I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2495 

Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for the TIGER 

Discretionary Grant program, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 21, 2015 

Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California (for herself, Mr. COHEN, Ms. BASS, Mrs. 

BEATTY, Ms. BROWNLEY of California, Mr. CARTWRIGHT, Mr. 

CICILLINE, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. GUTIE ́RREZ, Mr. 

KEATING, Ms. LEE, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. MEEKS, 

Ms. MOORE, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. RUSH, Mr. SIRES, Mr. VARGAS, Mr. 

WELCH, Mr. LEWIS, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. BRENDAN F. 

BOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, 

Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Ms. PINGREE, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. HASTINGS, Ms. NORTON, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. 

TAKANO, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. WALZ, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, Mr. 

CA ́RDENAS, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. TED LIEU of California, 

Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. RICHMOND, Ms. HAHN, Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. 

JUDY CHU of California, Mr. HECK of Washington, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 

Mr. TONKO, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. HIMES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. ELLISON, Mr. AL GREEN of Texas, Mr. 

PAYNE, Mr. DELANEY, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. CLAY, Mr. GARAMENDI, 

Mr. VEASEY, Mr. NOLAN, Ms. FUDGE, Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

of New Mexico, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. KILDEE, and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Appropriations, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

Making supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for 


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the TIGER Discretionary 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 ‘‘TIGER Grants for 

5 Job Creation Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The economy is still struggling to recover 

9 from the recession. According to the Bureau of 

10 Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate is 5.4 per11 cent nationwide and is significantly higher in some 

12 minority and disadvantaged communities. 

13 (2) The American Society of Civil Engineers 

14 gave the public infrastructure of the United States 

15 a grade of ‘‘D+’’ in 2013 and estimated that we will 

16 need to invest $3.6 trillion by 2020 in order to im17 prove the condition of our Nation’s public infrastruc18 ture. 

19 (3) TIGER, formally known as the Transpor20 tation Investment Generating Economic Recovery 

21 grant program, is a nationwide competitive grant 

22 program that creates jobs by funding investments in 

23 transportation infrastructure by States, local govern24 ments, and transit agencies. 


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1 (4) TIGER funds projects that will have a sig2 nificant impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area, 

3 or a region. 

4 (5) In distributing grants under TIGER, the 

5 Secretary of Transportation is required to ensure an 

6 equitable geographic distribution of funds, a balance 

7 in addressing the needs of urban and rural areas, 

8 and investments in a variety of modes of transpor9 tation. 

10 (6) TIGER received an appropriation of 

11 $600,000,000 in fiscal year 2014 and an appropria12 tion of $500,000,000 in fiscal year 2015. 

13 (7) Past appropriations for TIGER are not suf14 ficient to address the need for investments in trans15 portation infrastructure in communities throughout 

16 the United States as the amounts only fund a small 

17 fraction of the transportation infrastructure projects 

18 for which TIGER grant applications have been re19 ceived. 

20 (8) The President requested an appropriation of 

21 $1.25 billion for TIGER in fiscal year 2016, as part 

22 of an expanded TIGER program that will provide 

23 $7.5 billion for TIGER over 6 years. 

24 (9) Appropriating $7.5 billion in fiscal year 

25 2016 for TIGER and allowing the funds to remain 


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1 available for 6 years will enable the Secretary of 

2 Transportation to begin immediately to implement 

3 the President’s proposal to expand the TIGER pro4 gram. 

5 (10) Restricting appropriations for TIGER 

6 through the use of arbitrary budget caps or seques7 tration undermines economic recovery and job cre8 ation efforts; disrupts planning by States, local gov9 ernments, and transit agencies; and leaves critical 

10 infrastructure needs unmet. 

11 (11) Emergency supplemental appropriations 

12 for TIGER, provided in addition to other appropria13 tions and not subject to sequestration, will improve 

14 transportation infrastructure and create jobs 

15 throughout the United States without reducing 

16 funding for other domestic priorities. 

17 (12) An emergency supplemental appropriation 

18 of $7.5 billion for TIGER to be made available in 

19 fiscal year 2016 and to remain available for 6 years 

20 will allow the Secretary of Transportation to begin 

21 immediately to organize new competitions for 

22 TIGER grants and allow States, local governments, 

23 and transit agencies to prepare grant applications, 

24 thus ensuring an efficient use of funds and timely 

25 job creation. 


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1 SEC. 3. SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATIONS FOR TIGER DIS2 CRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAM. 

3 The following sums are appropriated, out of any 

4 money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for fis5 cal year 2016: 

6 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

7 OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

8 NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS

9 For an additional amount for ‘‘National Infrastruc10 ture Investments’’ in accordance with the provisions under 

11 this heading in title I of division K of Public Law 113– 

12 235, $7,500,000,000, to remain available through Sep13 tember 30, 2021: Provided, That the amount under this 

14 heading is designated by the Congress as an emergency 

15 requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Bal16 anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, 

17 except that such amount shall be available only if the 

18 President subsequently so designates such amount and 

19 transmits such designation to the Congress. 

20 SEC. 4. EXEMPTION FROM SEQUESTRATION. 

21 The appropriation in section 3 shall be exempt from 

22 sequestration under the Balanced Budget and Emergency 

23 Deficit Control Act of 1985. 

Æ 


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