I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 737 

To authorize a State to transfer or consolidate funds made available to 

such State under certain transportation, education, and job training 

programs after the United States experiences economic growth at an 

annual rate of less than 1 percent for 2 calendar quarters. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 28, 2009 

Mr. HOEKSTRA (for himself, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. 

GALLEGLY, Mr. PAUL, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, and Mr. LINDER) 

introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Ways and Means, 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 

To authorize a State to transfer or consolidate funds made 

available to such State under certain transportation, education, and job training programs after the United States 

experiences economic growth at an annual rate of less 

than 1 percent for 2 calendar quarters. 

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 ‘‘State Temporary Eco5 nomic Priority (STEP) Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 It is the purpose of this Act to authorize a State to 

3 transfer or consolidate funds made available to such State 

4 under certain transportation, education, and job training 

5 programs after the United States experiences economic 

6 growth at an annual rate of less than 1 percent for 2 cal7 endar quarters. 

8 SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO TRANSFER OR CONSOLIDATE CER9 TAIN FUNDS. 

10 (a) AUTHORITY AVAILABLE.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—A State may transfer or 

12 consolidate funds under subsections (b), (c), and (d) 

13 beginning with the calendar quarter after the United 

14 States experiences economic growth at an annual 

15 rate of less than 1 percent for 2 calendar quarters 

16 and continuing until 18 months after the United 

17 States experiences economic growth at an annual 

18 rate of 1 percent or more for 2 calendar quarters. 

19 (2) TREATMENT OF TRANSFERRED OR CON20 SOLIDATED FUNDS.—Funds transferred or consoli21 dated under subsections (b), (c), or (d) shall be used 

22 in accordance with the statutory and regulatory re23 quirements applicable to the program to which the 

24 funds are transferred or consolidated. 

25 (b) TRANSPORTATION FUNDS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—In applying subsection (a), a 

2 State may transfer, in such amounts as the State 

3 determines appropriate, any funds apportioned and 

4 allocated to such State from amounts made available 

5 from the Highway Trust Fund (26 U.S.C. 9503 et 

6 seq.), other than the Mass Transit Account, to any 

7 of the apportionments and allocations for the fol8 lowing programs authorized by title 23, United 

9 States Code: 

10 (A) The interstate maintenance program 

11 under section 119. 

12 (B) The National Highway System under 

13 section 103(b). 

14 (C) The surface transportation program 

15 under section 133. 

16 (D) The highway bridge replacement and 

17 rehabilitation program under section 144. 

18 (2) EXEMPT TRANSPORTATION FUNDS.—The 

19 funds made available for the highway safety im20 provement programs authorized by section 148 and 

21 chapter 4 of title 23, United States Code, shall not 

22 be subject to transfer or consolidation under sub23 section (a). 

24 (c) FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDS.—In applying sub25 section (a), a State may, in such amounts as the State 


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1 determines appropriate from any funds made available to 

2 such State under any formula grant programs carried out 

3 under any of the following provisions of the Elementary 

4 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301 

5 et seq.), transfer or consolidate such funds between and 

6 among such programs: 

7 (1) Part A of title I (Improving Basic Pro8 grams Operated by Local Educational Agencies). 

9 (2) Subpart 1 of part B of title I (Reading 

10 First). 

11 (3) Subpart 3 of part B of title I (William F. 

12 Goodling Even Start Family Literacy Programs). 

13 (4) Subpart 4 of part B of title I (Improving 

14 Literacy Through School Libraries). 

15 (5) Part C of title I (Education of Migratory 

16 Children). 

17 (6) Part D of title I (Prevention and Interven18 tion Programs for Children and Youth who are Ne19 glected, Delinquent, or At-Risk). 

20 (7) Part F of title I (Comprehensive School Re21 form). 

22 (8) Part H of title I (School Dropout Preven23 tion). 


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1 (9) Subpart 1 of part A of title II (Teacher and 

2 Principal Training and Recruiting Fund (Grants to 

3 States)). 

4 (10) Part B of title II (Mathematics and 

5 Science Partnerships). 

6 (11) Part D of title II (Enhancing Education 

7 Through Technology). 

8 (12) Part A of title III (English Language Ac9 quisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic 

10 Achievement). 

11 (13) Part A of title IV (Safe and Drug-Free 

12 Schools and Communities). 

13 (14) Part B of title IV (21st Century Commu14 nity Learning Centers). 

15 (15) Subpart 2 of part A of title V (Innovative 

16 Programs (State Programs)). 

17 (16) Subpart 1 of part A of title VI (Improving 

18 Academic Achievement (Accountability)). 

19 (d) JOB TRAINING FUNDS.—In applying subsection 

20 (a), a State may, in such amounts as the State determines 

21 appropriate from any funds made available to such State 

22 under the following job training programs, transfer or con23 solidate such funds between and among such programs: 


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1 (1) Any formula grant program carried out 

2 under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (29 

3 U.S.C. 2801 et seq.). 

4 (2) Any funds made available to the State 

5 under part II of subchapter B of chapter 2 of title 

6 II of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2295 et 

7 seq.). 

8 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act— 

9 (1) the phrase ‘‘economic growth at an annual 

10 rate of less than 1 percent for 2 calendar quarters’’ 

11 means, that for 2 consecutive calendar quarters, real 

12 gross domestic product, as announced by Bureau of 

13 Economic Analysis of the Department of Commerce, 

14 has experienced— 

15 (A) an annual rate of decrease for such 

16 quarters; 

17 (B) no change in the annual rate for such 

18 quarters; or 

19 (C) an increase at an annual rate of less 

20 than 1 percent for such quarters; and 

21 (2) the phrase ‘‘economic growth at an annual 

22 rate of 1 percent or more for 2 calendar quarters’’ 

23 means an increase in real gross domestic product at 

24 an annual rate of 1 percent or more for 2 consecu25 tive calendar quarters, as announced by the Bureau 


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1 of Economic Analysis of the Department of Com2 merce for such quarters. 

Æ 


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