 7,b7 striking #f4gjfjeadacafbec and inserting #g4fa2 7#d7 in subsection 7b77#g7 by-- 7,a7 striking paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 and 7#f7 and inserting 7paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 7#i71 and 7#aj772 and 7,b7 striking #b4efbffifdefefcg and inserting #b4ci2 7#e7 in subsection 7b77#h7 by-- 7,a7 striking paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 and 7#f7 and inserting 7paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 7#i71 and 7#aj772 and 7,b7 striking #b4iacicijjfijiia and inserting #b4gb2 7#f7 striking subsection 7b77#f77;,b7 and inserting the following3 7,b7 ,the total amount for metropolitan planning for all ,states each fiscal year shall be #b4e percent of the amount remaining after distributing amounts under paragraphs 7#d71 7#e71 7#i7 and 7#aj74 2 and 7#g7 by adding the following at the end3 7#i7 ,strengthening bridges formula program 7,a7 ,in general ,for the strengthening bridges formula program under section #ahj1 the ,secretary shall set aside from the base apportionment determined for a ,state under subsection 7c7 an amount determined for the ,state under subparagraphs 7,b7 and 7,c74 7,b7 ,total amount ,the total amount set aside for the strengthening bridges formula program for all ,states shall be #e1ejj1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year between #bjbg and #bjca4 7,c7 ,state share ,notwithstanding subparagraph 7,d71 for each fiscal year1 after the setting aside funds as required by section #ahj7;e71 the ,secretary shall distribute among the ,states the remaining amount for the strengthening bridges formula program under subparagraph 7,b7 so that each ,state receives the amount equal to the proportion that-- 7i7 the total cost of replacing or rehabilitating all bridges classified in poor condition in such ,state2 bears to 7ii7 the total cost of replacing or rehabilitating all bridges classified in poor condition in all ,states4 7,d7 ,determination of costs ,for purposes of subparagraph 7,c71 the ,secretary shall determine replacement and rehabilitation costs based on the average unit costs of bridges from #bjba through #bjbd1 as submitted by ,states to the ,federal ,highway ,administration as required by section #add7;b77#e74 7,e7 ,minimum amount ,the minimum amount that the ,secretary apportions to a ,state in a fiscal year under this program shall be #de1jjj1jjj4 7#aj7 ,regional transportation planning 7,a7 ,in general ,to carry out section #ace7n7 of this title1 an amount determined for the ,state under subparagraphs 7,c7 of this subsection4 7,b7 ,total amount ,the total amount to carry out section #ace7n7 of this title for all ,states shall be #aej1jjj1jjj for each fiscal year between #bjbg and #bjca4 7,c7 ,distribution among the ,states ,for each fiscal year1 the ,secretary shall distribute the amounts authorized to carry out section #ace7n7 of this title among the ,states in the same proportion as the amount distributed to the ,state share under subsection 7b7 of this section4 7,d7 ,administration ,up to #e percent of the amounts provided to each ,state may be used by the ,state to administer this program4 4 #d4 ,surface transportation block grant program ,section #acc7;d77#c7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after paragraph 7,b7 the following3 7,c7 ,consultation with local governments ,for purposes of clauses 7iii7 and 7iv7 of paragraph 7#a77;,a71 before obligating funding attributed to an area with a population of less than #ej1jjj that is not represented by a regional transportation planning organization1 a ,state shall consult with local governments in that area and may partner with nonpartisan1 statewide organizations representing local governments and their elected leaders in order to facilitate such consultation4 4 #e4 ,bridge formula program 7a7 ,in general ,chapter #a of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ahj4 ,strengthening bridges formula program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall establish a program in accordance with this section to provide funding for bridge projects4 7b7 ,eligible uses ,funds apportioned to a ,state under this section may be obligated for the construction1 replacement1 rehabilitation1 preservation1 and protection of highway bridges on public roads4 7c7 ,suballocation of apportioned funds 7#a7 ,calculation ,of the funds apportioned to a ,state under section #ajd7;b77#i7 7after the set aside of funds under subsection 7e771 the ,state shall obligate-- 7,a7 #be percent in the following areas in proportion to their relative shares of the population of the ,state-- 7i7 in urbanized areas of the ,state with an urbanized population of over #bjj1jjj2 7ii7 in urbanized areas of the ,state with an urbanized population of not less than #ej1jjj and not more than #bjj1jjj2 7iii7 in urban areas of the ,state with a population of not less than #e1jjj and not more than #di1iii2 and 7iv7 in other areas of the ,state with a population less than #e1jjj2 and 7,b7 the remainder may be obligated in any area of the ,state4 7#b7 ,treatment of funds ,funds made available to carry out this section shall be administered as if apportioned under ,section #ajd7;e7 and ,section #ajd7;i7 of ,title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code 7as amended74 7#c7 ,project selection ,a ,state shall only obligate funding under this section for-- 7,a7 in areas of more than #ej1jjj1 projects that have been included on the ,transportation ,improvement ,program for the metropolitan planning organization representing that area2 7,b7 in areas under #ej1jjj that are covered by a regional transportation planning organization1 projects that are identified in cooperation with said regional transportation planning organization2 and 7,c7 in areas under #ej1jjj that are not covered by a regional transportation planning organization1 projects that are selected in consultation with local governments in that area4 7#d7 ,in order to facilitate better consultation with local governments to identify eligible projects1 the ,state may work with nonpartisan1 statewide organizations representing units of local government and their elected officials4 7d7 ,applicability of planning requirements ,programming and expenditure of funds for projects under this section shall be consistent with sections #acd and #ace of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 7e7 ,set asides ,the ,secretary shall set aside-- 7#a7 #c percent of the funds available for this program in each fiscal year to carry out section #bjb7;d7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code2 and 7#b7 up to one-half of #a percent of the amounts made available for this program for the administration and operations of the ,federal ,highway ,administration4 7f7 ,cost share 7#a7 ,in general ,for funds made available from this program1 the ,federal share shall be determined in accordance with section #abj of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,local1 off-system bridge ,for funding for a project used on an off-system bridge that is owned by a local government or ,tribe1 the ,federal share shall be #ajj percent4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the analysis for chapter #a of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ahj4 ,strengthening bridges formula program4 4 #f4 ,highway safety improvement program 7a7 ,local safety set-,aside ,section #adh of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by-- 7#a7 redesignating subsections 7d71 7e71 7f71 7g71 7h71 7i71 7j71 7k71 and 7l7 as subsections 7e71 7f71 7g71 7h71 7i71 7j71 7k71 7l71 and 7m71 respectively2 7#b7 inserting after subsection 7c7 the following3 7d7 ,allocations of apportioned funds based on population 7#a7 ,calculation ,of the funds apportioned to a ,state under section #ajd7;b77#c7-- 7,a7 #be percent for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca shall be obligated under this section1 in proportion to their relative shares of the population of the ,state-- 7i7 in urbanized areas of the ,state with an urbanized area population of over #bjj1jjj2 7ii7 in urbanized areas of the ,state with an urbanized area population of not less than #ej1jjj and not more than #bjj1jjj2 7iii7 in urban areas of the ,state with a population not less than #e1jjj and not more than #di1iii2 and 7iv7 in other areas of the ,state with a population less than #e1jjj2 and 7,b7 the remainder may be obligated in any area of the ,state4 7#b7 ,project selection ,a ,state shall only obligate funding under this section for-- 7,a7 in areas of more than #ej1jjj1 projects that have been included on the ,transportation ,improvement ,program for the metropolitan planning organization representing that area2 7,b7 in areas under #ej1jjj that are covered by a regional transportation planning organization1 projects that are identified in cooperation with said regional transportation planning organization2 and 7,c7 in areas under #ej1jjj that are not covered by a regional transportation planning organization1 projects that are selected in consultation with local governments in that area4 7#c7 ,consultation ,in order to facilitate better consultation with local governments to identify eligible projects1 the ,state may work with nonpartisan1 statewide organizations representing units of local government and their elected officials4 7#d7 ,applicability of planning requirements ,programming and expenditure of funds for projects under this section shall be consistent with sections #acd and #ace of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 2 7#c7 in subsection 7f77#a77;,b71 as so redesignated1 by striking subsection 7g7 and inserting subsection 7h72 and 7#d7 in subsection 7h77#a71 as so redesignated1 by striking subsection 7f7 and inserting subsection 7g74 7b7 ,included project ,section #adh7;a77#d7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after subparagraph 7xxix7 the following3 7xxx7 ,any project that was eligible for funding under section #bdaab of the ,infrastructure ,investment and ,jobs ,act 7#bc ,u4,s4,c4 #djb note74 4 #g4 ,transferability ,section #abf of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7a7 by replacing subject to subsection 7b7 with subject to subsections 7b7 and 7c72 7#b7 in paragraph 7b77#a7 by replacing #ajd7;d7 and #acc7;d77#a77;,a7 with #ajd7;d71 #acc7;d77#a77;,a71 #ace7n71 #adh7;d77#a77;,a71 #age7;e77#a77;,a71 and #ahj7;c77#a77;,a72 and 7#c7 by inserting after paragraph 7b7 the following-- 7c7 ,safety funding ,before transferring any funding apportioned under section #ajd7;b77#c71 a ,state shall make those funds available to local governments and regional planning organizations through a competitive process4 7#a7 ,in general ,projects funded through this process must meet the requirements for funding under ,section #ajd7;b77#c7 as outlined in section #adh of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,open and fair competition ,only after the ,secretary has certified that the ,state has held an open and fair competition for the funds under #ajd7;b77#c7 shall a ,state be able to transfer them under subsection 7a7 of this section4 4 #h4 ,project selection ,it is the sense of ,congress that-- 7#a7 ,states should obligate all funds appropriated under section #acc7;d77#a77;,a71 section #adh7;d77#a77;,a71 section #age7;e71 and section #ahj7;c77#a77;,a7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 of this ,act to locally selected projects2 and 7#b7 the ,secretary1 in partnership with the ,administrator of the ,federal ,highway ,administration1 should work with ,states to ensure that the local consultation and coordination processes established under title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 are followed4 #i4 ,metropolitan planning 7a7 ,eliminating local match ,section #abj7;c7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#e7 ,metropolitan planning funds ,the ,federal share payable for activities authorized by section #acd of title #bc and apportioned under section #ajd7;b77#f7 of title #bc shall be #ajj percent4 4 7b7 ,enhanced planning for faster project delivery ,section #acd of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by-- 7#a7 inserting at the end3 7s7 ,additional uses of metropolitan planning funding ,in addition to carrying out the purposes of this section1 funds provided to ,states and metropolitan planning organizations as apportioned under section #ajd may be used for-- 7#a7 fiscal administration of local projects2 7#b7 preliminary design2 7#c7 administrative and overhead costs1 general operating expenses1 and facilities and infrastructure costs2 7#d7 local technical assistance2 7#e7 housing studies directly linked to transportation2 7#f7 economic development studies directly linked to transportation2 and 7#g7 critical data procurement4 2 7#b7 striking subsection 7p7 and inserting the following3 7p7 ,funding 7#a7 ,in general ,funds apportioned under section #ajd7;b77#f7 or section #ecje7;g7 of title #di shall be available to carry out this section4 7#b7 ,direct recipient status ,not less than #ahj days after the passage of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish a process whereby a metropolitan planning agency may qualify to become direct recipient of ,federal funding1 such process shall-- 7,a7 be restricted to determining the technical and financial capabilities for an metropolitan planning organization to receive and be able to appropriately manage ,federal funding and funding requirements2 and 7,b7 occur concurrently to the recertification process through which metropolitan planning organizations have their abilities reconfirmed under this section4 7#c7 ,suballocation of ,federal planning funds ,when the ,secretary annually apportions funds to ,states under section #ajd7;b77#f71 the ,secretary shall directly sub-allocate obligation authority and all associated responsibilities to metropolitan planning organizations that have become direct recipients for funding allocated under #ajd7;b77#f7 of this title or section #ecje7;g7 of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code4 4 7c7 ,federal transparency ,the ,secretary shall give the same access to ,federal-aid financial management systems to metropolitan planning organizations that it provides to ,state ,departments of ,transportation4 #aj4 ,rural transportation planning ,section #ace of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7n7 ,regional transportation planning funding 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish a program to provide assistance to ,states to support regional transportation planning organizations and regional entities responsible for transportation planning or economic development planning in nonmetropolitan areas of the ,state in carrying out the duties contained in subsection 7m7 of this section4 7#b7 ,use of funds ,funds made available to ,states under section #ajd7;b77#i7 of this title shall be utilized to-- 7,a7 provide direct funding to federally designated regional transportation planning organizations to enable them to carry out the duties contained in paragraph 7m77#d7 of this section2 and 7,b7 undertake activities1 including the establishment of ,state-based pilot programs1 to provide assistance to regional entities responsible for transportation planning or economic development planning in nonmetropolitan areas of the ,state to-- 7i7 increase the organizations understanding of statewide transportation planning requirements2 7ii7 provide technical assistance in building organizational capacity and developing transportation planning expertise necessary to develop multimodal long-range transportation plans2 7iii7 strengthening rural partnerships and collaboration2 7iv7 enhance project prioritization and delivery2 7v7 improve the overall statewide transportation planning process and respond to nonmetropolitan needs2 and 7vi7 secure ,federal designation of regional transportation planning organizations4 7#c7 ,eligible recipients ,funding made available to ,states under section #ajd7;b77#i7 of this title shall be made available to-- 7,a7 regional transportation planning organization organizations as defined under section #acd 7b77#e72 and 7,b7 regional entities responsible for transportation planning or economic development planning in nonmetropolitan areas of the ,state4 7#d7 ,distribution of funds within ,states 7,a7 ,in general ,the amounts made available to ,states to carry out this program under section #ajd7;b77#i7 of this title shall be distributed within the ,state-- 7i7 among all federally designated regional transportation planning organization through a formula developed by the ,state2 and 7ii7 to non-federally designated regional entities responsible for transportation planning or economic development planning in nonmetropolitan areas of the ,state through a grant process allowing regional entities to submit proposals for funding that achieve the objectives of this subsection4 7,b7 ,secretarial approval ,both the formula distribution developed by a ,state under clause 7i7 of this paragraph and the grant process undertaken by a ,state under clause 7ii7 of this paragraph shall be approved by the ,secretary4 7,c7 ,minimum allocation ,states receiving funding under this paragraph shall provide each federally designated regional transportation planning organization not less than #cjj1jjj in fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca to carry out this subsection4 7#e7 ,federal share ,the ,federal share payable on activities carried out with funds provided under this program shall be #ajj percent4 4