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This bill would make a federal transportation grant program more useful for rural areas and small towns. It changes the program so more money and attention go to small communities, and it adds projects that can help local economies and improve daily life. The bill also sets a new definition for “small community” and limits the federal share of some project costs, while making sure at least a small part of the program’s funding is set aside for these communities.
- It changes the program’s focus so it better serves rural places, including areas with 30,000 people or fewer, and creates a definition for “small community” as an area outside an urbanized area with 5,000 people or less.
- It adds economic growth and better quality of life in rural areas and small communities as goals of the grant program.
- It expands the kinds of projects that can qualify, including highway, road, bridge, or tunnel projects that would help a community’s economy or improve life for local residents.
- It requires at least 5% of yearly program funding to go to eligible projects in small communities, and it caps the federal share for those projects at 90% of the cost.
Official Summaries
Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act
This bill modifies the definition of rural area that is used for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program and adds provisions for small communities.
As background, the grant program supports projects that improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas. Eligible applicants for the grant program include states, regional transportation planning organizations, local governments, and tribal governments.
For purposes of the program, the bill defines rural area as an area outside an urbanized area that has a population of 30,000 or less. Current law requires a rural area to be outside of an urbanized area with a population of over 200,000.
The bill includes provisions for small communities (i.e., an area outside an urbanized area and that has a population of 5,000 or less). The bill sets the maximum federal cost-share at 90% for project grants carried out in a small community. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must use at least 5% of the program's annual funds to provide grants for projects in small communities. The bill also removes the prohibition against DOT using more than 10% of program funds for grants that are under $25 million.
Further, program grants may be used for highway, road, bridge, or tunnel projects that would benefit the economic development or quality of life for citizens of the local community.
The bill also specifies that the program's goals include the generation of economic growth and development in rural areas.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 502 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 502
To ensure the rural surface transportation grant program is accessible
to rural areas, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2025
Mr. Finstad (for himself, Mr. Golden of Maine, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Mann,
Mrs. Fischbach, Mr. Van Orden, and Mr. Moolenaar) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To ensure the rural surface transportation grant program is accessible
to rural areas, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Protecting Infrastructure
Investments for Rural America Act''.
SEC. 2. RURAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION GRANT PROGRAM.
Section 173 of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (2) by striking ``over 200,000''
and inserting ``30,000 or less''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Small community.--The term `small community' means an
area that is outside an urbanized area and that has a
population of 5,000 or less.'';
(2) in subsection (b)(2)--
(A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (C) by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) to generate economic growth and development
in rural areas to improve the quality of life for
citizens in rural areas and small communities.'';
(3) in subsection (e)(1)--
(A) in subparagraph (F) by striking ``or'' at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (G) by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; or''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(H) a highway, road, bridge, or tunnel project
that would benefit the economic development or quality
of life for citizens of the community in which the
project takes place.'';
(4) by striking subsection (i);
(5) by redesignating subsections (j), (k), (l), (m), (n),
and (o) as subsections (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), and (n),
respectively;
(6) in subsection (i) (as so redesignated)--
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``paragraph (2)''
and inserting ``paragraphs (2) or (3)'';
(B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph
(4); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Federal share for projects in small communities.--The
Federal share of the cost of a project carried out in a small
community with a grant under the program may not exceed 90
percent.'';
(7) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated) by striking
paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
``(1) Projects in small communities.--The Secretary shall
use not less than 5 percent of the amounts made available for
the program for each fiscal year to provide grants for eligible
projects in a small community.''; and
(8) in subsection (l) (as so redesignated) by striking
``subsection (l)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (k)(1)''.
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