A bill to improve the job access and reverse commute program, and for other purposes.

Summary: Job Access and Reverse Commute Program Improvements Act of 2008 - Revises the job access and reverse commute (JARC) program to authorize a state to accept a single combined application for a project funded from at least two of the following programs that provide individuals with transportation to and from a job: (1) the JARC program; (2) the elderly and disabled specialized transit program; (3) the new freedom program (for disabled workers); and (4) any other program the Secretary deems appropriate.

Makes eligible for JARC formula grant funding the subsidizing of costs associated with the transportation of low income high school students and young adults to career or technical education, job training, or apprenticeship programs.

Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, at state request, to waive or streamline JARC program reporting and certification requirements, provided program goals are met.

Directs the Secretary to study the feasibility of eliminating, revising, or reducing frequency of collection for any reporting or certification requirements relating to the JARC formula grant program, particularly examining the burden on and needs of nonprofit organizations that receive funding and are unaccustomed to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regulations.

Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a grant pilot program to: (1) improve education and employment related transportation activities for eligible teens and young adults; (2) evaluate streamlined reporting and certification requirements; and (3) support more comprehensive projects integrated with other federal, state, and local transportation and human service programs, while ensuring the paperwork burden is minimized.

Requires the Secretary to continue and expand JARC technical assistance activities so that the Department of Transportation supports various specified efforts, including those that act as an information clearinghouse and information network.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Job Access and Reverse Commute 
Program Improvements Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. JOB ACCESS AND REVERSE COMMUTE PROGRAM.

    (a) Combined Applications.--Section 5316(b) of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Combined applications.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A State may accept a single 
                combined application for a project that will use funds 
                provided under not less than 2 of the programs 
                described in subparagraph (C).
                    ``(B) Incentives.--For any State that determines to 
                accept combined applications under subparagraph (A), 
                the Secretary may--
                            ``(i) reduce the amount of the cost share 
                        required under a program described in 
                        subparagraph (C);
                            ``(ii) increase the amount of funds the 
                        State may use for administrative expenses under 
                        a program described in subparagraph (C); or
                            ``(iii) make a grant to the State for 
                        expenses relating to accepting combined 
                        applications.
                    ``(C) Programs.--The programs described in this 
                subparagraph are the program under this section, the 
                elderly and disabled specialized transit program under 
                section 5310, the new freedom program under section 
                5317, and any other program determined appropriate by 
                the Secretary.''.
    (b) Job Access and Reverse Commute Formula Grants.--
            (1) In general.--Section 5316 of title 49, United States 
        Code, is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)(1)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``and'' at the end;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) subsidizing the costs associated with the 
                transportation of low income high school students and 
                young adults to career or technical education, job 
                training, or apprenticeship programs.'';
                    (B) in subsection (h)(2)--
                            (i) by striking ``operating assistance may 
                        not'' and inserting ``operating assistance--
                    ``(A) may not'';
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; or''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) may not exceed 80 percent of the net 
                operating costs of the project, if the State notifies 
                the Secretary that it is necessary to achieve program 
                goals.'';
                    (C) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the 
                following:
            ``(4) Transfers to states.--A local governmental authority 
        may transfer to the State in which the local governmental 
        authority is located any funds apportioned to the local 
        governmental authority under this section. A State may use 
        funds transferred under this paragraph for any eligible job 
        access or reverse commute project under this section.''; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Reporting and Certification Streamlining.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may waive or streamline 
        reporting and certification requirements relating to the 
        program under this section at the request of a State if the 
        Secretary determines that the primary goals of the program are 
        still being met.
            ``(2) Study.--The Secretary shall conduct a study of the 
        feasibility of the elimination, revision, or reduced frequency 
        of collection for any reporting or certification requirements 
        relating to the program under this section, particularly 
        examining the burden on and needs of nonprofit organizations 
        that receive funding and are unaccustomed to Federal Transit 
        Administration regulations.
            ``(3) Flexibility.--The Secretary shall encourage 
        flexibility and experimentation by allowing States to use other 
        assessment and eligibility measures such as outcome based 
        assessment of the transportation access improvements to 
        targeted populations instead of documenting individuals either 
        on a State-by-State trial basis or through the pilot program 
        under subsection (k).
            ``(4) Workforce boards.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) encourage coordination and review of 
                applications by local workforce boards; and
                    ``(B) consider using workforce board reviews as an 
                alternative to streamline reporting requirements.
    ``(k) Pilot Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may carry out a pilot 
        program to make grants to recipients to--
                    ``(A) improve education and employment related 
                transportation for eligible teens and young adults, 
                such as linking high schools to technical colleges, job 
                centers, and apprenticeships;
                    ``(B) evaluate streamlined reporting and 
                certification requirements developed under subsection 
                (j) in order to determine whether the requirements 
                still ensure sufficient accountability and whether the 
                projects are still primarily addressing the goals of 
                this section;
                    ``(C) support more comprehensive projects that are 
                integrated with other Federal, State, and local 
                transportation and human service programs while 
                ensuring the paperwork burden is minimized, including--
                            ``(i) bundling funds from and allowing 
                        combined applications with streamlined 
                        reporting requirements for other programs of 
                        the Department of Transportation (such as the 
                        elderly and disabled specialized transit 
                        program under section 5310 and the new freedom 
                        program under section 5317) or other Federal 
                        departments and agencies (such as the 
                        Department of Labor, the Department of Health 
                        and Human Services, and the Department of 
                        Education) to address more comprehensive human 
                        service transportation needs;
                            ``(ii) developing programs that cross local 
                        government boundaries and involve multiple 
                        localities, particularly programs that serve 
                        more than 1 of the categories of areas 
                        described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of 
                        subsection (c)(1); and
                            ``(iii) developing comprehensive projects 
                        that integrate workforce development with 
                        transportation needs during the different 
                        phases of training and job placement.
            ``(2) Authorization.--There shall be available from the 
        Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund $10,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out this 
        subsection.
    ``(l) Continuation and Expansion of JARC Technical Assistance and 
Clearinghouse.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall continue technical 
        assistance and peer-to-peer network activities being carried 
        out on the date of enactment of this subsection and expand the 
        assistance and activities as appropriate, so that the 
        Department supports efforts that--
                    ``(A) act as an information clearinghouse and 
                information network;
                    ``(B) provide technical assistance to potential 
                applicants for a grant under this section;
                    ``(C) provide technical assistance to grant 
                recipients in meeting Federal reporting and 
                certification requirements, especially entities such as 
                first-time grant recipients and small nonprofit 
                organizations;
                    ``(D) conduct outreach and education of employers 
                and employees regarding transportation assistance, 
                including tax benefits for providing fringe benefits 
                and earned income tax credit benefits for employees; 
                and
                    ``(E) as appropriate, coordinate the combined 
                activities of and support memorandums of understanding 
                between related Federal programs in the Department of 
                Transportation or another Federal department or agency, 
                such as the Department of Labor, the Department of 
                Housing and Urban Development, the Economic Development 
                Agency, or the Department of Education.
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
        authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2010 through 2014 to carry out expanded technical 
        assistance and peer-to-peer network activities under this 
        subsection.''.
            (2) Authorization.--Section 5338 of title 49, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h) Job Access and Reverse Commute Formula Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--There shall be available from the Mass 
        Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund to carry out section 
        5316 of this title--
                    ``(A) $185,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
                    ``(B) $205,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
                    ``(C) $225,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;
                    ``(D) $245,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; and
                    ``(E) $265,000,000 for fiscal year 2014.
            ``(2) Availability of amounts.--Amounts made available by 
        paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.''.
    (c) Application.--Subparagraph (B) of section 5316(h)(2) of title 
49, United States Code, as added by subsection (b) of this section, 
shall apply to unexpended amounts made available before, on, or after 
the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Offset.--Any amounts authorized to carry out a project under 
section 1602 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century 
(Public Law 105-178; 112 Stat. 256) for which no funds had been 
obligated as of June 9, 2008, are rescinded.