II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4909 

To increase authorizations for the passenger ferry competitive grant program 

and the ferry boats and terminal facilities formula grant program, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022 

Mrs. MURRAY introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To increase authorizations for the passenger ferry competitive grant program and the ferry boats and terminal 

facilities formula grant program, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Ferry Service Expan5 sion Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CONSTRUCTION OF FERRY BOATS AND FERRY TER7 MINAL FACILITIES. 

8 Section 147(h) of title 23, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 


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1 (1) in paragraph (2), by striking 

2 ‘‘$112,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$160,000,000’’; 

3 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking 

4 ‘‘$114,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$160,000,000’’; 

5 (3) in paragraph (4), by striking 

6 ‘‘$116,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$160,000,000’’; and 

7 (4) in paragraph (5), by striking 

8 ‘‘$118,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$160,000,000’’. 

9 SEC. 3. APPORTIONMENTS. 

10 Section 5336(h)(1) of title 49, United States Code, 

11 is amended by striking ‘‘$30,000,000’’ and inserting 

12 ‘‘$90,000,000’’. 

13 SEC. 4. SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BLOCK GRANT PRO14 GRAM. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 133(b)(1)(B)(i) of title 

16 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘, except 

17 that for the purposes of this section, hovercraft and ter18 minal facilities for hovercraft engaging in water transit for 

19 passengers or vehicles shall be considered to be ferry boats 

20 and ferry terminal facilities under section 129(c)’’ after 

21 ‘‘section 129(c)’’. 

22 (b) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Any hovercraft fund23 ed using funds made available under section 133(b)(1) of 

24 title 23, United States Code, shall be deemed to be a vessel 


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1 subject to chapters 121 and 551 of title 46, United States 

2 Code. 

3 SEC. 5. TOLL ROADS, BRIDGES, TUNNELS, AND FERRIES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 129(c)(5) of title 23, 

5 United States Code, is amended— 

6 (1) in the first sentence, by inserting ‘‘(includ7 ing between territories of the United States)’’ after 

8 ‘‘adjoining States’’; and 

9 (2) in the second sentence, by inserting ‘‘oper10 ations between territories of the United States,’’ 

11 after ‘‘United States,’’. 

12 (b) SUNSET.—Section 11117(b) of the Infrastructure 

13 Investment and Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 147 note; Public Law 

14 117–58) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking the subsection designation and 

16 heading and all that follows through ‘‘section 

17 147(b)’’ in paragraph (1) and inserting the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(b) DIESEL FUEL FERRY VESSELS.—Notwith20 standing section 147(b) of title 23, United States Code’’; 

21 and 

22 (2) by striking paragraph (2). 


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1 SEC. 6. FERRY SERVICE FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES. 

2 Section 71103 of the Infrastructure Investment and 

3 Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 147 note; Public Law 117–58) is 

4 amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘lo7 cated more than 50 sailing miles apart’’; and 

8 (B) by striking paragraph (3) and insert9 ing the following: 

10 ‘‘(3) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘rural area’ 

11 means an area that— 

12 ‘‘(A) has not been designated by the Sec13 retary of Commerce in the most recent decen14 nial census as an urbanized area; or 

15 ‘‘(B) has been designated by the Secretary 

16 of Commerce in the most recent decennial cen17 sus as an urbanized area, but has populations 

18 described in subparagraphs (H) and (I) of sec19 tion 343(a)(13) of the Consolidated Farm and 

20 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)) 

21 that if excluded would result in the area encom22 passing a population of less than 50,000.’’; 

23 (2) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) as 

24 subsections (g) and (h), respectively; and 

25 (3) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol26 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(f) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements 

2 under sections 5323(j) and 5333 of title 49, United States 

3 Code, shall apply to grants under this section.’’. 

4 SEC. 7. ELECTRIC OR LOW-EMITTING FERRY PILOT PRO5 GRAM. 

6 Section 71102 of the Infrastructure Investment and 

7 Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 147 note; Public Law 117–58) is 

8 amended— 

9 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub10 section (e); and 

11 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol12 lowing: 

13 ‘‘(d) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements 

14 under sections 5323(j) and 5333 of title 49, United States 

15 Code, shall apply to grants under this section.’’. 

16 SEC. 8. TRANSIT INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS. 

17 The matter under the heading ‘‘TRANSIT INFRA18 STRUCTURE GRANTS’’ under the heading ‘‘FEDERAL

19 TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION’’ under the heading ‘‘DE20 PARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION’’ in title VIII of 

21 division J of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act 

22 (Public Law 117–58; 135 Stat. 1437) is amended— 

23 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— 

24 (A) by striking ‘‘$10,250,000,000’’ and in25 serting ‘‘$11,500,000,000’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking ‘‘$2,050,000,000’’ each 

2 place it appears and inserting 

3 ‘‘$2,300,000,000’’; 

4 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

5 end; 

6 (3) in paragraph (3) by striking the colon at 

7 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(4) $1,250,000,000 shall be to carry out pas10 senger ferry grants under section 5307(h) of title 

11 49, United States Code:’’. 

12 SEC. 9. QUALIFIED VESSEL. 

13 (a) ELIGIBLE VESSEL.—Section 53501(2) of title 46, 

14 United States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) in subparagraph (A)(iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

16 at the end; 

17 (2) in subparagraph (B)(v), by striking the pe18 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

19 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(C) a ferry, as such term is defined in 

21 section 2101; and 

22 ‘‘(D) a passenger vessel or small passenger 

23 vessel, as such terms are defined in section 

24 2101.’’. 


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1 (b) QUALIFIED VESSEL.—Section 53501(5) of title 

2 46, United States Code, is amended— 

3 (1) in subparagraph (A)(iii), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

4 at the end; 

5 (2) in subparagraph (B)(v), by striking the pe6 riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; and 

7 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(C) a ferry, as such term is defined in 

9 section 2101; and 

10 ‘‘(D) a passenger vessel or small passenger 

11 vessel, as such terms are defined in section 

12 2101.’’. 

13 SEC. 10. ESTABLISHING A CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION FUND. 

14 Section 53503(b) of title 46, United States Code, is 

15 amended by inserting ‘‘(including transportation on a 

16 ferry, passenger vessel, or small passenger vessel, as such 

17 terms are defined in section 2101)’’ after ‘‘short sea trans18 portation’’. 

19 SEC. 11. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 

20 Section 133 of title 23, United States Code, is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in subsection (b)— 

23 (A) in paragraph (7)— 

24 (i) by striking ‘‘section 206’’ and in25 serting ‘‘section 206,’’; and 


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1 (ii) by striking ‘‘trails,,’’ and inserting 

2 ‘‘trails,’’; and 

3 (B) by redesignating paragraph (24) as 

4 paragraph (4) and moving the paragraph so as 

5 to appear after paragraph (3); and 

6 (2) in subsection (k)(1)(B)(i), by striking 

7 ‘‘14501’’ and inserting ‘‘section 14501’’. 

Æ 


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