II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1942 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve transportation for seniors, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 5, 2011 

Mr. KOHL (for himself and Mr. WYDEN) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To amend title 49, United States Code, to improve 

transportation for seniors, 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 ‘‘Senior Transportation 

5 and Mobility Improvement Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) According to projections from the 2010 de9 cennial census, the number of individuals in the 

10 United States who are 65 years of age or older will 


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1 increase from 40,000,000 in 2010 to 72,000,000 in 

2 2030. Yet, a 2004 report by the Surface Transpor3 tation Policy Project found that more than 1 in 5 

4 (or 21 percent) of individuals who are 65 years of 

5 age or older do not drive. 

6 (2) According to a 2011 report by the National 

7 Association of Area Agencies on Aging, inadequate 

8 transportation options for older adults has emerged 

9 as the second greatest challenge identified by com10 munities during the 5-year period ending in 2011. 

11 (3) According to a 2004 report by the Surface 

Transportation Policy Project, more than 1 12 ⁄2 of sen13 iors who are 65 years of age and older (numbering 

14 3,600,000 individuals) who no longer drive due to a 

15 decline in health, stay at home on any given day 

16 partially because they lack transportation options. 

17 Alternatives to driving are particularly sparse in 

18 some regions and in rural and small town commu19 nities. 

20 (4) According to a 2004 report by the Surface 

21 Transportation Policy Project, compared with older 

22 drivers, older non-drivers in the United States make 

23 15 percent fewer trips to the doctor, 59 percent 

24 fewer shopping trips, and 65 percent fewer trips for 

25 social, family, and religious activities. 


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1 (5) In 2009, the program under section 5310 of 

2 title 49, United States Code, provided more than 

3 43,000,000 rides to older adults and people with dis4 abilities. 

5 (6) Access to mobility management services 

6 help transit and human services systems meet the 

7 needs of older adults and people with disabilities. 

8 This person-centered strategy helps individuals and 

9 families review available transportation options and 

10 support their decisions regarding the transportation 

11 options that are best suited to their circumstances, 

12 preferences and mobility needs. 

13 SEC. 3. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SERVICES FOR ELDERLY 

14 INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS15 ABILITIES. 

16 (a) ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS AND INDIVIDUALS WITH

17 DISABILITIES.— 

18 (1) USE OF FUNDS.—Section 5310 of title 49, 

19 United States Code, is amended by adding at the 

20 end the following: 

21 ‘‘(i) OPERATING COSTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term 

23 ‘covered amounts’ means, for a fiscal year, any 

24 amounts apportioned to a State under this section in 


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1 excess of the amounts apportioned to the State 

2 under this section for fiscal year 2010. 

3 ‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A State may use not 

4 more than 33 percent of any covered amounts for 

5 costs relating to the operation and maintenance of 

6 vehicles and other capital assets acquired by the 

7 State using funds under this section, including in8 surance, fuel, and driver compensation. 

9 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

10 the cost of operation and maintenance carried out 

11 using funds under this subsection may not exceed 50 

12 percent.’’. 

13 (2) ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT

14 RECIPIENTS.—Section 5310(d) of title 49, United 

15 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(3) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Each re18 cipient of funding under this section shall submit to 

19 the Administrator of the Federal Transit Adminis20 tration an annual report that describes how the re21 cipient will coordinate, or is coordinating, the activi22 ties carried out by the recipient using a grant under 

23 this section with the activities, if any, carried out by 

24 the recipient using a grant under title III of the 


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1 Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3021 et 

2 seq.).’’. 

3 (3) FEDERAL SHARE.—Section 5310(c)(1)(B) 

4 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—A 

6 State’’ and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.— 

8 ‘‘(i) CERTAIN STATES.—A State’’; and 

9 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(ii) MOBILITY MANAGEMENT.—A 

11 grant under this section for a capital 

12 project described in section 5302(a)(1)(L) 

13 shall be for 90 percent of the capital costs 

14 of the project, as determined by the Sec15 retary.’’. 

16 (b) NATIONAL TRANSIT DATABASE.—Section 5335 

17 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 

18 (1) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘section 5307 

19 or 5311’’ and inserting ‘‘section 5307, 5310, or 

20 5311’’; and 

21 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

22 ‘‘(c) DATA RELATING TO SECTIONS 5310 AND

23 5311.—The reporting and uniform systems established 

24 under subsection (a) shall include information with respect 

25 to activities carried out using a grant under section 5310 


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1 or 5311, including, for each recipient of a grant under 

2 section 5310 or 5311 and for each State— 

3 ‘‘(1) the number of vehicles purchased; and 

4 ‘‘(2) the number of rides provided.’’. 

5 SEC. 4. METROPOLITAN AND STATEWIDE TRANSPOR6 TATION PLANNING. 

7 (a) METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.— 

8 Section 5303(i) of title 49, United States Code, is amend9 ed by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(8) PARTICIPATION BY OLDER INDIVIDUALS

11 AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.— 

12 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph, 

13 the terms ‘disability’ and ‘older individual’ have 

14 the same meanings as in section 102 of the 

15 Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002). 

16 ‘‘(B) PARTICIPATION REQUIRED.—In de17 veloping a transportation plan under this sec18 tion, a metropolitan planning organization 

19 shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) ensure that organizations that 

21 represent older individuals and individuals 

22 with disabilities (including community ac23 tion agencies, area agencies on aging, 

24 aging and disability resource centers, and 

25 other representatives of the aging and disVerDate Mar 15 2010 00:51 Dec 06, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1942.IS S1942

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1 ability networks) have a reasonable oppor2 tunity to comment on the transportation 

3 plan and document the efforts of the met4 ropolitan planning organization to solicit 

5 such comments; 

6 ‘‘(ii) take into consideration any com7 ments received under clause (i) and docu8 ment how any such comments were taken 

9 into consideration in the development of 

10 the transportation plan; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) give organizations that represent 

12 older individuals and individuals with dis13 abilities (including community action agen14 cies, area agencies on aging, aging and dis15 ability resource centers, and other rep16 resentatives of the aging and disability net17 works) an opportunity to review and com18 ment on the transportation plan before the 

19 transportation plan becomes final.’’. 

20 (b) STATEWIDE TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.—Sec21 tion 5304 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 

22 adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(k) PARTICIPATION BY OLDER INDIVIDUALS AND

24 PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the 

2 terms ‘disability’ and ‘older individual’ have the 

3 same meanings as in section 102 of the Older Amer4 icans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002). 

5 ‘‘(2) PARTICIPATION REQUIRED.—In developing 

6 a statewide transportation plan or a statewide trans7 portation improvement program under this section, a 

8 State shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) ensure that organizations that rep10 resent older individuals and individuals with 

11 disabilities have a reasonable opportunity to 

12 comment on the plan or program and document 

13 the efforts of the State to solicit such com14 ments; 

15 ‘‘(B) take into consideration any comments 

16 received under subparagraph (A) and document 

17 how any such comments were taken into consid18 eration in the development of the plan or pro19 gram; and 

20 ‘‘(C) give organizations that represent 

21 older individuals and individuals with disabil22 ities an opportunity to review and comment on 

23 the plan or program before the plan or program 

24 becomes final.’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND MOBILITY MANAGE2 MENT. 

3 (a) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

4 (1) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub5 section— 

6 (A) the term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means a 

7 nonprofit organization that provides transpor8 tation services to older individuals; 

9 (B) the term ‘‘older individual’’ has the 

10 same meaning as in section 102 of the Older 

11 Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002); and 

12 (C) the term ‘‘urbanized area’’ has the 

13 same meaning as in section 5302 of title 49, 

14 United States Code. 

15 (2) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 

16 Federal Transit Administration shall enter into a co17 operative agreement with the National Center on 

18 Senior Transportation— 

19 (A) to provide technical assistance to tran20 sit and human services organizations; 

21 (B) to disseminate best practices with re22 spect to transportation for older individuals to 

23 consumers, Federal, State, and local transpor24 tation and aging services providers, and re25 searchers; and 


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1 (C) to make grants to eligible entities to 

2 test innovative and replicable approaches for 

3 addressing the mobility needs of older individ4 uals, including individuals in other than urban5 ized areas. 

6 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

7 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

8 this subsection— 

9 (A) $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

10 (B) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 

11 (b) MOBILITY MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Transit Admin13 istration shall make grants to nonprofit aging serv14 ices organizations— 

15 (A) to offer mobility management services, 

16 including mobility management activities and 

17 projects described in section 5302(a)(1)(L) of 

18 title 49, United States Code; and 

19 (B) to develop and implement enhanced 

20 technology to support mobility management 

21 services. 

22 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

23 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

24 this subsection— 

25 (A) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 


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1 (B) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 

Æ 


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