,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #eaha ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #cj1 #bjbf,mr4 ,curtis 7for himself and ,mr4 ,kelly7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to require the ,secretary of ,transportation to establish a grant program relating to the digitization of county roads and the creation of publicly accessible road datasets1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,modernizing ,access to ,public ,roads ,act or ,,map ,roads ,act4 #b4 ,establishment of county road access and mapping pilot program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,county ,the term county has meaning given the term in section #aja of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code4 7#b7 ,county road ,the term county road means a public road 7as defined in section #aja of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code7 that is recognized and maintained by a county government4 7#c7 ,digitization ,the term digitization means the process of converting physical or analog map-based information into standardized electronic formats to produce geospatial data4 7#d7 ,geospatial data ,the term geospatial data has the meaning given the term in section #geb of the ,geospatial ,data ,act of #bjah 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #bhja74 7#e7 ,program ,the term program means the pilot program established under subsection 7b74 7#f7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,transportation4 7b7 ,establishment ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall establish a pilot program to provide grants to ,states to support rural commerce1 increase public safety1 and improve public access and navigation by funding the digitization of county roads and the creation of centralized1 publicly accessible road datasets4 7c7 ,application 7#a7 ,in general ,to be eligible to receive a grant under the program1 a ,state shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such form1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require4 7#b7 ,requirement ,an application submitted under paragraph 7#a7 shall demonstrate the capacity of the ,state to administer-- 7,a7 a subgrant program to distribute funds to counties2 and 7,b7 a statewide repository for county road data4 7#c7 ,priority ,in selecting an application for a grant under the program1 the ,secretary shall give priority to an application in which the applicant ,state-- 7,a7 identifies a significant deficiency in digitized county roads within the ,state2 and 7,b7 expresses a commitment to coordinating with counties to create shared geospatial data standards4 7d7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,county activities ,funds distributed to counties under the program may be used-- 7,a7 to digitize official county road records2 7,b7 to convert paper maps or outdated formats to standardized geospatial datasets2 and 7,c7 to train personnel or hire contractors to assist in data creation and conversion4 7#b7 ,state repository ,the ,state department of transportation of each ,state participating in the program shall-- 7,a7 serve as the centralized data repository for all road data produced by counties in the applicable ,state under the program2 7,b7 ensure that such data-- 7i7 is published on a publicly accessible website2 7ii7 is organized in a manner that distinguishes between public and private roads2 7iii7 is compatible with third-party mapping platforms2 and 7iv7 is updated not less frequently than annually2 and 7,c7 to the maximum extent practicable1 coordinate with ,federal agencies and mapping authorities to align data formats and metadata4 7e7 ,reporting requirements ,not later than #ahj days after the establishment of the program1 and annually thereafter for #c years1 each ,state awarded a grant under the program shall submit to the ,secretary a report1 which shall include1 with respect to the period of time since the previous report-- 7#a7 a list of counties that received a subgrant2 7#b7 the amount of funding distributed to each county2 7#c7 the number of miles of county roads digitized under the program2 7#d7 the status of ,state repository development and data integration efforts2 and 7#e7 any recommendations for improvement or expansion of the program4 7f7 ,savings provision ,nothing in this ,act-- 7#a7 confers any new authority on a county or ,state to declare1 designate1 or assert jurisdiction over a road as a county road where such designation or jurisdiction does not otherwise exist under applicable ,state or local law2 7#b7 alters1 affects1 or determines the legal status of any road for purposes of ownership1 jurisdiction1 or public access2 or 7#c7 limits or expands any existing rights1 claims1 or defenses relating to road ownership1 rights-of-way1 or public access under ,federal1 ,state1 or local law4 7g7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this ,act permits the public disclosure of geographic information system data regarding the nature1 location1 character1 or ownership of historic1 paleontological1 or archaeological resources that is protected under any other provision of law4 7h7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this section #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbf through #bjca1 to remain available until expended4 7#b7 ,administrative expenses ,of the amounts made available to carry out the program for each fiscal year1 the ,secretary may use not more than #b percent to administer the program4 7i7 ,sunset ,the authority to make grants under this section shall terminate on ,september #cj1 #bjca4