Metropolitan Planning Enhancement Act

Summary: The Metropolitan Planning Enhancement Act This bill requires that projects, especially the highest performing projects, included in an adopted metropolitan area transportation plan be selected through a publicly available transparent process using criteria that directly support specified factors, national transportation goals, and applicable state transportation goals. Projects included in the priority list for a metropolitan transportation improvement program (TIP) shall come from the highest performing category of projects identified in the transportation plan; and if a lower-categorized project is prioritized before a higher-categorized project, a public description explaining why must be included in the list. These same requirements shall apply to a long-range statewide transportation plan as well as a statewide TIP.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``The Metropolitan Planning 
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.

    (a) Development of Transportation Plan.--Section 134(i) of title 
23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) and (8) as paragraphs 
        (8) and (9); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
            ``(7) Project selection transparency and accountability.--
        Projects included in the adopted transportation plan shall be 
        selected through a publicly available transparent process that 
        includes use of criteria that directly support factors in 
        subsection (h), the national transportation goals under section 
        150(b), and applicable State transportation goals. The criteria 
        shall be used to publicly categorize the highest performing 
        projects.''.
    (b) Metropolitan Tip.--Section 134(j)(2)(D) of title 23, United 
States Code is amended by adding after the period at the end the 
following:
    ``Projects included in the priority list shall come from the 
highest performing category of projects identified in the 
transportation plan under subsection (i)(7). If a lower-categorized 
project is included in the priority project list, a public description 
shall be included to explain why the lower-categorized project is 
included before a higher-categorized project, including geographic 
balance and projects in economically distressed areas.''.

SEC. 3. STATEWIDE AND NONMETROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.

    (a) Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan.--Section 135(f) of 
title 23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:
            ``(9) Project selection transparency and accountability.--
        Projects included in the adopted long-range statewide 
        transportation plan shall be selected through a publicly 
        available transparent process that includes use of criteria 
        that directly support factors in subsection (d), the national 
        transportation goals under section 150(b), and applicable State 
        transportation goals. The criteria shall be used to publicly 
        categorize the highest performing projects.''.
    (b) Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan.--Section 
135(g)(5)(A) of title 23, United States Code is amended by adding after 
the period at the end the following:
    ``Projects included in the transportation improvement program shall 
come from the highest performing category of projects identified in the 
transportation plan under subsection (f)(9). If a lower-categorized 
project is included in the priority project list, a public description 
shall be included to explain why the lower-categorized project is 
included before a higher-categorized project, including geographic 
balance and projects in economically distressed areas.''.

SEC. 4. METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.

    (a) Development of Transportation Plan.--Section 5303(i) of chapter 
53 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (7) and (8) as paragraphs 
        (8) and (9); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
            ``(7) Project selection transparency and accountability.--
        Projects included in the adopted transportation plan shall be 
        selected through a publicly available transparent process that 
        includes use of criteria that directly support factors in 
        subsection (h), the national transportation goals under section 
        150(b), and applicable State transportation goals. The criteria 
        shall be used to publicly categorize the highest performing 
        projects.''.
    (b) Metropolitan Tip.--Section 5303 (j)(2)(D) of chapter 53 of 
title 49, United States Code is amended by adding after the period at 
the end the following:
    ``Projects included in the priority list shall come from the 
highest performing category of projects identified in the 
transportation plan under subsection (i)(7). If a lower-categorized 
project is included in the priority project list, a public description 
shall be included to explain why the lower-categorized project is 
included before a higher-categorized project, including geographic 
balance and projects in economically distressed areas.''.

SEC. 5. STATEWIDE AND NONMETROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.

    (a) Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan.--Section 5304(f) of 
chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:
            ``(9) Project selection transparency and accountability.--
        Projects included in the adopted long-range statewide 
        transportation plan shall be selected through a publicly 
        available transparent process that includes use of criteria 
        that directly support factors in subsection (d), the national 
        transportation goals under section 150(b), and applicable State 
        transportation goals. The criteria shall be used to publicly 
        categorize the highest performing projects.''.
    (b) Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan.--Section 
5304(g)(5)(A) of chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is amended 
by adding after the period at the end the following:
    ``Projects included in the statewide transportation improvement 
program shall come from the highest performing category of projects 
identified in the transportation plan under subsection (f)(9). If a 
lower-categorized project is included in the priority project list, a 
public description shall be included to explain why the lower-
categorized project is included before a higher-categorized project, 
including geographic balance and projects in economically distresses 
areas.''.